Night Owl NVR text alerts: email-to-SMS setup
Night Owl recorders that support SMTP email can forward motion alerts to NVRtxt, which turns them into texts for any phone.
What you’ll need
- An NVRtxt account and an endpoint (created in step 1).
- A mailbox for the recorder to send from — a free Gmail/Outlook account with an app password works.
- Access to your Night Owl recorder’s settings (web interface or local monitor).
- The phone number(s) that should receive the texts.
- 1
Create your NVRtxt endpoint
In your NVRtxt dashboard, add an endpoint and choose the “generic” template. NVRtxt generates a unique inbound address for it, like
front-door-a1b2c@alerts.nvrtxt.com. - 2
Set up an email account to send from
NVRtxt receives your alert emails, but your recorder still needs a mailbox to send from. The simplest option is a free, dedicated Gmail or Outlook account with an app password — most NVRs can’t do modern sign-in, and an app password works around that. You only set this up once and can reuse the same sending account across every recorder and endpoint.
Provider SMTP server SSL port STARTTLS port Gmail smtp.gmail.com 465 587 Outlook.com smtp-mail.outlook.com — 587 Microsoft 365 smtp.office365.com — 587 Yahoo Mail smtp.mail.yahoo.com 465 587 Tip: turn on 2-Step Verification for the account, then generate an app password and use that 16-character value as the SMTP password — typed without the spaces Google shows (they’re display-only, and some recorders reject them). Use the account’s full email address as the user name. - 3
Configure Night Owl email (SMTP) settings
On the recorder: Menu → Setup → Network → Email.
- Enter your sending mailbox’s SMTP details and credentials (app password), and set the recipient to your NVRtxt endpoint.
- 4
Turn on email for the events you want texted
Menu → Setup → Motion (or Alarm) → enable the email notification and set the schedule.
- 5
Set the recipient to your NVRtxt address and send a test
Set the recorder’s recipient/receiver to your NVRtxt endpoint address, then use the built-in Test button. A test email should reach NVRtxt within seconds — you’ll see it appear in your Activity log.
- 6
Add phone numbers and confirm delivery
In NVRtxt, open the endpoint and add the phone numbers that should receive alerts in E.164 format (for example
+15555550123). Trigger a real event and watch the Activity tab — each alert is logged as received → parsed → sent. Recipients can reply STOP to opt out anytime.
Tips for Night Owl
- Many Night Owl systems are built around the Night Owl Protect app; confirm yours exposes an SMTP Email screen before setup.
Optional: include a snapshot image
Want the camera image in the text too? In your Night Owl email or event-linkage settings, turn on “Attach picture” (sometimes labeled “Attach JPEG” or “Image”). Then set this endpoint’s Snapshot option in NVRtxt to Link — a tap-to-view image link that keeps it a low-cost SMS — or Image, which sends the picture inline as an MMS. NVRtxt attaches the snapshot to each alert automatically.
What the text looks like
NVRtxt reads the alert Night Owl emails and pulls out the event, camera, and time, so your phone gets a single clean line instead of a full email.
The alert email
Subject: Night Owl Motion Alert
Event: Motion Detection Channel: CH1 Front Time: 2026-06-29 18:09:55
The text you receive
NVRtxt
Delivered · now
Night Owl text alerts: FAQ
- My Night Owl only has app alerts — can I use NVRtxt?
- Only if the recorder supports SMTP email. Look under Setup → Network for an Email screen; if present, you can forward to NVRtxt.
Other setup guides
Ready to text your Night Owl alerts?
Create an endpoint, paste the address into your recorder, add your number.