Home Assistant text alerts: email-to-SMS setup
Home Assistant’s SMTP notify integration can email any automation trigger — door left open, water leak, freezer warming, alarm armed. Point that notify service at your EmailToTxt address and any automation can text you.
What you’ll need
- An EmailToTxt account and an endpoint (created in step 1).
- A mailbox for the device to send from — a free Gmail/Outlook account with an app password works.
- Access to your Home Assistant settings (web interface, app, or local console).
- The phone number(s) that should receive the texts.
- 1
Create your EmailToTxt endpoint
In your EmailToTxt dashboard, add an endpoint and choose the “generic” template. EmailToTxt generates a unique inbound address for it, like
server-room-a1b2c@alerts.emailtotxt.com. - 2
Set up an email account to send from
EmailToTxt receives your alert emails, but your device 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 Home Assistant email (SMTP) settings
Add the SMTP notify platform in configuration.yaml under notify: (or via a package), pointing at your sending mailbox.
- Set server/port to your sending mailbox — e.g. smtp.gmail.com, port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS), with username + an app password.
- Set recipient to your EmailToTxt endpoint address and sender to the mailbox address.
- Restart Home Assistant, then call the notify service from Developer Tools → Actions to send a test.
- 4
Turn on email for the events you want texted
In any automation, add an action that calls your SMTP notify service (Settings → Automations → add action → Notifications), with a short message template for the event.
- Keep the message template to one line (e.g. "Leak detected: Basement") so it lands as a single clean SMS.
- Reserve texting for automations that matter — security, leaks, freezer/temperature, power — and leave routine automations on app notifications.
- 5
Set the recipient to your EmailToTxt address and send a test
Set the device’s recipient/receiver to your EmailToTxt endpoint address, then use the built-in Test button (or trigger a test event). The email should reach EmailToTxt within seconds — you’ll see it appear in your Activity log.
- 6
Add phone numbers and confirm delivery
In EmailToTxt, 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 Home Assistant
- Home Assistant has many notify integrations; you specifically want the SMTP one so the alert becomes an email EmailToTxt can receive.
What the text looks like
EmailToTxt reads the alert emails Home Assistant sends and pulls out the event and key details, so your phone gets a single clean line instead of a full email.
The alert email
Subject: Home Assistant Notification
Water leak detected: Basement sensor Triggered at 2:03 AM
The text you receive
EmailToTxt
Delivered · now
Home Assistant text alerts: FAQ
- Why use SMTP-to-SMS instead of a Home Assistant SMS integration?
- Direct SMS integrations mean an API key, A2P registration, and per-message billing to manage. The built-in SMTP notify platform is zero-cost to set up — you just change where it points — and any automation can use it.
- Can I text different people for different automations?
- Yes. Create multiple SMTP notify services (or endpoints) pointed at different EmailToTxt addresses, each with its own recipient list, and call the right one from each automation.
Other setup guides
Ready to text your Home Assistant alerts?
Create an endpoint, paste the address into your recorder, add your number.