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Access control alarm notification by SMS for security teams

When a panel drops offline at 1 AM, the site's on-call person gets an access control alarm notification by SMS. Many access systems can only send alarms by SMTP email, and that is all Welco needs. Tamper, comm loss and power alarms arrive as short texts, sorted by building.

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7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

  • SMTP email is enough
  • No vendor add-on
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • Access control
  • Door forced & held open
  • Microsoft 365 / Outlook

A floor plan of Bldg B: East entry (reader) goes into alarm, tamper, its room turns orange and Access server emails the alert. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [Bldg B] Tamper alarm, east entrance reader at 1:06 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long Access control alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [Bldg B] Tamper alarm, east entrance reader at 1:06 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Access system alarms, before and after Welco

When the desk is empty

  • A tamper or comm loss alarm sits on the access client screen until the morning shift.
  • Nobody notices a panel on battery until the doors behind it stop reporting.
  • A paging add-on costs extra, or the software can only send SMTP email.

With alarm texts

  • The on-call person for that building gets the device and the time in one text.
  • Each site's alarms go to that site's people, from one email feed.
  • The SMTP email you already have does the job, with no module to buy.

The access control alarms worth a text

Door events get the attention, but the system can fail in quieter ways. These alarms belong in your building alarm notification plan.

  • Reader or panel tamper

    A cover was opened or a reader pulled off the wall.

  • Panel offline or comm loss

    A controller stopped talking to the server, so its doors may not report.

  • AC power fail and low battery

    A panel lost mains power and is running on its backup battery.

  • Lockdown started or ended

    A heads-up to facilities staff who need to know the building state.

  • Beam or perimeter alarms

    A gate or fence sensor tripped after hours.

What you need before you start

You don't need an add-on from your access vendor. Alarm emails that reach people today keep reaching them.

  • Access control software with SMTP email settings, or a mail server it already relays through.
  • Admin rights to edit alarm or event notifications in that software.
  • A Welco account, verified for your business. Invite the people who respond, and each one joins with their own phone.

Set up access control alarm texts in 5 steps

Each brand names these screens differently. Look for SMTP, Email server, Notifications or Alarm actions.

  1. Check the SMTP settings in the access software

    Open the email or SMTP settings and note the server, port and the from address. Send the software's test email to your own inbox to prove mail leaves the server.

  2. Approve the sending address in Welco

    Add the from address to your list of approved senders. If the server relays through Microsoft 365, approve that mailbox instead. The Outlook forwarding setup explains that path.

  3. Attach your Welco address to the alarm types

    Create an email notification for tamper, comm loss, AC power fail and lockdown alarms. Add your Welco address as the recipient and save.

    • Keep routine events, like valid badge reads, out of this notification.
    • If the software allows one recipient per alarm, use your Welco address and fan out to phones in Welco.

  4. Send each site to its own people

    Most access alarms include the site or building name. Make an alert rule per site that matches that name and texts the local team.

  5. Trigger a safe test alarm

    Turn on Welco test mode and use the software's simulated alarm, or have your installer open a reader cover. Check the feed, then turn test mode off.

Your access alarms, on the right phone

Approve the access server's sender and add your Welco address to its alarm notifications.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

Text me access control alarmsBook a demo

A panel offline alarm, before and after

Comm loss emails carry the panel name, its address and a long status block. Welco keeps the site, the panel and the time.

Alert email from acs-alarms@campus.example.org, subject “ACS Alarm - Panel Communication Lost”. Welco trims it to one text of 83 characters: “Welco: [Admin Bldg] Panel 3 offline, comm lost at 4:40 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: [Admin Bldg] Panel 3 offline, comm lost at 4:40 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters284831 credit

Animation: the alert email "ACS Alarm - Panel Communication Lost" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: [Admin Bldg] Panel 3 offline, comm lost at 4:40 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

The IP address and footer are cut by rules that trim alerts. The full email stays on the access server.

Tips for multi-site access control alarms

A few settings keep access alarm texts clear when you run more than one building.

  • Nights to one phone, days to the desk

    In the day the security desk watches the live screen. Use routing for off-hours staff so texts go out only when the desk is empty.

  • When a whole site goes offline

    A network outage can drop every panel in a building at once. Flood control for alarm texts keeps that burst to a few texts, and the first one tells you where to look.

  • One alarm, two people

    Send tamper alarms to both the security lead and the facilities tech. Each phone gets the text once, even when mail servers retry the same email.

Why are access alarm texts missing?

Start at the access server and work toward the phone. The Welco feed records what happened to each email.

  • No email left the server. Recheck the SMTP port and login, then send the software's test email again.
  • The email went out from a different address than the one you approved. The Welco feed shows the address it refused.
  • The alarm type has no notification attached. Tamper and comm loss are often separate settings.
  • The alarm only fills the subject line. Turn on the subject setting in Welco so the text isn't empty.

Frequently asked questions

Which access control systems can send alarm texts through Welco?

Any access control system that can send an email can send texts through Welco. The alarm email goes to your Welco address, and Welco texts the phones you chose. No plug-in or vendor module is needed.

Can tamper alarms from different buildings go to different teams?

Yes. Most access alarm emails name the site or building. An alert rule for each site matches that name and sends the text to that site's people, so one email feed can serve every building.

What will the security lead see, and is there an app?

A short text that opens with Welco: and names the building, the device and the time. There is nothing to install, and any mobile phone works. Each person opts in from your invite and replies YES before the first alarm.

Does Welco connect to the access control server?

No. The server sends its alarm email out, and Welco reads only that email. There is no link back into the access network, the panels or the doors. Only senders you approve can create texts.

Our access server relays mail through Microsoft 365. Will that work?

Yes. Approve the Microsoft 365 mailbox that sends the alarms as a sender in Welco. Welco also strips Outlook's forward header block so the text starts with the alarm, not the email routing details.

Can the security lead reply to a tamper alarm text?

Yes. The reply is emailed to the address that sent the alarm, and it uses message credits like any text. It does not acknowledge or clear the alarm in the access software. If the server sends through a shared mailbox, the morning team can read who checked.

What do access control alarm texts cost?

Welco charges no per-user fees, no setup fee and nothing for hardware. A trimmed tamper or comm loss alarm uses one message credit for each phone it reaches. Try it on your own panels with the 7-day trial and its 15 credits. Welco pricing lists the plans, and none of them bill overage.

Do lockdown alerts from the access system reach students or the public?

No. Welco only texts staff who joined from your invite with their own phone and replied YES. It is a heads-up for your own team, not a mass notification system for students, parents or visitors.

Hear about a tampered reader the night it happens

Use the SMTP email your access system already has and send its alarms to your team as texts.

Text me access control alarmsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing