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SolarWinds SMS alerts from the Send an Email/Page action

A SolarWinds SMS alert shows the on-call admin the node, the site and the trigger time when a branch router drops at 4 a.m. SolarWinds keeps running the alert logic. You add your Welco address to the Send an Email/Page trigger action on the alerts that matter.

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  • One Send an Email/Page action
  • No SMS add-on or modem
  • No per-user fees

Setup guide for

  • SolarWinds

Published:

A network map watched by SolarWinds: five hosts answer pings until wan-rtr-regina goes down (Node down, no reply) and the monitor raises the alert. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [wan-rtr-regina] Node Down, Regina branch router at 4:26 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long SolarWinds alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [wan-rtr-regina] Node Down, Regina branch router at 4:26 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

What a SolarWinds alert becomes on the on-call phone

  • The node, not the console link

    Node name, site and trigger time fit on the lock screen. The long details URL stays in email.

  • A missed poll stays quiet

    Alerts that wait a few minutes before firing keep single poll failures off the phone.

  • Nights reach one admin

    Daytime alerts can go to the network team while after-hours ones reach the person covering tonight.

  • No carrier gateway to break

    Old number@carrier addresses come out of the action. One Welco address takes their place.

What you need before you start

Allow about 20 minutes with an account that can edit alerts in the web console. Recipients already on your SolarWinds actions keep their emails. Other tools are covered under SMS alerts for IT monitoring.

  • A default SMTP server in the SolarWinds settings. If your alerts email someone today, it's already there.
  • The alerts you want as texts. The built-in node down and interface down alerts are good first picks.
  • A Welco account and your Welco address, ready after you start free and verify your business.
  • On-call admins invited to join Welco. Each enters their own cellphone number and confirms with a YES reply. No app is needed.

How to set up a SolarWinds SMS alert in 5 steps

Trigger actions run when an alert's condition is met, and reset actions run when it clears. Texts usually belong on the trigger side only.

  1. Approve the SolarWinds From address

    Check the From address in your SMTP server settings, or on a recent alert email. Add it to Welco, which can block mail from unknown senders.

  2. Open the alert you want to text

    Go to Alerts & Activity, Alerts, then Manage Alerts. Edit an alert such as Node is down and move to the Trigger Actions step.

  3. Add a Send an Email/Page action

    Add an action of type Send an Email/Page with your Welco address in To. Keep the subject to the node name and status, and trim the message to a line or two.

    • If an older action sends to a carrier address like 4165550123@txt.bell.ca, swap in your Welco address.
    • Leave the reset actions alone unless the team wants a text when the node comes back.

  4. Reuse the action on other alerts

    Assign the same action to interface down, volume full or application alerts. Changing the address later then takes one edit, not twenty.

  5. Test before a real outage

    Use the alert wizard's option to test the action against a node you pick. Run test sends that stay in the feed first, so no text goes out.

SolarWinds alerts as texts, with no gateway to manage

Paste your Welco address into one email action and assign it to the alerts that matter.

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

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A SolarWinds interface alert as a text

Interface alerts name the port and its parent node. The text keeps both plus the time and drops the console link. Banks and credit unions watch branch uplinks like this one, see bank IT alert texts.

Alert email from orion@noc.example.com, subject “ALERT: Interface Gi1/0/1 - Uplink on dist-sw-03 is Down”. Welco trims it to one text of 76 characters: “Welco: [dist-sw-03] Uplink Gi1/0/1 Down at 8:52 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: [dist-sw-03] Uplink Gi1/0/1 Down at 8:52 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters380761 credit

Animation: the alert email "ALERT: Interface Gi1/0/1 - Uplink on dist-sw-03 is Down" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: [dist-sw-03] Uplink Gi1/0/1 Down at 8:52 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Variables in the action message let you build a short line yourself. Welco can also trim each alert email after it arrives.

Use SolarWinds alert logic to keep texts rare

SolarWinds decides what is worth a text. Welco decides who gets it and when.

  • Make the condition last

    Set the alert so the condition must exist for two or three minutes before it fires. That filters most single missed polls and flapping ports.

  • Reset actions stay off the phone

    Leave texts out of the reset actions for problems only. If the team wants all-clears, start the subject with CLEARED and route it to fewer people.

  • Unmanage nodes during planned work

    Unmanage a node, or mute its alerts with maintenance mode, before patching. Its alerts stay quiet until the window ends.

  • Repeats are one text each

    If an action repeats until someone acknowledges the alert in SolarWinds, every repeat is another text. Lengthen the interval or switch repeats off.

  • Node dependencies stop the storm

    With dependencies set, nodes behind a down router show as unreachable, not down. Welco limits the rest to stop a text storm.

  • Custom properties pick the phone

    Put the node's group or custom property in the subject. Welco routing rules text that team, and nights go to whoever is on call.

When a SolarWinds text goes missing

Start with the alert's history in the console. It shows whether the action ran.

The alert triggered, the action didn't run

Where to look
Confirm the action sits on the trigger side and is enabled.

The action ran and failed

Where to look
The SMTP server settings, or a relay rule on your mail server.

Welco's feed shows a refused message

Where to look
The SolarWinds From address isn't on the approved list yet.

One phone stays quiet

Where to look
Welco shows which phones got it and why, such as a landline or a missing YES.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a SolarWinds SMS add-on or modem to send texts?

No. The built-in Send an Email/Page action is enough. It emails your Welco address, and Welco texts each admin who joined and replied YES. Nothing is installed on the SolarWinds server.

My SolarWinds alerts used a Bell or Rogers email-to-text address. What changes?

Only the recipient. Open each Send an Email/Page action, remove the number@carrier address and paste your Welco address. Bell switched off Text via Email on December 31, 2025, and Rogers users report the same, so this stops alerts from failing quietly.

Can network alerts go to one admin and server alerts to another, with nights to on-call?

Yes. Keep one action with your Welco address and put the team name in the subject. Welco rules pick the phone by subject words and time of day.

Will resets, flapping ports or patch nights send texts?

Only if you let them. Keep texts off reset actions, make conditions last a few minutes, and unmanage nodes during planned work. A Welco rule can drop any CLEARED subject that slips through.

Can the admin acknowledge a SolarWinds alert by replying to the text?

No. A reply is emailed back to the alert's last sender, which tells the team who saw it. Acknowledge the alert in the SolarWinds console. See how text replies return by email.

What does a SolarWinds text cost?

No per-user fees, no add-on license and no hardware. A short alert uses one message credit, so trim the default message. A 7-day free trial with 15 credits covers a few test SolarWinds alerts. Compare plans in US dollars on pricing; your card isn't charged until you approve one, and none bill overage.

Text the on-call admin from your next SolarWinds alert

One email action with your Welco address. Your alert logic stays as it is.

Text me my SolarWinds alertsBook a demo

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