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LibreNMS SMS alerts with a Mail transport

A LibreNMS SMS alert puts the device and the fault on the on-call tech's phone when a tower radio or a core port drops. LibreNMS already sends alerts through transports, so you add one Mail transport with your Welco address. No extra package, no API key and nothing to install on the poller.

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  • One Mail transport
  • No API key or extra package
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • LibreNMS

Published:

A network map watched by LibreNMS: five hosts answer pings until fw-tower-12 goes down (No ping 5 min) and the monitor raises the alert. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [fw-tower-12] Device down, no ping reply for 5 min at 2:51 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long LibreNMS alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [fw-tower-12] Device down, no ping reply for 5 min at 2:51 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

What LibreNMS texts do for the tech on call

  • The tech on call, not the NOC inbox

    A firewall down at 2 AM reaches one phone. Mail to the team list keeps flowing as before.

  • Chosen rule by rule

    Only rules with the Welco transport attached can text. Every other rule keeps emailing.

  • Once per problem

    With Max alerts at 1, a fault texts one time and then stays quiet until it clears.

  • A dead site stays a short burst

    Device dependencies and Welco flood limits keep a power cut at a tower to a few texts.

What you need before you start

This takes about 15 minutes with an admin login to the LibreNMS web interface. For other systems, start from the network monitoring text alerts overview.

  • LibreNMS that can send mail. Check the email options under Global Settings, Alerting.
  • At least one alert rule you already rely on, such as the default Devices up/down rule.
  • A verified Welco account. Your Welco address is ready once you start free.
  • Techs invited to Welco, each joining with their own mobile. Each tech replies YES to a confirmation text before getting alerts. No app is needed.

How to set up a LibreNMS SMS alert in 5 steps

In LibreNMS, a rule decides when to alert and a transport decides where the alert goes. You add one transport and link it to your rules.

  1. Approve the LibreNMS sender in Welco

    The From address is set in the email options under Alerting. Approve the sending address in Welco.

  2. Create a Mail transport

    Go to Alerts, Alert Transports and create a transport. Choose Mail as the type, name it Welco texts, and enter your Welco address.

  3. Test the transport

    Use the test button next to the new transport. LibreNMS sends a sample alert, and it should show up in the Welco feed. Use Welco to test without texting anyone if you don't want a real text yet.

  4. Attach the transport to your rules

    Open Alerts, Alert Rules and edit each rule that deserves a text. Add Welco texts under transports. Rules without it keep emailing as before.

    • Start with device down and critical port rules. Add more once the team trusts the texts.

  5. Set delay, interval and max alerts

    On the same rule, set Delay so a short blip doesn't alert, such as 5m. Set Max alerts to 1 so LibreNMS texts once per problem instead of every interval.

A Mail transport is all LibreNMS needs

Verify your business, add your techs' phones and paste your Welco address.

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A LibreNMS port alert, before and after

The default template lists the rule, the faults and the full sysDescr of the device. Welco keeps the device, the port and the time.

Alert email from librenms@nms.example.net, subject “[ALERT] Port status down - core-sw-01 - Te1/0/48”. Welco trims it to one text of 92 characters: “Welco: [core-sw-01] Port Te1/0/48 uplink to dist-2 down at 2:06 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: [core-sw-01] Port Te1/0/48 uplink to dist-2 down at 2:06 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters321921 credit

Animation: the alert email "[ALERT] Port status down - core-sw-01 - Te1/0/48" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: [core-sw-01] Port Te1/0/48 uplink to dist-2 down at 2:06 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

You can also write a short alert template in Alerts, Alert Templates and link it to the Mail transport. Or use Welco trim rules.

Getting LibreNMS texts right

LibreNMS is often run by small teams watching a lot of gear. Wireless ISPs are a common case, since their ISP outage alerts come from towers and radios.

  • Delay soaks up flapping

    Delay holds an alert until the fault lasts, such as five minutes. A radio that misses one poll and returns never texts.

  • Reminders through Interval

    Max alerts caps how often a rule fires per problem. For a slow reminder, raise Interval to an hour and allow two or three.

  • Recovery texts are a switch

    Each rule has a recovery alerts toggle. Leave it on if techs want to know a tower came back, or off if they only act on problems.

  • Maintenance before tower work

    Add devices to a window under Alerts, Scheduled Maintenance. Their alerts stay quiet until the window ends.

  • Send each site to its tech

    Put the device group or location in the alert subject. Welco matching rules then text the north tower tech for north tower gear.

  • Nights without editing rules

    Keep the rules as they are and let Welco's after-hours routing send nights to whoever has the phone this week.

  • Plan for a power cut at a site

    When a site loses power, every radio behind it drops at once. Device dependencies help, and Welco can keep a flood to a few texts.

When a LibreNMS alert doesn't text

Start in LibreNMS. Its alert log shows whether a rule fired and which transports ran.

The rule fired but the transport didn't run

Where to look
Check that Welco texts is attached to that rule or set as a default transport.

The transport ran and failed

Where to look
Check the mail settings under Alerting. A wrong SMTP port is the usual cause.

The Welco feed shows a refused message

Where to look
The sender isn't approved yet. Use the From address set in LibreNMS.

One tech never gets texts

Where to look
Their phone must be a mobile that replied YES. Then see whether each text arrived and why.

Frequently asked questions

Should I add a new LibreNMS transport or edit the default mail settings?

Add a new Mail transport. Your current email alerts keep working, and you choose rule by rule which ones also text. If you make the Welco transport a default, every rule without its own transport uses it.

How do I stop LibreNMS repeating the same alert?

Set Max alerts to 1 on the rule. LibreNMS then alerts once per problem and stays quiet until it clears. A small number with a long Interval gives you an hourly reminder instead.

Will recoveries and maintenance windows send LibreNMS texts?

Recoveries text only when the rule's recovery alerts toggle is on. Devices in scheduled maintenance don't alert at all. A Delay of a few minutes keeps flapping ports off the phone.

Can a tech acknowledge a LibreNMS alert by replying to the text?

No. A text reply is emailed back to the alert's last sender and doesn't touch LibreNMS. Acknowledge the alert on the LibreNMS Alerts page so other techs see it is taken.

Does a LibreNMS alert template change what the text says?

Yes. The template controls the email body Welco receives. A short template with the host, the rule name and the time makes a clean one-credit text. Link it to the Welco transport only, so other emails keep full detail.

What do LibreNMS texts cost?

There is no seat charge, no hardware and no setup fee. A short alert uses one message credit, and the long default template can use two. The free trial gives you 7 days and 15 credits to tune the LibreNMS template. Nothing is charged to your verification card until you approve a plan on pricing, and plans carry no overage.

Text your techs the next LibreNMS device down

Add one Mail transport. LibreNMS keeps polling, Welco handles the phones.

Text me my LibreNMS alertsBook a demo

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