Notification Alternatives: Beyond Email Alerts
For many years, the Email Alerts feature was designed to notify you whenever motion is detected, there’s an issue with the hard drive (HDD), or a camera feed is lost (Video Loss). This is not enabled by default which is why you need to follow this article (depending on the model of your recorder) to set it up:
- How to Set Up Email Alerts on Your DVR or NVR Recorder
- How to Set Up Email Alerts on Your NVW Recorder
With the recent models of recorders, there is even a feature where you just need to enter the recipient's email; no need to enter SMTP settings and your email address and password.
Too Many Emails? Use Swann Security App
When the Swann Security app was released, you could receive instant notifications for motion detection which is a better way to manage your alerts efficiently. By relying on the Swann Security app's push notification for motion alerts, you can reduce email clutter, ensure critical notifications aren't missed, and avoid potential issues where excessive emails could block important alerts from reaching your inbox. You can check the articles below to know how to pair your recorder and make sure to receive push notifications through your phone:
- How to Pair Your Recorder Using the Swann Security app
- For NVW: How to Enable Push Notification on Your NVW Recorder
- For DVR or NVR: How to Enable Push Notification on Your DVR or NVR Recorder
Other Ways to Get Alerts
Cloud Storage (or Dropbox)
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This feature will use your Dropbox as online storage to save clips from up to two cameras or snapshots from all of your cameras, depending on the features enabled on your recorder. You will need to have Swann Security app installed and a Swann Security account to set this up. Be aware that the total recording capacity depends on your Dropbox account although Dropbox offers a free account that comes with 2GB of storage. To help you set up Cloud Storage, you may visit this article: How to Set Up Cloud Storage (Dropbox) on Your Recorder |
IFTTT
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This is a 3rd party service, just like Dropbox, but focuses on no-code automation. Swann Security can use this service to send you emails when there's movement detected. Visit this link to the applet that you can use to automate sending the email: Send an email when motion is detected on my Swann Security Camera |
Why Use Email Alerts Only for HDD Errors and Video Loss
While the Email Alerts feature can notify you of motion detection events, we recommend limiting its use to critical alerts such as HDD errors or Video Loss. Here's why:
- Prevent Email Overload: Motion detection can generate numerous alerts throughout the day, especially in high-traffic areas. Receiving constant emails can quickly overwhelm your inbox, making it harder to spot urgent alerts that need your attention.
- Avoid Potential Blocking of Alerts: If your email inbox is flooded with motion alerts, it increases the risk of Swann's emails being marked as spam or blocked altogether. By limiting the use of Email Alerts to HDD errors and Video Loss, you reduce this risk and ensure that vital alerts always get through.
- Simplified Monitoring: The Swann Security app is specifically designed to manage motion alerts in real-time, offering a streamlined and efficient way to monitor your system without the need to sift through countless emails. By keeping Email Alerts focused on HDD and Video Loss notifications, you can ensure you're immediately aware of any significant issues with your recorder's performance.
Conclusion
For the best security experience, we encourage you to rely on the Swann Security app for motion detection alerts. It's fast, efficient, and designed to minimize disruption. By using Email Alerts only for HDD errors and Video Loss, you can maintain a clutter-free inbox and ensure that you never miss an important update from your recorder.
With this approach, you'll stay informed, without the risk of missing crucial notifications due to email overload. This way, we can continue to deliver reliable, advanced security solutions that keep you protected, wherever you are.