Alternative to Email-to-Phone SMS/MMS delivery (T-Mobile issue - for now)

T

TooOldToKnowBetter

IPCT Contributor
Sep 26, 2018
22
8
Northern CA USA
T-Mobile's (and perhaps other carrier's) email-to-phone is not reliable and may go away. One explanation of the problem I've heard is that the FCC has mandated that carriers scan these messages for spam. The systems are not up to the task. I'm in search of something that will reliably send SMS/MMS messages from Blue Iris. (Is Telegram the answer?)

What follows is part of an email that I sent to Blue Iris support. Ken's response was:
I think some customers use something called telegram. I personally have not researched this. The phone apps and push notifications have pretty much deprecated the need for SMS

I would search or post to the use forum to learn what others are using.

Message to Blue Iris support:
I am a T Mobile customer and their SMS/MMS support is probably going away and is currently not working. At present alerts from my BI Gmail account are not going through (bounced with server temporarily unavailable and one of 451 4.2.0, 452 4.1.0, or 550 5.1.1 errors).

When it did work, the alerts were frequently delayed.

I also get emails on alerts, but the SMS/MMS alerts are much more useful.

Other T Mobile customers are having similar issues with their "automated" messages sent to tmomail.net.

This T-Mobile article indicates that their tmomail.net support may eventually go away ("non-consumer" is a confusing term, but it includes BlueIris SMS/MMS alerts), see excerpt:

The e-mail to text gateway is a legacy system that may eventually be decommissioned in the future. It is designed for low volume consumer traffic only and cannot handle a significant volume of messages. For that reason, all non-consumer messaging is prohibited on the e-mail to text gateway, and even high volume consumer messaging may be blocked as it can impact the system's ability to handle messages for all customers. If you need to send non-consumer or high-volume consumer messaging, work with an aggregator as their connections can handle these message volumes.

They do allow SMS messages from approved aggregators.

There are a range of independent reputable companies offering messaging services on the sanctioned path that may suit your needs. We recommend you reach out to Kaleyra, Infobip, Sinch, Vibes Media, Twilio, or Cisco directly.

I tried to find references to people who used these services and a quick search only found Twilio, which has a low cost per message. The problems with all the systems that I looked at: the messages would probably need to be sent via an API and the BI user would need to set up an account with the provider and have that account info known to BI.

Have you any thoughts on this issue? I have an idea that other carriers will also be limiting their SMS/MMS capabilities.
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Lots of threads about this.

It has been happening awhile with every mobile provider and there are many threads started with someone experiencing what you are.

You can confirm that BI and email sent them, so you know it is a mobile provider issue.

See this thread from a couple months ago. It appears Verizon in particular is rolling out blocking these types of messages on a permanent basis.

Using the test feature, their algorithm knows you pushed a button, but for the automated alerts, they know that was computer generated and are locking those up.

Best is to move to Pushover ($5) app as every mobile provider is tightening their spam algorithm. It may start working again for months, and then just stop. And then work again.

I used to use the SMS method as well, but the pushover app is way better and more immediate and consistent.

You could try another email provider or mobile provider, but it will happen with them as well. All you will have done is kicked the can down the curb using a different email account.

Gmail disabled MMS to vzwpix.com


Send Pushover notifications with pictures and hyperlinks
 
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I know it can be really frustrating when SMS/MMS delivery isn't working right, especially with T-Mobile. One option you might want to try is using a service that lets you send text messages via the web, like Google Voice. It works pretty well and can serve as an alternative to the usual email-to-phone method. You can send and receive messages right from your computer or app, and it’s free. Another route is to use a third-party app, like Twilio or Nexmo, though you might have to set up some extra stuff. Oh, and make sure your verification phone number is updated with your carrier too—it can help solve some issues.
 
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Pushover is your answer. its 100% reliable and instant. I completely abandoned sms due to reliability. You also get an email with pushover if you want to email any system alerts from blueiris.
Its the best $5 bucks iv spent.
 
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Can anyone help in how to make this pushover program work with Blue Iris. There are very few instructions. I read the few words written here GitHub - scudre/pushover-blueiris: Python script to send Blue Iris motion detection alerts via Pushover

At a guess, I am failing with the Step 2
  1. P_USER, P_TOKEN: Pushover User Key, and API Token/Key

I have these things but not at all sure where and how to insert them- I have downloaded the .py file but haven't a clue how to use it. it appears not to run, I can only open it in notepad. I have tried inserting these 2 pieces of info between ' and ' next to them but no joy. The word P_USER appears numerous times, do I only need to insert this string once or at every occurrence of P_USER ?

I didn't want to do a degree in computer programming, I just want my phone to beep then burglars are in my house.
 
Bigg1es said:
Can anyone help in how to make this pushover program work with Blue Iris. There are very few instructions. I read the few words written here GitHub - scudre/pushover-blueiris: Python script to send Blue Iris motion detection alerts via Pushover

At a guess, I am failing with the Step 2
  1. P_USER, P_TOKEN: Pushover User Key, and API Token/Key

I have these things but not at all sure where and how to insert them- I have downloaded the .py file but haven't a clue how to use it. it appears not to run, I can only open it in notepad. I have tried inserting these 2 pieces of info between ' and ' next to them but no joy. The word P_USER appears numerous times, do I only need to insert this string once or at every occurrence of P_USER ?

I didn't want to do a degree in computer programming, I just want my phone to beep then burglars are in my house.
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Forget the github and follow this thread (or use the email version of Pushover with the pushover email they provided):

J

Thread 'Send Pushover notifications with pictures and hyperlinks'

I've figured out how to send Pushover notifications with pictures and hyperlinks from Blue Iris Actions without using external scripts.

This approach uses curl and the Pushover API, and provides functionality similar to that recently described for Telegram <link>.

EDIT (5/16/2022) - For those who prefer a TLDR version of this thread, I’ve appended a copy-paste-ready API Reference section, and a Testing section to the end of this post. I’ve also added links to key topic posts that have appeared later (e.g., custom sounds, emergency...
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Thanks wittaj , that looks challenging but I will have another go in the morning :)
 
That is why I also suggested just using the email option until you want to tackle it.

Pushover gives you an email address so just set it up to have BI alert by email and put in that pushover email address instead of your personal email address or SMS.

If you already have it set up for email, then it is just changing it from your personal email to the pushover email.
 
Thanks wittaj, I followed the instructions in the thread link above and got it working. It was straight forward after a nights sleep and plenty of coffee !. Its pretty cool once done, I get alerts on my watch with a photo
 
Mobile provieders email to text functionality tends to be unreliable, introduce delays, and even subject to discontinuance (which I believe is the case with AT&T)

I have suggested to Ken that he consider Twilio integration. Twilio provides a great API based interface to cell phone texting, delivers messages quickly, and works for all cell phone vendors (though one must have a usage approved by Twilio as part of an anti-spam effort). Judging by the response/quetions I received from the Grand Poobah of Blue Iris, it appears to be under consideration.
 
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