Tutorial: Setting up Email Notifications
Notice
Due to technical limitations of the small Querx, there may be compatibility issues with certain email providers when sending emails in some cases. The Querx WLAN range is not impacted by this. Please refer to this article for more information.
Setting up DNS and Gateway
Sending email notifications often fails due to a faulty network configuration. Querx requires an IP address for a standard gateway and a DNS server. Therefore, you should initially check the current network configuration.
The network is usually configured automatically via DHCP.
Many users prefer to assign static IP addresses to Querx. Although this can be configured, not all firmware versions are able to obtain the DNS server’s IP address automatically. Therefore it is safer to enter the DNS server manually when configuring the network manually.
Changes to the network configuration are only applied when Querx is rebooted.
Checking the Network Configuration
Although Querx can check the email configuration autonomously, the possible faults are diverse. Therefore, it is advisable to initially test the network configuration by querying date and time. A faulty network configuration can only be ruled out as the reason for emails failing to be delivered, only when the sensor can be synchronized with an NTP server.
Configuring and Checking the Email Account
Querx requires SMTP access to a mail server, in order to send email notifications. Querx does not encrypt the saved access data. Therefore, it is advisable not to use your usual email account. One possibility is to use a free email account, as offered by Google and other providers. Once you have entered your access data, click the button Test. The button should turn green within a few seconds. This indicate that Querx can principally log into the mail server.
By the way, the SMTP server’s length was limited to 31 characters in earlier firmware versions. This was extended to 63 characters with version 4.2.12.
Troubleshooting with Syslog
If something does not work, the output of the last Syslog messages, which from firmware version 5.0 appear directly on the email configuration page, will usually help. If you are still using an older firmware version, the Syslog Tutorial will be helpful.
The following error messages indicate connection problems:
- DNS query failed
The specified SMTP server does not exist or the DNS server was not specified correctly. - Failed to connect
Querx does not reach the specified SMTP server or the port is not correct.
If the connection to the SMTP server could be established successfully, the server may refuse to send the email for various reasons. The status code at the beginning of the message is important here. The text following it differs from server to server. Examples are:
- SMTP 421 4.7.66 TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are not supported
You need a newer firmware version for Querx, at least 6.0. - SMTP 535 Authentication credentials invalid
The server rejects the user. The user name or password may have been entered incorrectly. Some providers do not accept emails via SMTP in the default setting. With GMX, you need to enable this protocol first. With Gmail, it is necessary to enable access by less secure apps.
Further information can be found among others at Wikipedia.
Configuring and Checking the Email Recipients
The final step is to configure the email recipient. This is done in the configuration of an action of the type "Email". When you click the button Test, the device will attempt to send a notification to the recipient. The button should turn green within a few seconds and the recipient should receive an email.
Again, troubleshooting with Syslog is a good option if emailing does not work.
