Notifications — Email & SMS

EAS Station can send notifications to operators whenever an EAS alert is received and broadcast. Two channels are supported: email (via SMTP) and SMS (via Twilio).

Both are configured in the web UI under Settings → Notifications.

Notification Flow

Email Notifications

How It Works

After each EAS broadcast, EAS Station connects to the configured SMTP server and delivers an alert summary to every address in the EAS Alert Recipients list. A separate list (Compliance / Health Alert Recipients) receives system-health and FCC compliance notifications.

Optionally, the full composite EAS audio (SAME header + attention tone + voice + end-of-message) can be attached as a WAV file.

SMTP URL Format

smtp://username:password@host:port?tls=true

Localhost Postfix (no auth):

smtp://localhost:25

Choosing an SMTP Provider

Free Authenticated Relays (No Port 25 Required)

These work on any host, including Vultr, and do not require port 25 to be unblocked. All support TLS on port 587.

For EAS Station, alert volume is typically very low (alerts are only sent on actual EAS events), so any free tier will comfortably cover normal operation.

Example — Brevo:

smtp://your@email.com:YOUR_SMTP_KEY@smtp-relay.brevo.com:587?tls=true

Example — SendGrid:

smtp://apikey:SG.xxxxxxxxxxxx@smtp.sendgrid.net:587?tls=true

Self-Hosted Postfix

If you prefer to run your own mail server on the same host, see the Local Mail Server guide. Once Postfix is running:

smtp://localhost:25

Gmail

!!! warning "App Password Required" Google blocks SMTP logins with your regular password. You must create an App Password under your Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords.

smtp://your.address@gmail.com:APP_PASSWORD@smtp.gmail.com:587?tls=true

Microsoft 365 / Outlook

smtp://your.address@yourdomain.com:PASSWORD@smtp.office365.com:587?tls=true

Configuration Steps

1. Go to Settings → Notifications in the EAS Station web UI.
2. Set Enable Email Notifications to Enabled.
3. Enter your SMTP URL in the Mail Server URL field.
4. Add recipient addresses to EAS Alert Recipients (one per line).
5. Optionally add addresses to Compliance / Health Alert Recipients.
6. Toggle Attach Composite Audio if you want WAV files attached to alert emails.
7. Click Save Settings.
8. Use the Send Test Email button to verify delivery before going live.

SMS Notifications (Twilio)

EAS Station sends SMS alerts via Twilio. You need a Twilio account and a purchased phone number (toll-free or long code).

Prerequisites

• Twilio account at twilio.com
• A Twilio phone number (toll-free recommended for production — see below)
• Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio Console

Configuration Steps

1. Go to Settings → Notifications.
2. Set Enable SMS Notifications to Enabled.
3. Enter your Account SID (starts with AC…).
4. Enter your Auth Token.
5. Enter your From Number in E.164 format (e.g. +18005550100).
6. Add recipient phone numbers to SMS Recipients (one per line, E.164 format).
7. Click Save Settings.
8. Use Send Test SMS to verify delivery.

Phone Number Format (E.164)

All numbers must include the country code with a leading +:

+15555551234   ← US number
+447911123456  ← UK number

Toll-Free Number Verification

If you use a toll-free number with Twilio, US carriers require you to submit it for verification before it can send messages at scale. Unverified toll-free numbers have very limited throughput and may have messages blocked or filtered.

!!! warning "Verify before going live" Submit your toll-free number for verification as soon as you purchase it. Unverified numbers are blocked by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon for most traffic.

Complete Twilio Verification Form Field Guide

The Twilio toll-free verification form asks for the following information. Use these exact values for EAS Station:

Business / Organization Information

Contact Information

Use Case

Opt-In Information

Message Content

Exact Message Sample (copy this verbatim into the form):

EAS ALERT: TOR
Tornado Warning for Putnam County
Areas: 039137
2026-03-12T14:00:00
- EAS Station
Reply STOP to stop msgs

Compliance Pages

EAS Station includes three public-facing compliance pages that Twilio reviewers can access without logging in:

Verify these pages are reachable by opening them in a private browser window before submitting the Twilio form.

Submission Process

1. Log into the Twilio Console.
2. Navigate to Phone Numbers → Manage → Active Numbers.
3. Click your toll-free number.
4. Click Register for A2P or Verify for Toll-Free (exact label varies by Twilio console version).
5. Complete all sections using the tables above.
6. Upload or paste the message sample exactly as shown.
7. Submit — Twilio typically reviews within 3–7 business days.
8. You will receive an email confirmation when verification is approved.

CTIA Message Content Requirements

EAS Station automatically appends Reply STOP to stop msgs to every outgoing alert message. This opt-out footer is required by CTIA messaging guidelines and enforced by Twilio during verification review. Do not remove or alter this text.

Test messages also include Reply STOP to stop msgs, HELP for help to demonstrate compliance to Twilio reviewers.

Operator Consent Requirements

!!! warning "TCPA Compliance" You must obtain explicit prior written consent from every recipient before adding their number to EAS Station. This is a legal requirement under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and CTIA guidelines.

- Document consent before adding any number.
- Honor `STOP` opt-outs immediately — Twilio processes them automatically at the
  carrier level, but you must also remove the number from the admin panel.
- Inform recipients: "Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies."
- Use the consent language shown on the `/sms-compliance` page.

See the full SMS Messaging Policy for consumer-facing disclosures.

Recipient Management

Email Recipients

Enter one email address per line. Two separate lists are maintained:

• EAS Alert Recipients — receives a notification for every EAS broadcast.
• Compliance / Health Alert Recipients — receives system health alerts and FCC compliance warnings (separate from EAS broadcast emails).

SMS Recipients

Enter one E.164 phone number per line. All numbers receive an SMS on every EAS broadcast.

Troubleshooting

Test email/SMS not arriving

• Check the Mail Server URL format — copy it exactly from the examples above.
• For Gmail, verify you are using an App Password, not your account password.
• For Brevo/SendGrid, confirm the API key has sending permission.
• Check the EAS Station application log for SMTP errors:

  journalctl -u eas-station-web -f
  

Emails going to spam

• Add an SPF record for your sending domain.
• Use a dedicated sending domain, not a personal Gmail address.
• For local Postfix, set up a proper PTR record — see Local Mail Server.

Twilio SMS not delivering

• Verify your toll-free number is registered/verified in the Twilio Console.
• Check the Twilio Console → Monitor → Logs for delivery errors.
• Confirm sms_from_number is in E.164 format including the country code.
• If using a trial Twilio account, you can only send to verified numbers.