Alert channel cookbook

Enable email, chat, SMS, push, and webhooks: fill destinations, test delivery, and escalate when unacked.

Person in extreme cold holding an outdoor thermometer reading far below zero
Regional cold snaps can outpace what outdoor weather apps imply for an attached garage, shop, or crawlspace. Photo: Bureau of Land Management: public domain

ThermalTrace can reach you on email, chat apps, SMS, browser push, and webhooks. The right mix depends on how loud a freeze needs to be at 2 a.m., not on enabling every checkbox.

Free vs Pro channels

  • Free: email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, Teams, ntfy, Pushover.
  • Pro: SMS, WhatsApp, browser push, outbound webhooks, timed playbooks.

Setup pattern

  1. Start with Alerts → Essentials: freeze °F + email, then open advanced channels if you need chat apps.
  2. Fill each destination (email, phone, webhook URL, chat id).
  3. Save alert settings.
  4. Click Send test now and confirm delivery.
  5. Add a second channel for escalation if the first is ignored.

Skipped channels

A checked channel with an empty destination is skipped when alerts fire. The save flow warns when destinations are incomplete: fix them before trusting overnight coverage. For automation into Zapier or Make, see Zapier and Make recipes.

Suggested starter stack

  • Email for an audit trail.
  • Discord or Slack for household visibility.
  • SMS (Pro) for wake-up urgency.
  • Push (Pro) after installing the PWA.

FAQ

Which channels work on the free plan?
Email plus chat-style destinations (Discord, Telegram, Slack, Teams, ntfy, Pushover). SMS, WhatsApp, browser push, and outbound webhooks need Pro.

Why did a channel get skipped?
A checked channel without a destination (phone, webhook URL, chat id) is skipped at send time. Fill destinations, save, then send a test alert.