The primary advantage of email notifications when compared to push notifications is their more permanent nature. Since emails are typically saved and can be backed up easily, it is possible to generate a log of NVR events as well as uptime and general status. This log can be useful for legal or documentation purposes, as well as a supplement to standard push notifications. Another significant advantage of email integration is being able to consolidate notifications and statuses from multiple NVRs into one place. 

Email integration is also an effective way to mitigate risk because it can be used to add a layer of redundancy. A user can have a duplicate log that is not susceptible to physical damage, which can be useful in the event someone tampers with or steals the NVR. 

Today we’ll go over the basics of setting up email notifications for tripwires, as well as discuss some of the other notifications you might want to receive emails for. 

In order for this to work, we recommend using a Gmail account.
First, log into your Gmail and go to Quick Settings > See all settings

Next, go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP, from here Enable POP and Save Changes

Next, Open you Google account settings and go to Security.
Scroll down towards the bottom of your screen and look for
'Less Secure App Access'

After Enabling this, you can continue onto the NVR settings.

The first step will be to head to your NVR and log in. If you are having trouble logging in, be sure to check out our guide on password recovery. The next step will be to navigate to the Email configuration panel on the NVR:

Main Menu > Network > Email

This is the email configuration screen, come here if you’re ever having any issues or need to change some settings. Here is how you’ll want to fill out the following settings:

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It’s best to go ahead and select ‘Test’ at the bottom, then check your recipient email to ensure it is functioning properly. 

Now that we have Email connection established, we can begin to set up notifications. This process will work for SMD (Smart Motion Detect), IVS (Tripwires/Intrusion), alarm events, etc…
Navigate to the AI settings:
                              Main Menu > AI > Parameters> SMD or IVS
Click on the More button and look for "Send Email"
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You can trigger other kinds of alerts as well, for example under the Alarm setting you can have an email send if the Hard Drive fails or the NVR disconnects from the Network.

What we have so far will send us emails with information pertaining to motion events, but not necessarily any images of the event itself. If you’ve set things up so far, your email notification might look something like this:

First, we need to Enable Snapshots in the Record mode.
                               Main Menu > Storage > Record Mode

It should look something like this:
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Optionally, To adjust the Quality of the Snapshots in the Email, go to
                            Main Menu > Camera > Encode > Snapshot
From here you can adjust the Quality to 6(Best)
Don't forget to Apply and adjust the quality for your other channels.
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Your NVR is now configured to send email snapshots of motion events and will continue to do so until you disable it or the internet connection is dropped. Here's an example of how it should look:

If you’re having trouble with the setup, these tips may help:

• Firmware update: Be sure your NVR is up to date by downloading the correct firmware here and installing it using our guide.
• Verify your NVR is connecting to the internet in the Network settings, in TCP/IP there is a test button to verify the LAN connectivity, if it says "Network Status OK" then you can check P2P and verify if the Status reads 'Online'. If you are having any network issues please reach out to our technical support line at (406) 272-3479.
  

Emails are a great way to receive updates and information from your NVR, and are a valuable tool in creating the perfect system to protect your property. When used in conjunction with push notifications from MontavueGo you can know that no matter what device you are using, you can stay current with the happenings on your property. They are also a secure way to have a saved record of events, separate from your NVR. This adds a layer of redundancy to your security and helps alleviate the risk of someone tampering with your NVR. There are a lot of ways to integrate Email into your NVR, so go ahead and poke around - you might find just the right configuration for your situation.