Notification Providers
Three connection types exist only to send messages out: SMTP, Telegram and WhatsApp. They carry no tags and appear in no binding — they are credentials with a name, referenced by the notification pipeline nodes and by alarm notification.
They live under Connections → Notification, alongside the protocol connections, so their credentials get the same encryption, the same audit trail and the same "secrets never return to the browser" rule as a PLC password.
All three belong to the Notification module, wherever delivery is triggered from. → Licensing & modules
SMTP
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Connection Name | e.g. Prod SMTP (SendGrid). |
| SMTP Host / Port | 587 for STARTTLS, 465 for implicit TLS. |
| Security | STARTTLS (587) · Implicit TLS / SSL (465) · None (plaintext). |
| Authentication | PLAIN · LOGIN · CRAM-MD5 · No authentication. |
| Username / Password | Required unless authentication is None. Many relays want the literal word apikey as the username and the key as the password. |
| From Address | Required — it is the envelope sender, so it is never left undefined. |
| From Name | Optional display name, e.g. QUBIQ Alerts. |
Use None (plaintext) only for a relay on the plant network itself. On anything crossing a network boundary, plaintext SMTP puts the account password on the wire.
Telegram
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Connection Name | e.g. Ops Telegram Bot. |
| Bot Token | Create a bot with @BotFather and paste the token it gives you. |
| Default Chat ID | Optional. Used when a pipeline node does not name a recipient chat. -1001234567890 for a group or channel, or @channelusername. |
A bot cannot start a conversation. Somebody has to message it first, or add it to the group or channel you intend to notify — a token that is correct but has never been spoken to looks exactly like a token that is wrong.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp goes through Twilio.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Connection Name | e.g. Twilio WhatsApp (main). |
| Account SID | From the Twilio console. |
| Auth Token | The account's auth token. |
| Sender Number | The E.164 WhatsApp sender, e.g. +14155238886. Either this or a Messaging Service SID is required. |
| Messaging Service SID | Optional, used instead of a sender number. |
| Twilio Sandbox | On a trial account, turn this on to use Twilio's shared sender. |
| Default Template Content SID | Usually required — see below. |
Many Twilio accounts refuse a freeform WhatsApp body outright (Twilio error 21654). The fix is a
Content SID from your own Content Template Builder. Copy one from your account — a SID taken
from documentation or from another account will not work.
Editing a secret
All three follow the platform rule: leaving a secret field blank on edit keeps the stored value. The placeholder says Leave blank to keep. A secret is required only when the connection is first created.
Secrets are encrypted at rest and are never returned to the browser — the form shows that a token is present, not what it is.
See also
- Connections overview
- On-Call Roster node — pick recipients by who is on shift, rather than by name
- Configuring alarms