Email Server Setup for DW Spectrum IPVMS

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Affected Roles: Owner

Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps: DW Spectrum IPVMS

Last Edit: August 20, 2024

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Email Notifications

DW Spectrum can be configured to send outbound email notifications over the to inform users about system issues, network issues, device issues, and other system events. However, email server settings must be set up to do so.

This article will outline how to set up an email server for a DW Spectrum System.

NOTE: An active Internet connection is required for the Server to utilize outgoing emails.

Supported/Affected Devices

DW Blackjack® Server Series

SMTP Servers

DW Spectrum does not have its own email service to send outgoing emails. For DW Spectrum Systems to send notifications by email, an SMTP email service will need to be added to DW Spectrum.

Common SMTP Servers

To set up the Outgoing Email settings, you must know the SMTP Server information for your email provider.

Use the table below for SMTP information of most common email services:

Service Provider	Outgoing SMTP Server	Port	Authentication
AOL	smtp.aol.com	465	SSL
AT&T	smtp.att.yahoo.com	465	SSL
Gmail	smtp.gmail.com	587	TLS
Hotmail	smtp.live.com	587	TLS
Office365	smtp.office365.com	587	TLS
Outlook	smtp.live.com	587	TLS
Verizon	outgoing.verizon.net	465	SSL
Yahoo Mail	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	465	SSL
Yahoo Mail Plus	plus.smtp.mail.yahoo.com	465	SSL

**NOTE: If your email service is not listed above, please consult with your IT representative or email provider for the required information.

Configuring Outgoing Email Settings

DW Spectrum requires certain connection information to use an SMTP server.

To configure the connection settings:

Launch the DW Spectrum Client and log in with the system Owner account.
Open the Main Menu, then select the System Administration menu (CTRL+ALT+A).

Select the Email tab at the top of the System Administration menu.

Under the Connection Settings section, configure the following:

- Email – enter the email address that will be used to send outgoing messages from the System.
- User – enter the username for your email service. For email services, such as Gmail, this is also your email address.
- Password – enter the password that is used to log into the provided email account.
- Server Address – enter the SMTP server address (refer to table above or your email provider’s support pages).
- Security Protocol – depending on your email server, select the authentication type used by your email provider.

**NOTE: Standard ports, like 587 (TLS) are automatically applied according to the SMTP server address. However, if you are using a custom port, you can add the port number after the server address (e.g., smtp.yourdomain.com:1234).

Click the Check button to manually test all settings.
- If successful, you will see an “Active” message.

- If unsuccessful, you will see an “Error” message. Check that your settings have been entered correctly.

- If you receive a “Not configured” message, and have confirmed that all connection settings are correct, you may need to configure verification settings for your email service (see Additional Email Security Settings below).

[Optional] You can customize the Email Settings by adding the following:
- System Signature – user defined System description that will identify the System in outbound emails.
- Support Signature – support website for the DW Spectrum installation.

Click the Apply button to save all email server settings.

Additional Email Security Settings

If you are using an email service like Gmail or Yahoo, you may need to adjust additional email account security settings to allow DW Spectrum to authenticate outgoing emails. For the following guide, we will use Gmail as an example.

To use the Google Accounts App Passwords feature:

Go to your Google Account and select the Security tab.

Use the search bar and enter “app passwords”.

Enter your Google Account password to confirm your identity.

1. Alternatively, you can manually navigate to the App Passwords menu by selecting “2-Step Verification” under "How you sign in to Google", then selecting “App passwords” under the App passwords section.

In the App passwords menu, create a new app specific password.

Enter a name for the DW Spectrum System, then click the Create button.

A 16-character code will be generated for your DW Spectrum System.

Copy and paste the 16-character code as your new password in the Email Connection Settings menu of the DW Spectrum Client.

**NOTE: You will only need to enter the App Password once per app or device, so there is need to memorize it. However, you can find the password again in your Google Account’s App Passwords menu if needed.

**NOTE: Please be aware that if you change your Google Account password, App Passwords will be revoked as part of Google’s account protection campaign. For more information on using Google App Passwords, click here to visit the Google Account Help site.

Troubleshooting Email Issues

There are several potential failure points for SMTP:

- SMTP settings on Spectrum: Verify there are no errors for any of the settings.

- Managed Network (Server-side): Verify that the server has open communication through any managed configurations

- SMTP server: Login to the email used for SMTP. Check the outbound emails as well as the inbox for any indications of failure to send.

- Receiving Email Management: Verify that the receiving email does not have any restrictions/automated quarantining. Whitelist the SMTP email address.

- Receiving Email Junk/SPAM folder: Verify that the emails are not being automatically sent to the junk/SPAM folder.

- Attempt SMTP with an alternative domain to help determine if the service is restricting the function from working.

Disabling Client Notifications

There may be circumstances where you are not using SMTP and would like to remove the client notifications for it. The notifications can be disabled manually for each client configuration.

1. Open the DW Client

2. Navigate to the hamburger menu and select "Local Settings"

3. Navigate to the "Notifications" menu. Uncheck "Show all notifications", then uncheck the system notifications irrelevant to your needs. Select "Apply" and "OK"

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