SMS Notifications

Configure SMS alerts for your team and enable SMS-based guest engagement.

📋 Plan Requirement: SMS notifications require the Growth plan or higher. See Plans & Pricing for details.

Overview

CaptiFi supports SMS notifications to keep your team informed of important events in real time. SMS can also be used as part of your guest engagement strategy when guests opt in to receiving text messages.

• Staff Alerts — Get instant text message notifications when access points go offline, servers have issues, or monitored URLs become unreachable
• Guest Engagement — Send review requests and marketing messages via SMS to guests who have opted in (requires phone number collection and separate SMS consent)

Setting Up SMS Notifications

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
CaptiFi Plan	Growth plan or higher
SMS Provider Account	CaptiFi integrates with third-party SMS providers — you'll need an active account with a supported provider
SMS API Credentials	Your provider's API username and API key
Phone Number	A valid phone number (with country code) to receive staff alerts

Step-by-Step: Configuring SMS

1. Log in to app.captifi.io.
2. Go to Account → Notification Preferences.
3. In the SMS Notifications section:
   • Toggle Enable SMS to on.
   • Enter your SMS Username (from your SMS provider account).
   • Enter your SMS API Key (from your SMS provider account).
   • Enter your Phone Number where alerts should be sent (include country code, e.g., +447700900000 or +15551234567).
4. Choose which alert types to enable (see below).
5. Click Save.

💡 Tip: If you don't yet have an SMS provider account, contact CaptiFi support at hello@captifi.io for recommendations on compatible providers and setup assistance.

Alert Types

Select which events trigger an SMS notification to your phone:

Alert Type	Description	When to Enable
Server Alerts	Captive portal infrastructure goes offline or recovers	Recommended for all venues — critical infrastructure monitoring
Access Point Alerts	An access point goes offline or comes back online	Recommended — ensures you know immediately if guests can't connect
URL Monitoring	A monitored website or portal URL becomes unreachable	Useful if you host landing pages or have a redirect URL configured on your splash page

SMS for Guest Engagement

When phone number collection is enabled on your splash page, CaptiFi can use SMS as a guest communication channel:

• Review requests — Send Google Review requests via SMS instead of (or in addition to) email
• Workflow automations — Include SMS steps in your email automation sequences (e.g., welcome text, win-back message)
• Marketing messages — Send promotional texts to guests who have explicitly opted in

Compliance Note

Sending marketing SMS to guests requires explicit SMS consent, separate from email marketing consent. Under GDPR and PECR regulations, you must:

• Include a dedicated SMS opt-in checkbox on your splash page (separate from the email marketing checkbox)
• Clearly describe what messages the guest will receive
• Provide an easy opt-out mechanism in every message
• Only send messages to guests who have actively consented

See our GDPR Best Practices guide for more details on compliant consent collection.

Costs

SMS messages are billed directly through your SMS provider account — CaptiFi does not add any markup or fees:

Region	Approximate Cost per Message
UK	~2–3p
US	~1–2¢
EU	~3–8¢ (varies by country)

Costs depend on your provider's pricing. Check your provider's dashboard for exact rates and usage.

💡 Tip: Start with staff alerts only (low volume) to keep costs minimal. Enable guest SMS messaging once you've reviewed your provider's pricing and are confident in your opt-in rates.

Related Features

• Notification Preferences — Configure all email and SMS alert settings in one place
• Access Points — Monitor the hardware that triggers AP alerts
• Splash Page Editor — Enable phone number collection and SMS consent on your portal
• Google Reviews — Send review requests via SMS
• Workflow Automation — Include SMS steps in automated sequences
• GDPR Best Practices — Ensure your SMS consent collection is compliant

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
SMS not being received	Phone number format is incorrect	Ensure you include the country code (e.g., +44 for UK, +1 for US). Remove any spaces or leading zeros after the country code.
Authentication error	SMS provider credentials are wrong	Double-check your SMS Username and API Key against your provider's dashboard. Regenerate the API key if unsure.
Alerts not triggering	Alert types are not enabled	Go to Account → Notification Preferences and ensure the specific alert toggles (Server, AP, URL) are turned on.
Guest SMS not sending	Phone number not collected on splash page	Enable the phone number field on your splash page and ensure it's set to required.
Guest SMS not sending	Guest did not opt in to SMS	Check the guest's record in Guest Visits — SMS marketing requires separate explicit consent.
High costs	Too many alerts or guest messages	Review your alert frequency — consider disabling non-essential alert types. For guest SMS, review your automation frequency settings in Workflows.
Delayed messages	Provider delivery queue	SMS delivery depends on your provider and carrier networks. Brief delays (up to a few minutes) are normal. If delays are excessive, contact your SMS provider.