If Reolink email alerts are not working, it can undermine the effectiveness of your security setup. Below is a comprehensive guide to help you diagnose and resolve these issues.

Applies to: All Reolink devices.

Symptoms on Reolink Email not Working

1. When testing email settings, it shows an “Email test failed” error message.

2. When testing email settings, it prompts various error codes, including 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, and 400.

General Troubleshooting Steps on Reolink Email Test Failed

1. Verify network connection.

Ensure that Reolink device is connected to the internet. A stable connection is necessary for sending email alerts. Refer to How to Check If Reolink Camera/NVR is Connected with Internet or Not

2. Update device firmware.

Outdated firmware can cause various issues, including email alerts failing to send. Check for firmware updates and apply any available updates. Refer to Reolink Firmware Update Guide

3. Change the sender's email address type.

You may set other mailboxes as Sender Address and see whether you can receive a test email. For example, switch from Hotmail to Gmail.

Recently, Outlook and Hotmail have discontinued the App password feature. As a result, customers using these email services with our cameras may experience issues such as not receiving emails or failing email tests. We recommend trying a different email provider to resolve this issue.
Note: For less common or custom SMTP servers that require an SMTP username (different from the sender's email), it is currently not supported.

4. Check email account security settings.

Some email services such as Gmail require app-specific passwords if two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled. If 2FA is turned on, generate an app-specific password for your camera’s email configuration. Please refer to Introduction to App Password for Reolink Email Alert

Important Notes:

1. If you have multiple cameras and only one of them can not pass the email test, or if a previously working camera has suddenly stopped sending emails, try generating a new App password to see if that resolves the problem.

2. Before using the app password of Gmail, please make sure to delete the three blank spaces in between. The password should be 16 digits without any blank spaces. For example, if you generate a new app password as in the picture below, then you should enter iflvhulpczxrijwf for the Reolink device.

no space

Specific Troubleshooting Tips on Reolink Email Test Failed

If you have completed the above troubleshooting but the problem is still not solved, please continue troubleshooting according to the following different error codes

  • Reolink 400/480 error

    1. Restart the device.

    A. Restart the Reolink software to reconnect the device and test it again.
    B. Reboot the Reolink device for a test.
    C. Restore or reset the Reolink device to see if this helps.

    How to Restore Reolink Products 

    How to Hard Reset Device by Pressing the Reset Button

    2. Check various device settings.

    A. Sender Email: Ensure that the sender's email address can send and receive emails normally.
    And also check if the sender's email address has restrictions on sending frequency that might be causing frequent interceptions.

    B. Recipient Email: Make sure that there is sufficient space by deleting some emails to verify.
    And confirm whether the recipient's email settings only allow addresses on the whitelist to send emails, or ensure there are no blacklists in place.

    C. Router Settings: Inspect whether the router firewall is configured with a whitelist or blacklist that might be intercepting the SMTP server IP addresses.

  • Reolink 481 error

    A. SMTP Server: Make sure the SMTP Server and the SMTP Port are filled in correctly. Here is a guide for your reference: Introuduction to SMTP Settings for Different Email Servers

    B. Sender Email: Check if the sender's email address has restrictions on sending frequency that might be causing frequent interceptions.

    C. Recipient Email: Make sure that there is sufficient space by deleting some emails to verify.
    And confirm whether the recipient's email settings only allow addresses on the whitelist to send emails, or ensure there are no blacklists in place.

    D. Router Settings: Inspect whether the router firewall is configured with a whitelist or blacklist that might be intercepting the SMTP server IP addresses.

  • Reolink 482 error

    A. Sender Email: Ensure that the sender's email address and password are filled in correctly. Sender email address is the email address that you use to send out motion alerts. Password is the real password of this email address, or you can use the App password.
    Note: Make sure the sender's email address is the primary email address, as email aliases are not supported.

    B. SMTP Server: Currently, Reolink devices support only plain, login, and cram_md5 authentication modes, and do not support other modes such as oAuth2.
    For less common or custom SMTP servers, you should check the SMTP server authentication mode or consult their service provider. Refer to Introuduction to SMTP Settings for Different Email Servers

  • Reolink 483 error

    SMTP Server: Make sure the SMTP Server and the SMTP Port are filled in correctly. Here is a guide for your reference: Introuduction to SMTP Settings for Different Email Servers

    Note: If you use a fixed encrypted port (such as 465), make sure to enable the SSL or TLS option.

  • Reolink 484/485 error

    Sender Email: Ensure that the sender's email address can send and receive emails normally.

    Note: Check if multiple cameras are using the same email account to send emails simultaneously.
    If the same email account accesses the SMTP server from multiple devices simultaneously, the server may reject the connection.

Important Reminder

If the problem persists after going through the steps above, there may be underlying issues that require further assistance. Please contact Reolink Support team and provide the following information for personalized guidance:

  • The error code you receive when testing the email settings.
  • Details of the troubleshooting steps you've already taken and their results.
  • Screenshots showing the complete email alerts settings.

Related Articles

How to Set up E-mail for Reolink Products

Troubleshooting - Fail to Receive Email Alerts From Reolink IP Cameras

Troubleshooting - Fail to Receive Email Alerts From Reolink Battery Powered Cameras