SMSEagle is an on-premise SMS gateway delivered as a self-hosted device. You install it on your premises, put your own SIM cards in it, and you send and receive SMS messages over the mobile network with no third-party SMS provider in between.
On this page, you’ll see what an on-premise SMS gateway is, how it differs from cloud SMS gateways, how SMSEagle handles data storage and security, which device models are available, how it connects through APIs and other integration methods, and which practical messaging features it supports.
Self-hosted usually means software you install on your own server. SMSEagle follows the same idea in a different form: the gateway is a hardware SMS gateway, a physical device that runs on your premises, inside your network, with its own web interface and database built in. On-premise SMS gateways can operate during internet outages
Self-hosted means you own a few things. Here is the full list, so you can decide with the facts in hand.
The device runs on your premises, so you provide power, a network connection and mobile coverage. The system info page shows each modem's signal strength, network name and SIM status, so you can check coverage before you rely on it.
Your firewall decides who can reach the device. The web interface can be served over HTTPS: the default certificate is self-signed, and you can replace it with your own and redirect plain HTTP to HTTPS. Connections to mail servers, MQTT brokers and LDAP directories can use TLS or SSL.
You choose the operator and the plan. The device uses your SIM cards, and every message goes out from your own number.
You create the accounts and set the access level: administrators have full access, regular users are limited to messaging. Multi-factor authentication can be required per user, and on multi-modem devices a user can be restricted to selected modems. An allow list can also restrict the phone numbers the gateway accepts SMS from.
You check for updates from the web interface, manually or automatically, and the device can notify the administrator by SMS when a new version is available. The device can also text the administrator when disk space crosses a threshold you set, and a restart can be scheduled.
A third-party SMS provider between your systems and the mobile network.
SMS messages are stored in a database built into the device, inside your network. Incoming and outgoing SMS messages sit in folders on the device: Inbox, Queued, Sent, Sending Error and Trash.
You decide. Cleanup rules remove old SMS messages from the folders you choose on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedule, once they are older than the age you set. The same schedule can also clean modem and message logs.
The device keeps its own logs, which you can browse, search and download for support. They can also be forwarded to your own syslog server.
Backups of the database and settings can be made on demand or scheduled to your own SFTP or FTP server, with old backup versions cleaned up automatically.
In the default configuration the database is not open to outside applications. Access for external applications is disabled until you turn it on, and the database port is limited to the device itself.
An API key acts as its owner: it sees that user's messages and contacts. In API v2 a key can reach only the resources it created, unless you switch on access to all users' resources for that key.
Only what you set up. An SMS still travels through your mobile operator's network, like any SMS. If you configure forwarding to email, webhooks or MQTT, the messages go to the addresses and brokers you choose.
With a cloud SMS gateway service, your SMS messages pass through the provider’s servers and the service needs an internet connection. With a self-hosted gateway the path is shorter: your systems talk to a device on your network, and the device talks to the mobile network through your SIM cards.
SMSEagle on your premises
Cloud SMS platformFor the full picture, see the hardware vs online SMS gateway comparison.
The models differ in the number of modems, the throughput and the housing, so you choose by volume and by how much redundancy you need. For prices, see the pricing page.
One modemOne modem and up to 30 SMS per minute, available in 4G and 5G versions. It is the simplest start for a single location.
Two modemsTwo modems and up to 60 SMS per minute, in a 4G version. Modem failover lets the second SIM card, for example from another operator, take over when the first modem or its network fails.
Eight modemsEight modems and up to 8 x 30 SMS per minute, for large volumes and many SIM cards, with a modem failover mechanism built in.
Start from your peak volume, not your average: throughput is set by the device, so the model has to cover the busiest minute you expect.
Then decide how much redundancy you need. Modem failover works inside one device with two or more modems.
Two devices working together in a high-availability cluster are a separate feature, built into the device software, for installations that need a second gateway ready.
The device has a built-in REST API that lets business applications integrate SMS capabilities into their workflows, so your software systems can use it as an SMS gateway API bridging them to the mobile network through a telecommunications network.
Each API integration gets its own API key with permissions granted per key, so a monitoring system can be limited to reading while a website form may only send.
With Email to SMS, any system that can send an email can send SMS notifications to a phone number or a Phonebook group.
Incoming SMS messages from mobile phones appear in conversations, one thread per phone number, with tabs for unread, queued and failed messages, so incoming texts support two-way messaging and two way communication with users, including two way sms replies from recipients. They can be forwarded to an email address or published to your MQTT..
A webhook can push incoming messages, sent messages, delivery reports and sending errors, together with the message status, to your own application, so your system gets delivery updates without polling the API; under normal conditions, message delivery typically happens within seconds, often around 1–5 seconds, while delivery reports confirm the result.
SMSEagle also offers ready-made plugins for monitoring, authentication and service-desk systems. When evaluating any SMS gateway service for external integrations, compare integration options and, for broader deployments, choose a provider with global coverage, global reach, and low-latency delivery. See the full list on the integration plugins page.
SMSEagle on-premise SMS gateway helps ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR and TCPA by keeping all message data and processing within your controlled environment. This reduces risks associated with third-party providers and enhances data privacy and security. With SMSEagle, you maintain full control over consent management, message content, and data storage, supporting your organization’s adherence to legal requirements for SMS communication.
You can test a physical SMSEagle device for free for 14 days. See how 40+ built-in features, from Email to SMS to network monitoring, fit your workflow.
It runs on your premises and under your control. It is a device with its own web interface and database, not software you install on a server of your own.
Yes. The device uses your SIM cards, so you choose the operator and the plan.
On the device, in its built-in database, inside your network. You set how long they are kept with cleanup rules.
Yes. The built-in REST API (API v2) is made for integrating the gateway with external systems and applications, with a separate API key and permissions for each integration.
A webhook can send your system a request whenever a delivery report comes back, as well as for sent messages, sending errors and incoming messages.
Yes, with the multi-modem models: the NXS-9750 has two modems and the MHD-8100 has eight, each working with your own SIM card.
