I see some benefit in SMS service, such as being able to send to any number. For me, I have Pushover on wife's and my phones as well as other devices. The benefit of using a notification app is when traveling abroad and not having roaming - SMS fails, but push notifications still come through.
To answer the question: IF i were to use SMS as a backup or emergency service, I'd like to see a very low cost option of let's say $1 USD a month for a fixed number of messages - peace of mind plan, similar to Remote Access and cloud backup plans.
@bobbyD, have you looked into integrating Google Voice messaging for US customers? I know the email integration is new and includes Gmail, but those are still emails. Google Voice messages are free in the US from/to other US numbers through the Voice app, Voice interface in a browser, and even "SMS" from the phone via built in texting app. I've used it for years as a "work" phone without giving out the actual work phone number which is subject to change. For messaging outside the US, Google has it's own charging method. That would offload the SMS cost and management from Hubitat to Google. Hubitat would integrate, and I would deal with messaging costs directly with Google, if any.
Update: scratch the Google Voice idea. Apparently they don't have an API and automation would violate TOS. Leaving the original idea, in case it spurs other ideas.
Historically it was unreliable because it would just randomly ādisconnectā from the hub and stop working. So I donāt really trust it anymore.
Personally, I use Telegram right now, I get the messages just like a SMS but via a different app. Its not the most friendly to setup. However for other people I would just suggest to use Pushover, app is a low cost one time fee and relatively easy to setup.
Iām interested. It would be nice to have it baked into the hub. I just got textbelt to work finally so Iām willing to pay if itās a reasonable cost.
Definitely interested. I use Twilio, two different numbers, to handle the notifications from my homeās three hubs and my parentsā hub. (I like receiving their notifications from a different number.) As someone mentioned earlier, the setup should be by account and not by hub, so all hubs can share the same number. I pay approximately $120/year for the two. I do like Twilioās consistent pay-per-use model, rather than a base plan with excessive overage charges (a la texting beyond your plan back in 1922). Iām fine with Twilio, but the setup was challenging, and Iād rather pay Hubitat.