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SendGrid Integration

Send WiFi welcome emails, credential delivery, and guest notifications through SendGrid's email platform with customizable templates and delivery tracking.

Overview​

The SendGrid integration enables:

  • Welcome emails after WiFi signup
  • Credential delivery via email
  • Marketing emails to WiFi guests
  • Transactional notifications (expiry warnings, etc.)

Prerequisites​

  • IronWiFi account with captive portal
  • SendGrid account (sendgrid.com)
  • Verified sender domain or email

SendGrid Setup​

Create SendGrid Account​

  1. Sign up for a free account at sendgrid.com

SendGrid signup page

Create API Key​

  1. Log in to SendGrid
  2. Go to Settings > API Keys
  3. Click Create API Key

SendGrid API Keys page with Create API Key button

  1. Name: "IronWiFi Integration"
  2. Select permissions:
    • Mail Send: Full Access
    • Marketing: Full Access (optional)

Create API Key - set name and select Full Access permissions

  1. Copy the API key (shown only once)

API Key Created - copy and save the key securely

Verify Sender​

  1. Go to Settings > Sender Authentication
  2. Either:
    • Domain Authentication: Verify your domain (recommended)
    • Single Sender: Verify a single email address
  3. Follow verification steps

IronWiFi Configuration​

Step 1: Add SendGrid Provider​

  1. Log in to IronWiFi Console
  2. Navigate to Networks > Captive Portals
  3. Select your captive portal
  4. Go to Integrations
  5. Click Add Integration > SendGrid

IronWiFi captive portal Authentication Providers configuration

Step 2: Configure API​

Enter SendGrid details:

  • API Key: Your SendGrid API key
  • From Email: Verified sender email
  • From Name: Display name (e.g., "Guest WiFi")

IronWiFi white label settings with SendGrid API token and email configuration

Step 3: Configure Email Templates​

Welcome Email:

Credential Email:

Email Types​

Transactional Emails​

Automated emails triggered by events:

EventEmail
Guest SignupWelcome email
Account CreatedCredentials email
Session ExpiringWarning email
Password ResetReset link email

Marketing Emails​

Opt-in marketing communications:

  • Promotional offers
  • Newsletter signups
  • Return visit incentives
  • Event announcements

Template Configuration​

Available Variables​

Use these in email templates:

VariableDescription
{{name}}
Guest name
{{email}}
Guest email
{{username}}
WiFi username
{{password}}
WiFi password
{{ssid}}
Network name
{{location}}
WiFi location
{{expiry}}
Access expiration
{{duration}}
Access duration
{{network_name}}
Network display name

Dynamic Content​

Use conditionals in templates:

SendGrid Templates​

Use SendGrid Dynamic Templates​

  1. In SendGrid, go to Email API > Dynamic Templates

SendGrid Transactional Templates page

  1. Create new template
  2. Name the template and click Save

Create a new transactional template with name

  1. Note the Template ID after saving

Template created with Template ID displayed

  1. In IronWiFi, select SendGrid template option
  2. Enter the Template ID in the corresponding email type row

IronWiFi email settings with SendGrid Template ID configured

Template Data​

IronWiFi sends data to SendGrid templates:

Deliverability​

Best Practices​

  1. Authenticate domain - Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC
  2. Warm up IP - Gradually increase sending volume
  3. Clean list - Remove bounced emails
  4. Monitor reputation - Check SendGrid analytics

Monitoring​

Track email performance in SendGrid:

  • Delivery rate
  • Open rate
  • Click rate
  • Bounce rate
  • Spam complaints

Advanced Configuration​

Categories and Tags​

Organize emails with categories:

Click Tracking​

Enable click tracking for analytics:

  1. In SendGrid settings, enable click tracking
  2. Track links clicked in welcome emails
  3. Measure engagement

Unsubscribe Management​

Configure unsubscribe handling:

  1. Enable SendGrid unsubscribe groups
  2. Add unsubscribe link to marketing emails
  3. Respect unsubscribe preferences

Troubleshooting​

Emails Not Sending​

  1. Verify API key is correct
  2. Check sender is verified
  3. Review SendGrid activity feed
  4. Check for blocked emails

Emails Going to Spam​

  1. Authenticate your domain
  2. Check content for spam triggers
  3. Review sender reputation
  4. Warm up sending gradually

Template Errors​

  1. Verify variable names match
  2. Check template syntax
  3. Test with SendGrid preview
  4. Review error logs

Compliance​

GDPR​

  1. Collect consent for marketing emails
  2. Include unsubscribe option
  3. Honor data deletion requests
  4. Document consent

CAN-SPAM​

  1. Include physical address
  2. Clear unsubscribe mechanism
  3. Accurate sender information
  4. No misleading subject lines

Best Practices​

  1. Keep emails simple - Clear, concise content
  2. Mobile-friendly - Responsive design
  3. Test thoroughly - Preview before sending
  4. Monitor metrics - Track and improve
  5. Segment audiences - Relevant content

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