Documentation
How Upscanr works
Uptime monitoring, keyword alerts, SMS notifications, and webhook integrations — everything in one place.
Uptime checks
Upscanr sends an HTTP GET request to your URL on a schedule you choose. We record the response status code, response time in milliseconds, and the result of any keyword rule you have set.
Checks run against publicly reachable URLs. Pages behind login walls, VPNs, or IP allowlists cannot be monitored.
All timestamps use Europe/Oslo (CET/CEST). When you save a new monitor, Upscanr runs the first check immediately — the result appears within a few seconds.
Retry logic and downtime alerts
A single failed check does not trigger an alert. Upscanr retries on a faster schedule to filter out short-lived blips before notifying you:
- Minutes 0–5: retries every 1 minute.
- After 5 minutes: retries every 5 minutes until recovery.
An alert is sent after the first confirmed failure — typically within 1–2 minutes of real downtime. A recovery alert is sent as soon as the next check passes.
You can toggle down and recovery alerts independently, and choose to receive them by email, SMS, or both.
Keyword monitoring
HTTP status alone cannot catch every failure. A broken checkout flow, a missing product, or a maintenance banner may still return HTTP 200. Keyword rules let you monitor what the page actually contains.
Keyword matching runs against the raw response body. Case-sensitive matching is optional.
Email alerts
Alert emails are sent to your registered address by default. You can override this per monitor and add multiple recipients on Premium.
Email limits: Free 100/month · Pro 1,000/month · Premium 5,000/month.
SMS alerts
Add a mobile number to any monitor and Upscanr will send an SMS when the site goes down — no app to install, no push notification settings to manage. The message arrives as a standard text from Upscanr.
Set a default phone number once in your account settings. It pre-fills automatically when you create new monitors.
Phone numbers must be in international format, e.g. +4791234567. Supported countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, Belgium. US and Canada coming soon.
Each SMS sent to an alert number uses one credit from your monthly allowance. Credits reset at the start of each billing period.
SMS webhooks
An SMS webhook is a unique URL tied to your account. When any service sends an HTTP request to that URL, Upscanr forwards the alert as an SMS to your configured phone number.
This means you can receive SMS alerts from any system that can make an HTTP request — PowerAutomate, Azure Monitor, Grafana, Zapier, custom scripts, or a simple browser link.
Using a webhook from the browser
Paste the URL directly — add ?message=your+text to include a custom message:
https://upscanr.com/api/webhooks/sms/your_token?message=Server+is+down
Using a webhook from PowerAutomate or code
POST with a JSON body:
POST https://upscanr.com/api/webhooks/sms/your_token
Content-Type: application/json
{ "message": "Azure: payment API is down — severity high" }No body? Upscanr sends a default alert text. Rate limit: 10 SMS per hour per webhook. Each SMS sent uses one credit from your plan quota.
Create and manage webhooks from your account settings.
Plan limits
Limits are enforced at save time. Existing monitors are not removed if you downgrade, but you cannot add new ones beyond your plan cap. View pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly will I know if my website is down?
On Pro and Premium, Upscanr checks every 5 minutes and retries every 1 minute during an incident. You typically receive an alert within 1–2 minutes of confirmed downtime. On Free, checks run every 15 minutes with the same 1-minute retry cadence.
Does Upscanr support SMS alerts without an app?
Yes. SMS alerts are delivered as standard text messages — no app or notification settings required. You receive a text from Upscanr when your site goes down. All plans including Free include SMS credits.
Which countries are supported for SMS?
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, and Belgium. US and Canada require carrier registration and are coming soon.
Can I receive SMS alerts from Azure Monitor or PowerAutomate?
Yes. Use an SMS webhook — a unique URL that sends an SMS when called. Add it as an HTTP action in PowerAutomate, an action group in Azure Monitor, or call it from any script. It works with a GET request in the browser too, so testing takes seconds.
What is keyword monitoring?
Keyword monitoring checks the content of your page, not just whether the server responds. You can alert when a word is missing (e.g. confirmation text) or when a word appears (e.g. “maintenance” or “error”). Useful for checkout flows, login pages, and campaign landing pages.
Can I monitor pages behind a login?
No. Upscanr monitors publicly accessible URLs via HTTP GET. Pages that require authentication, VPN access, or IP allowlisting cannot be checked.
What happens to my monitors if I downgrade?
Existing monitors continue to run. You cannot add new monitors beyond your plan cap, and interval and recipient settings that exceed the new plan limits take effect on the next save.
How are SMS credits counted?
Each SMS message sent — whether from a monitor alert or a webhook trigger — uses one credit from your monthly allowance. Credits reset at the start of each billing period and do not roll over.
Need help?
Check the support page or email us directly. We respond to all questions.