🔔 NetWatch Telegram Alerts

Send real-time Telegram notifications when network devices go up or down using MikroTik's NetWatch feature. Monitor critical servers, gateways, or equipment and get instant alerts on Telegram. Perfect for 24/7 monitoring, alerting NOC teams, or tracking device availability. This guide uses Telegram Bot API to send messages when a host responds to ping (up) or stops responding (down).

info

What this does:

NetWatch continuously pings a target IP
When target becomes unreachable → script triggers → Telegram alert sent
When target comes back online → script triggers → Telegram alert sent
Works with any Telegram bot or group chat

Prerequisites

✅ MikroTik RouterOS device with NetWatch support
✅ Telegram Bot API token (create bot with @BotFather)
✅ Telegram chat ID (your personal chat or group chat)
✅ Access to RouterOS console (SSH, WebFig, or WinBox)
✅ Target IP address to monitor (e.g., 10.1.3.239)
✅ Router has internet connectivity for HTTPS to Telegram API

warning

Security note: Bot tokens are sensitive. Store them securely and never share them in repositories or logs.

Getting Telegram Bot Token & Chat ID

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
Send command: /start
Send command: /newbot
Choose a name (e.g., "MikroTik Monitor")
Choose a username (e.g., "mikrotik_monitor_bot")
Copy the provided token: 123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ

Step 2: Get Your Chat ID

Open Telegram and search for @userinfobot
Send /start
It will show your chat ID (e.g., 123456789)

tip

For group chats: Add the bot to a group, send /start, and check bot's chat history for group ID (starts with -).

Configuration Steps

Option A: Terminal Configuration

Access the terminal via SSH, console, or WebFig terminal
```
ssh admin@your-router-ip
```

Add the NetWatch entry:

/tool netwatch add host=10.1.3.239 interval=30s up-script={
    :local message "10.1.3.239 is up!!!";
    :local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
    :local chatId "-123456789";
    
    :log warning ">> $message";
    /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;
} down-script={
    :local message "10.1.3.239 is DOWN!!!";
    :local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
    :local chatId "-123456789";
    
    :log warning ">> $message";
    /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;
}

tip

Customize:

Replace 10.1.3.239 with your target IP
Replace 123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ with your bot token
Replace -123456789 with your chat ID
Adjust interval (e.g., 60s, 300s for slower networks)

Verify NetWatch entry was created:
```
/tool netwatch print
```
Should show your new entry with host=10.1.3.239.

Test the alert manually:

/tool netwatch run [find host=10.1.3.239]

Option B: WebFig Configuration

Navigate to Tools > NetWatch:
- Click the + button to add a new entry
General Tab:
- Host: 10.1.3.239
- Interval: 30s

Up Script Tab:

Paste the up-script:

:local message "10.1.3.239 is up!!!";
:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
:local chatId "-123456789";

:log warning ">> $message";
/tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;

Down Script Tab:

Paste the down-script:

:local message "10.1.3.239 is DOWN!!!";
:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
:local chatId "-123456789";

:log warning ">> $message";
/tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;

Click OK/Apply

Understanding the Configuration

NetWatch Parameters

Parameter	Default	Purpose
`host`	Required	IP address to monitor (ping target)
`interval`	30s	How often to check (30s recommended)
`timeout`	5s	How long to wait for ping response
`up-script`	-	Script to run when host becomes reachable
`down-script`	-	Script to run when host becomes unreachable

Script Variables

Variable	Value	Purpose
`message`	String	Text to send in Telegram
`botApi`	Token	Bot API credentials
`chatId`	Number or -Group ID	Where to send message

Telegram API URL Structure

https://api.telegram.org/bot[BOT_TOKEN]/sendMessage?chat_id=[CHAT_ID]&text=[MESSAGE]

Example:

https://api.telegram.org/bot123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ/sendMessage?chat_id=-123456789&text=10.1.3.239%20is%20up!!!

Verification

Verify NetWatch entry:
```
/tool netwatch print
```
Should show your entry with correct host and interval.
Check scripts are in place:
```
/tool netwatch print detail
```
Should display both up-script and down-script content.
Manual script test (up-script):
```
/tool netwatch run [find host=10.1.3.239]
```
Check your Telegram for message: "10.1.3.239 is up!!!"
Check router logs:
```
/log print where topics~"netwatch"
```
Should show NetWatch check attempts and results.

Ping the target to verify connectivity:

ping 10.1.3.239
# Should respond normally

Monitor NetWatch status:
```
/tool netwatch print status
```
Should show current status (up/down) and last check time.
Force a state change test:
- Block the IP temporarily via firewall (simulate down state)
- Wait for next interval check
- Should receive "DOWN" alert on Telegram
- Remove firewall rule
- Should receive "UP" alert on Telegram

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
No Telegram message received	Bot token invalid	Verify token format; test with `curl` from another machine
"Access denied" Telegram error	Bot not added to chat/group	Add bot to group and check chat ID is correct (negative for groups)
Chat ID not found	Wrong chat ID format	Verify format: personal chat is positive (`123456`), group is negative (`-123456`)
Message shows URL encoding	Special characters in message	Use `%20` for spaces, `%21` for `!` (already handled by router)
NetWatch not triggering	Host always reachable or unreachable	Check: `interval` is appropriate; verify `host` is correct IP
Fetch timeout	Telegram API unreachable	Check: router has internet; verify HTTPS connectivity; try longer timeout
Script error "unknown identifier"	Variable name typo	Verify: `$message`, `$botApi`, `$chatId` (case-sensitive)
Message never changes from UP to DOWN	NetWatch not detecting state change	Increase `timeout` value; verify target actually goes offline

Advanced Options

Include device hostname in alert:

:local hostname [/system identity get name];
:local message "$hostname: 10.1.3.239 is up!!!";

Add timestamp to alert:

:local timestamp [/system clock get time];
:local message "10.1.3.239 UP at $timestamp";

Include router IP in alert:

:local routerIp [/ip address get [find interface=ether1] address];
:local message "[$routerIp] 10.1.3.239 is up!!!";

Monitor multiple hosts with same script template:

/tool netwatch add host=10.1.3.239 interval=30s \
    up-script={:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ"; :local chatId "-123456789"; /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=10.1.3.239%20UP" keep-result=no;} \
    down-script={:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ"; :local chatId "-123456789"; /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=10.1.3.239%20DOWN" keep-result=no;}

/tool netwatch add host=10.1.3.240 interval=30s \
    up-script={:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ"; :local chatId "-123456789"; /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=10.1.3.240%20UP" keep-result=no;} \
    down-script={:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ"; :local chatId "-123456789"; /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=10.1.3.240%20DOWN" keep-result=no;}

Send additional info in message (with severity):

# Up-script
:local message "🟢 ALERT UP: 10.1.3.239 is online";
:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
:local chatId "-123456789";
/tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;

# Down-script
:local message "🔴 ALERT DOWN: 10.1.3.239 is OFFLINE";
:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
:local chatId "-123456789";
/tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;

Use script files for cleaner organization:

# Create separate script files
/system script add name="netwatch-up-alert" source={
    :local message "10.1.3.239 is up!!!";
    :local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
    :local chatId "-123456789";
    /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;
}

/system script add name="netwatch-down-alert" source={
    :local message "10.1.3.239 is DOWN!!!";
    :local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
    :local chatId "-123456789";
    /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;
}

# Reference in NetWatch
/tool netwatch add host=10.1.3.239 interval=30s \
    up-script=/system script run netwatch-up-alert \
    down-script=/system script run netwatch-down-alert

Send to Discord instead of Telegram:

# Discord webhook format
:local message "10.1.3.239 is up!!!";
:local webhook "https://discordapp.com/api/webhooks/XXXXX/YYYYY";
/tool fetch url="$webhook" method=post http-data="content=$message" keep-result=no;

Escalate alerts on repeated failures:

# Down-script with escalation
:local message "10.1.3.239 DOWN - Alert Level 1";
:local botApi "123456789:ABCDefGHIJKlmNOpqrsTUvwxYZ";
:local chatId "-123456789";
/tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$chatId&text=$message" keep-result=no;

# On third consecutive failure, send to emergency group
:local failures [/tool netwatch get [find host=10.1.3.239] comment];
:if ($failures > 3) do={
    :local emergencyChatId "-987654321";
    /tool fetch url="https://api.telegram.org/bot$botApi/sendMessage?chat_id=$emergencyChatId&text=🚨%20CRITICAL:%2010.1.3.239%20offline%20for%203+%20checks" keep-result=no;
}

Email alerts: See Email Backup for similar alert patterns
Logs to email: See Send Logs to Email for SMTP integration
Bandwidth monitoring: See Guest Bandwidth Control for other on-event scripts
Telegram Bot best practices: Store tokens in /system script environment for security

Completion

✅ NetWatch Telegram monitoring is now active!

Next steps:

Test with a device that goes offline/online
Monitor alerts for 24 hours to verify reliability
Add additional hosts to monitor
Set up escalation policies for critical services
Document monitored devices and their purposes
Back up configuration: /system backup save
Rotate bot tokens periodically for security

Prerequisites​

Getting Telegram Bot Token & Chat ID​

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot​

Step 2: Get Your Chat ID​

Configuration Steps​

Option A: Terminal Configuration​

Option B: WebFig Configuration​

Understanding the Configuration​

NetWatch Parameters​

Script Variables​

Telegram API URL Structure​

Verification​

Troubleshooting​

Advanced Options​

Include device hostname in alert:​

Add timestamp to alert:​

Include router IP in alert:​

Monitor multiple hosts with same script template:​

Send additional info in message (with severity):​

Use script files for cleaner organization:​

Send to Discord instead of Telegram:​

Escalate alerts on repeated failures:​

Related Configurations​

Completion​