Anyone have an idea of how I can receive text messages, SMS, or MMS, in the USA, on my desktop? I see that Verizon/Sprint EDVO cards have SMS messaging features, but thats for a laptop. I have a linux desktop. I just want to give out my phone number and send/receive messages from my computer. I want to make an application with this feature. So I need an API or something that will work. Is there a cellular modem or router that has SMS text messaging features that will work with linux? Or if there is no hardware that will provide there maybe there is a web service that can provide an unlimited text messaging service. I see many with SENDing, some with Receiving Replys, but none with Receiving Messages that orginated from the cell phone user.
There are some companies which offer sending SMS.
If you want to send/receive SMS there are one simple aproach:
You will need GSM modem. I have experience with Siemens M20 (but I am in Bulgaria).
COM port
Application which will read/send SMS to and from M20 through COM port
I have some sources with almost no documentation.
And they are working - now I am using application to read SMS from M20 and store it in MySQL DB.
It is possible to use same application to read SMS from MySQL and send it through GSM.
Do you know if this will work in the United States? I need a modem that can receive text messages with a United States Telco. I haven’t heard any reports on this.
Check out Falcom’s GSM modems. We use an A2D1 (I think - from memory) at work for network-related alerting. It’s very reliable and has an RS232 interface and there’s a heap of free software whcih will work with it (based around an AT command set)
Receiving is easy too. Just setup an email address and have your Asterisk system periodically check for new messages…
If you need them to be immediate, setup your Asterisk server as an email post office, and integrate the email service with the Asterisk service.
For that matter, if you’re just trying to get them to your desktop, why not just have people address their SMS messages to your standard email address? Cut the Asterisk box out altogether?
SMS messages can be addressed to more than just a mobile phone number. There’s no need to create a whole new system to receive a text message from a mobile phone. Just have the sender address the message to your standard email. Then you reply as described above…
When a user needs to send me a text message with their phone, SMS, or MMS, they need to type in my phone number, then their message, and then send it to me. I want it to arrive to me in this fashion. Now if they type in a 10 digit phone number and it arrives in my email, then so be it. But I need for them to type in a 10 digit phone number to text message me, not an email address. Why is this not possible in the USA? Does anyone know how to get this to work?
If you go out and buy a GSM modem, you’re likely to need a new account to attach it to.
The cell phone number you currently use is associated with your cell phone. A new number would be established for your GSM modem. (It’s a completely different object to the network after all.) You can’t have two mobile devices on the network with the same 10 digit phone number.
You’re still going to have to tell senders to address messages to something other than your 10 digit cell phone address if you try a GSM modem.
10 digit text messaging is intended to be delivered to your cell phone handset directly. It’s not intended to be sent to a desktop item like an email client. (That’s what email is for.)
It sounds like what you want to be able to do, is have your cell phone company re-direct your cell phone text messages to an email address instead of delivering them to your cell phone.
I’ve never heard of an American cell company doing that.
You can still get EV-DO service for a desktop PC. Just buy a card that would give your machine a PCMCIA slot. (Check for compatibility. There are a couple of flavors of PCMCIA card out there.)
The EV-DO service will very certainly not be able to have the same 10 phone number as your current cell phone.
The GSM/CDMA Cellular Modem has a phone number, I want the text messages directed to the Cellular Modem. And I can get them from the modem. You can do that with the Sprint PCS cards. But those are for laptops… Should be something out there for desktops.
Again… you can buy a card that you put into your desktop PC that will give you a PCMCIA slot like a laptop.
That would allow you to use a laptop PC card for the EV-DO service. It’s the same thing. You very definately can do it.
HOWEVER, that card would have a DIFFERENT 10 digit phone number than that of your cell phone handset.
People addressing messages to your PC would have to send it to a completely different 10 digit number which, I believe, is something you you didn’t want.
If you want text messages addressed to your cell phone handset to be re-directed to your desktop, you’re going to need the help of your cell company.
I’ll admit I’m in .au so I can’t comment with certainty, but as far as I’m aware, GSM is GSM - as long as the modem works in the right GSM frequency band it should work (it just takes a standard SIM card)
