solution to send sms from pc

rymus

Title is a bit on the vague side but I'll try to outline what I'm looking for properly.

I'm looking to send sms to customers (automatically preferably) to notify them of upcoming appointments. The appointment database is on a red hat linux server which will most likely be producing CSV files daily/weekly of appointments that are due within the coming day/week. I want something that will take that CSV file, extract the phone number and date & time of appointment from it and send a sms to each person, reminding them of their appointment. I've seen a few programs that do it manually but that's not much use as if it's not completely automatic, it'll just never get done. This will be a multi-location solution; some locations will have internet access, some wont. I was thinking of using an online sms gateway but in some places this isn't an option. Any ideas?

ressem

This has been discussed a few times.

Are you willling to write your own script in Linux?
Are you willing to buy a GSM Terminal connection through the rs232 serial port on your PCs. Like a siemens M20 or TC35, which take a sim card. These allow you to send SMS through AT commands, and there are for example perl modules to assist in sending the content.
Like
http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/GSM/GSM-SMS-0.160.readme
or for more complex setups, servers like kannel
http://www.kannel.org/compatibility.shtml

Lots of overpriced commercial options also.

rymus

I've heard about the overpriced commercial options.. The likes of o2 wanting €2k per site + a monthly fee. That's just insanity. Id say the purchase of a GSM terminal is highly likely but as for writing my own script I'll leave that to the programmers. Ignorance is bliss.

Cheers for the links ressem

sirlinux

also consider clickatell www.clickatell.com there is loads of pmodules to use them as well e.g.

http://search.cpan.org/dist/Net-SMS-Clickatell/lib/Net/SMS/Clickatell.pm

rymus

seems that clickatell is an internet only option. I need an option that can be used with or without connection to the internet. thanks for the link, I'll have bit of a read later on.

v10

I have a Java Application on my phone called smsXtender that allows me to send sms to any number and from any number !
You just put in the destination number, then the number the reciever sees the message coming from and your text and away you go..
You buy credit for the messages upfront, works out at about 7c a text I think.

rymus

wrong thread?

wolfman

@v10
I had that also A, but they have stopped selling credits and supplying the software for a while now!

@rymus
www.clickatell.com although mentioned above, do actually have standalone solutions to run on your own pc.... Messenger Pro being just one of them!
http://mpro.clickatell.com/brochure/products/mpro_land.php

rymus

but doesnt that still rely on a connection to the internet to send the messages?

wolfman

Sorry
Small bit of confusion
Basically, you want TOTALLY standalone, using a GSM modem etc??
Try something like this maybe?
EasiSMS its called

sirlinux

Couldnt you bring an internet connection, if you limit the connection speed to say 2400 or 9600 you could have the connection up and down very quickly, your sending a tiny amount of data also you will get great rates of clickatell and otehre similar sites compared to usuing standard sms, finally using clickatell you can customise the sending address to any number or even a text name, found this handy in teh past that you could set it to someones landline number they could get return calls.
One other thing to consider look at asterisk (www.asterisk.org) it's a complete VOIP system, but it's gpl, uses a tiny amount of resources, and it will do eircoms landline SMS service, does need a bit of effort to setup but it works well, you can use a cheap intel 537 modem for analog, or cheap ISDN HFC card for isdn lines.

The Corinthian

Given your requirements I would say your best bet is a GSM modem with Kannel as the interface, interacting with some PHP scripts in localhost for your database connectivity and business logic.

We have a Siemens TC35 in the office that we can sell to you gow down that route, PM me if interested.

odion

Hello, Compliment of the season to you over there, . I saw your (2)item and i will like to buy it for my son that will be doing hIS birthday next week , so mail me now the amount you will be selling it and the UPS/FEDEX/DHL/TNT/ express shipment . i will be paying you through MONEY ORDER OR BIDPAY OR WIRE TRANSFER. is urgent so mail me your name address ,so i can pay by money order and you can ship it to him in africa. this is the address of my son BEN JOHNSON 5 moyo agoro street ifako ijaiye ogba lagos nigeria 23401 GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS AND YOUR NAME AND THE TOTAL MONEY SO I CAN PAY"

fatherdougalmag

If you have ISDN another option is a product like RVS-COM which allows SMS from the desktop. I don't know if it has any scripting but it has a mail-merge facility.

wolfman

odion wrote:

Hello, Compliment of the season to you over there, . I saw your (2)item and i will like to buy it for my son that will be doing hIS birthday next week , so mail me now the amount you will be selling it and the UPS/FEDEX/DHL/TNT/ express shipment . i will be paying you through MONEY ORDER OR BIDPAY OR WIRE TRANSFER. is urgent so mail me your name address ,so i can pay by money order and you can ship it to him in africa. this is the address of my son BEN JOHNSON 5 moyo agoro street ifako ijaiye ogba lagos nigeria 23401 GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS AND YOUR NAME AND THE TOTAL MONEY SO I CAN PAY"

That sounds about right!

rymus

WOW! You'd like to buy? With a money order you say? Jeez, I wasn't even selling anything but OK, you can buy. Send the money order and I'll send you the non-existant sale.

wolfman

Superman

Get a sony ericsson phone - and floats mobile agent , its a program that allows scripts and you can bulk send SMS using automated scripts, I nearly got it workin in half an hour so it can be done easily!

rymus

cheers for all the help folks. The powers that be have decided that using a GSM modem is all too complicated :rolleyes: and so I have been given a usb data cable for my nokia 6100 and told to get it working.

still need a bit of software I can import data files into, although now it'll more than likely be done manually as opposed to the fully automatic method I was previously working on. I'll give floats a go, any other suggestions?

wolfman

make sure its a dku-5 and not dku-2 cable

sirlinux

try this:

http://www.gammu.net/

The Corinthian

rymus wrote:

The powers that be have decided that using a GSM modem is all too complicated :rolleyes: and so I have been given a usb data cable for my nokia 6100 and told to get it working.

Is that like code for too expensive? :rolleyes:

Actually working with a good GSM modem is a lot less complicated than a phone as you don't have to worry about non-standard AT commands or third party data cables that never seem to work. But you're going to find out about that soon enough

You might want to search the Nokia developer forum for a downloadable COM that they developed for integrating Nokia phones with VB / C++ applications without having to worry about AT commands (also because, if memory serves, it comes with sample apps & source).

rymus

wolfman; it's neither.. it's a CA-42

corinthian; got it in one I'd say. too complicated my arse. Got what I thought was a very reasonable price on a multitech gsm/gprs modem €159.

The Corinthian

rymus wrote:

corinthian; got it in one I'd say. too complicated my arse.

You mentioned that the mobile was yours - I assume that you're going to charge them for it. I would.

Got what I thought was a very reasonable price on a multitech gsm/gprs modem €159.

Nice price, care to post a link?

rymus

I didn't choose my words very carefully.. the mobile is 'mine' in that it is the phone I use on the account of the crowd Im working for. It's not like it's costing me anything financially.. I suppose as wise men say "time is money" so maybe by the time I get this working I'll be bankrupt as far as time is concerned.

I got the price on the multitech from PC Pro. I dont think they have a publicly viewable price list on their website as theyre trade only. It was an MTCBA-G-F1-GB.

TheToast

I've been trying to do something like this recently to allow me send text messages from my website and the solution I came up with is Meteor-only for the moment but I know it will work on O2 and possibly Vodafone once I get the information I need.

Meteor has a service where an email sent to 08xxxxxxxx@sms.mymeteor.ie or 3538xxxxxxxx@sms.mymeteor.ie is sent to the number in the format

from@email.com: (subject) message body

I realise that you need to know the service provider beforehand and you can't format the text totally freely and I haven't got the details for Vodafone/O2 yet (I just finished a working version yesterday), but for a service that's totally free, it ain't bad.

You must be online to use it though -- unless you save the email/SMS that you want to send and then send them when you connect to the internet I guess *shrug*