A GSM modem can be an external modem device, such as the Siemens MC35 or Wavecom FASTRACK external modems. Insert a GSM SIM card into this modem, and connect the modem to an available serial port on your computer.
A GSM modem can be a PC Card installed in a notebook computer, such as the Sierra Wireless Aircard 750.
A GSM modem could also be a standard GSM mobile phone with the appropriate cable and software driver to connect to a serial port or USB port on your computer. Any phone that supports the “extended AT command set” for sending/receiving SMS messages, as defined in the ETSI GSM 07.05 Specification can be supported by the Now SMS/MMS Gateway.
A dedicated GSM modem (external or PC Card) is usually preferable to a GSM mobile phone. This is because of some compatibility issues that can exist with mobile phones. For example, if you wish to be able to receive inbound MMS messages with your gateway, most GSM phones will only allow you to send MMS messgaes. This is because the mobile phone automatically processes received MMS message notifications these messages, without forwarding them via the modem interface. Similarly some mobile phones will not allow you to correctly receive SMS text messages longer than 160 bytes (known as “concatenated SMS” or “long SMS”). This is because these long messages are actually sent as separate SMS messages, and the phone attempts to reassemble the message before forwarding via the modem interface. (We've observed this latter problem utilizing the Ericsson R380, while it does not appear to be a problem with many other Ericsson models.)
When you install your GSM modem, or connect your GSM mobile phone to the computer, be sure to install the appropriate Windows modem driver from the device manufacturer. To simplify configuration, the Now SMS/MMS Gateway will communicate with the device via this driver. If a Windows driver is not available for your modem, you can use either the “Standard” or “Generic” 19200 bps modem driver that is built into windows. A benefit of utilizing a Windows modem driver is that you can use Windows diagnostics to ensure that the modem is communicating properly with the computer.
The Now SMS/MMS gateway can simultaneously support multiple modems, provided that your computer hardware has the available communications port resources.
To define which modems are to be utilized by the gateway, select the “SMSC” tab from the gateway configuration dialog:
If no modems are yet to be defined, only the “Add” button will be available on this dialog. Select “Add” , and then “ GSM Phone or Modem ” to display a list of available modem drivers on your computer.
Select an available modem and press the “Test and Add Modem” button. The gateway will then attempt to initialize the modem, and confirm that the modem supports the necessary interfaces to send and receive SMS messages. The modem will only be added to the configuration if the gateway confirms that it can properly communicate with the modem. If the SIM card for the modem requires a 4-digit PIN, please supply it in the field provided.
After the Modem is added, there are additional Properties that can be configured for the modem connection. Highlight the modem name in the “SMSC” list, and press the “Properties” button:
The “Phone Number” field is used to tell NowSMS the phone number associated with this modem. It is not mandatory to supply a phone number, however if a phone number is specified, it will be possible to submit messages to the gateway in such a way that if multiple SMSC or GSM modem connections are defined, the message will be sent out via this connection. (This is possible by including a “Sender” parameter in a URL request to submit a message, where the value of this parameter matches the “Phone Number” field configured for a specific GSM modem. For more information, refer to URL Parameter for Sending Messages.) When receiving SMS or MMS messages, the phone number will be supplied as the receiving address of the message, allowing applications to determine which modem received the message in an installation with multiple GSM modem connections.
A Modem PIN is a 4-digit code that is used for security purposes. If a PIN is configured on the SIM card installed in the modem, the phone or modem cannot be used until the PIN is entered. If you want the gateway to automatically supply the PIN to the modem upon startup, supply this PIN in the “Modem PIN” field.
If the Now SMS/MMS Gateway should process SMS messages received by the attached modem, the “Receive SMS Messages” setting should be enabled. The “SMS Message Storage” location should be left at “Default” unless otherwise instructed by technical support. For more information on how to process received SMS messages, please refer to 2-Way SMS Support.
If the Now SMS/MMS Gateway should process MMS messages received by the attached modem, the “Receive MMS Messages” setting should be enabled. The “MMS Settings” dialog will display a dialog with additional configuration settings that are required for enabling the gateway to be able to receive MMS messages from the operator network. Please note that a dedicated GSM modem device (not a phone acting as a modem) is required in most instances in order to support the receiving of MMS messages, and in most cases the modem device must also support GPRS. For additional configuration information on processing received MMS messages, please refer to 2-Way MMS Support.
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