In general, there are three ways to receive SMS messages using your computer / PC:

Connect a mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem to a computer / PC. Then use the computer / PC and AT commands to get the received SMS messages from the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem.

Get access to the SMS center (SMSC) or SMS gateway of a wireless carrier. Any SMS messages received will be forwarded to your computer / PC using a protocol / interface supported by the SMSC or SMS gateway.

Get access to the SMS gateway of an SMS service provider. Any SMS messages received will be forwarded to your computer / PC using a protocol / interface supported by the SMS gateway.

If you do not want to develop SMS software or applications but just want to use your computer / PC to receive text messages, you may want to read our Quick Guide for Non-Developers.

11.1. The 1st Way: Using a Computer to Receive SMS Messages through a Mobile Phone or GSM/GPRS Modem
Receiving SMS messages through a mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem has a major advantage over the other two ways -- wireless carriers usually do not charge any fees for receiving incoming SMS messages with their SIM cards. The disadvantage of receiving SMS messages this way is that a mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem cannot handle a large amount of SMS traffic. One way to overcome this is to load balance the SMS traffic with a pool of mobile phones or GSM/GPRS modems. Each mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem will have its own SIM card and mobile phone number.

In terms of programming, sending and receiving SMS messages through a mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem are similar. What you need to do is to send instructions (in the form of AT commands) to the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem.

The following table lists the AT commands that are related to the receiving and reading of SMS messages:

AT command +CNMI +CMGL +CMGR +CNMA

Meaning New message indications List messages Read messages New message acknowledgement

Below shows a simple example that demonstrates how to use AT commands and the HyperTerminal program of Microsoft Windows to read SMS text messages received by a GSM / GPRS modem or mobile phone. The lines in bold type are the command lines that should be entered in HyperTerminal. The other lines are responses returned from the GSM / GPRS modem or mobile phone. AT OK AT+CMGF=1 OK AT+CMGL="ALL" +CMGL: 1,"REC READ","+85291234567",,"06/11/11,00:30:29+32" Hello, welcome to our SMS tutorial. +CMGL: 2,"REC READ","+85291234567",,"06/11/11,00:32:20+32" A simple demo of SMS text messaging. OK Here is a description of what is done in the above example: Line 1: "AT" is sent to the GSM / GPRS modem to test the connection. The GSM / GPRS modem sends back the result code "OK" (line 2), which means the connection between the HyperTerminal program and the GSM / GPRS modem works fine.

Line 3: The AT command +CMGF is used to instruct the GSM / GPRS modem to operate in SMS text mode. The result code "OK" is returned (line 4), which indicates the command line "AT+CMGF=1" has been executed successfully. If the result code "ERROR" is returned, it is likely that the GSM / GPRS modem does not support the SMS text mode. To confirm, type "AT+CMGF=?" in the HyperTerminal program. If the response is "+CMGF: (0,1)" (0=PDU mode

and 1=text mode), then SMS text mode is supported. If the response is "+CMGF: (0)", then SMS text mode is not supported.

Line 5-9: The AT command +CMGL is used to list all SMS text messages in the message storage of the GSM / GPRS modem. There are two SMS text messages in the message storage: "Hello, welcome to our SMS tutorial." and "A simple demo of SMS text messaging.". "+85291234567" is the sender mobile phone number. "06/11/11,00:30:29+32" and "06/11/11,00:32:20+32" tell us when the SMS text messages were received by the SMSC. "+32" is the time zone. Note that the unit is a quarter of an hour. So, +32 means GMT+8 hours, since 32 quarters of an hour = 8 hours. "REC READ" indicates both of the SMS text messages have been read before.

Line 11: The result code "OK" indicates the execution of the AT command +CMGL is successful.

To enable an application to receive SMS messages, you have to write the source code for connecting to and sending AT commands to the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem, just like what a terminal program (such as HyperTerminal of Microsoft Windows) does. You can write the source code in C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, Delphi or other programming languages you like.

However, like what we have discussed in the earlier section "The 1st Way: Sending SMS Messages from a Computer Using a Mobile Phone or GSM/GPRS Modem", usually a better solution is to use a high-level SMS messaging API (Application programming interface) / SDK (Software development kit) / library instead of writing your own code for interacting with the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem via AT commands. The API / SDK / library encapsulates the low-level details. So, an SMS application developer does not need to know AT commands and the composition of SMS messages in the bit-level. Some SMS messaging APIs / SDKs / libraries support SMSC protocols in addition to AT commands. To move from a wireless-modem-based SMS solution to a SMSC-based SMS solution, usually you just need to modify a configuration file / property file or make a few changes to your SMS messaging application's source code. The links to some open source and free SMS messaging libraries can be found in the article "Free Libraries/Tools for Sending/Receiving SMS with a Computer".

Another high-level solution is to place an SMS gateway between the SMS messaging application and the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. The SMS messaging application can then use simple protocols such as HTTP / HTTPS for receiving SMS messages. If an SMSC protocol (e.g. SMPP, CIMD, etc) is used for communicating with the SMS gateway instead of HTTP / HTTPS, an

SMS messaging API / SDK / library can be very helpful to you since it encapsulates the SMSC protocol's details.

12. Introduction to GSM / GPRS Wireless Modems

12.1. What is a GSM Modem?
A GSM modem is a wireless modem that works with a GSM wireless network. A wireless modem behaves like a dial-up modem. The main difference between them is that a dial-up modem sends and receives data through a fixed telephone line while a wireless modem sends and receives data through radio waves. A GSM modem can be an external device or a PC Card / PCMCIA Card. Typically, an external GSM modem is connected to a computer through a serial cable or a USB cable. A GSM modem in the form of a PC Card / PCMCIA Card is designed for use with a laptop computer. It should be inserted into one of the PC Card / PCMCIA Card slots of a laptop computer. Like a GSM mobile phone, a GSM modem requires a SIM card from a wireless carrier in order to operate. As mentioned in earlier sections of this SMS tutorial, computers use AT commands to control modems. Both GSM modems and dial-up modems support a common set of standard AT commands. You can use a GSM modem just like a dial-up modem. In addition to the standard AT commands, GSM modems support an extended set of AT commands. These extended AT commands are defined in the GSM standards. With the extended AT commands, you can do things like:

Reading, writing and deleting SMS messages. Sending SMS messages. Monitoring the signal strength. Monitoring the charging status and charge level of the battery. Reading, writing and searching phone book entries.

The number of SMS messages that can be processed by a GSM modem per minute is very low -only about six to ten SMS messages per minute.

12.2. What is a GPRS Modem?

A GPRS modem is a GSM modem that additionally supports the GPRS technology for data transmission. GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service. It is a packet-switched technology that is an extension of GSM. (GSM is a circuit-switched technology.) A key advantage of GPRS over GSM is that GPRS has a higher data transmission speed. GPRS can be used as the bearer of SMS. If SMS over GPRS is used, an SMS transmission speed of about 30 SMS messages per minute may be achieved. This is much faster than using the ordinary SMS over GSM, whose SMS transmission speed is about 6 to 10 SMS messages per minute. A GPRS modem is needed to send and receive SMS over GPRS. Note that some wireless carriers do not support the sending and receiving of SMS over GPRS. If you need to send or receive MMS messages, a GPRS modem is typically needed.

12.3. Which is better: Mobile Phone or GSM / GPRS Modem?

In general, a GSM/GPRS modem is recommended for use with a computer to send and receive messages. This is because some mobile phones have certain limitations comparing to GSM/GPRS modems. Some of the limitations are described below:

Some mobile phone models (example: Ericsson R380) cannot be used with a computer to receive concatenated SMS messages. What is a concatenated SMS message? A concatenated SMS message is a message that contains more than 140 bytes. (A normal SMS message can only contain at most 140 bytes.) Concatenated SMS works like this: the sender's mobile device breaks a message longer than 140 bytes into smaller parts. Each of these parts are then fitted in a single SMS message and sent to the recipient. When these SMS messages reach the destination, the recipient's mobile device will combine them back to one message. What is the cause of the problem? When the mobile phone receives the SMS messages that are parts of a concatenated SMS message, it combines them to one message automatically. The correct behavior should be: when the mobile phone receives the SMS messages that are parts of a concatenated SMS message, it forwards them to the computer without combining them.

Many mobile phone models cannot be used with a computer to receive MMS messages. Because when they receive a MMS notification, they handle it automatically instead of forwarding it to the computer.

A mobile phone may not support some AT commands, command parameters and parameter values. For example, some mobile phones do not support the sending and receiving of SMS messages in text mode. So, the AT command "AT+CMGF=1" (it instructs the mobile phone to use text mode) will cause an error message to be returned. Usually GSM/GPRS modems support a more complete set of AT commands than mobile phones. Most SMS messaging applications have to be available 24 hours a day. (For example, an SMS messaging application that provides ringtone downloading service should be running all the time so that a user can download ringtones any time he/she wants.) If such SMS messaging applications use mobile phones to send and receive SMS messages, the mobile phones have to be switched on all the time. However, some mobile phone models cannot operate with the battery removed even when an AC adaptor is connected, which means the battery will be charged 24 hours a day.

Besides the above issues, mobile phones and GSM/GPRS modems are more or less the same for sending and receiving SMS messages from a computer. Actually, you can consider an ATcommand-enabled mobile phone as "GSM/GPRS modem + keypad + display + ...". There is not much difference between mobile phones and GSM/GPRS modems in terms of SMS transmission rate, since the determining factor for the SMS transmission rate is the wireless network.

13. How to Use Microsoft HyperTerminal to Send AT Commands to a Mobile Phone or GSM/GPRS Modem?
13.1. What is Microsoft HyperTerminal?
Microsoft HyperTerminal is a small program that comes with Microsoft Windows. You can use it to send AT commands to your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. It can be found at Start > Programs ->Accessories -> Communications -> HyperTerminal. If you cannot find it and you are using Windows 98, then probably you have not installed it. You can go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs ->Windows Setup tab -> Communications list box item > Details button to install MS HyperTerminal. Before you start programming your SMS application, you may want to check if your mobile phone, GSM/GPRS modem and SIM card are working properly first. The MS HyperTerminal is a handy tool when it comes to testing your GSM devices. It is a good idea to test your GSM devices beforehand. When a problem occurs, sometimes it is difficult to tell what causes the problem. The cause can be your program, the GSM device or the SIM card. If you test your GSM

device and SIM card with MS HyperTerminal and they operate properly, then it is very likely that the problem is caused by your program. For Linux users, minicom can be used instead of HyperTerminal.

13.2. The Procedure for Sending AT Commands to a Mobile Phone or GSM/GPRS Modem Using MS HyperTerminal
To use MS HyperTerminal to send AT commands to your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem, you can follow the procedure below:

1. Put a valid SIM card into the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. You can obtain a SIM card by subscribing to the GSM service of a wireless network operator. 2. Connect your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem to a computer and set up the corresponding wireless modem driver. You should find the wireless modem driver in the CD or disk that was provided by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer does not provide such CD or disk with your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem, you can go to the manufacturer's web site and see whether the wireless modem driver can be downloaded there. If the wireless modem driver cannot be found on the web site, you can still use Windows' standard modem driver. 3. Run MS HyperTerminal by selecting Start -> Programs -> Accessories > Communications ->HyperTerminal. 4. In the Connection Description dialog box, enter a name and choose an icon you like for the connection. Then click the OK button.

Figure 5. The screenshot of MS HyperTerminal's Connection Description dialog box in Windows 98.

5. In the Connect To dialog box, choose the COM port that your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is connecting to in the Connect using combo box. For example, choose COM1 if your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is connecting to the COM1 port. Then click the OK button. (Sometimes there will have more than one COM port in the Connect using combo box. To know which COM port is used by your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem, follow the procedure below: In Windows 98: Go to Control Panel -> Modem. Then click the Diagnostics tab. In the list box, you can see which COM port the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is connected to. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP: Go to Control Panel -> Phone and Modem Options. Then click the Modems tab. In the list box, you can see which COM port the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is connected to.)

Figure 6. The screenshot of MS HyperTerminal's Connect To dialog box in Windows 98.

Figure 6. The screenshot of MS HyperTerminal's Connect To dialog box in Windows 98.

6. The Properties dialog box comes out. Enter the correct port settings for your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. Then click the OK button. (To find the correct port settings that should be used with your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem, one way is to consult the manual of your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. Another way is to check the port settings used by the wireless modem driver that you installed earlier. To check the port settings used by the wireless modem driver on Windows 98, follow these steps: a. Go to Control Panel -> Modem. b. Select your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem in the list box. c. Click the Properties button. d. The Properties dialog box appears. The Maximum speeds field on the General tab corresponds to HyperTerminal's Bits per second field. Click the Connection tab and you can find the settings for data bits, parity and stop bits. Click the Advanced button and you can find the setting for flow control. To check the port settings used by the wireless modem driver on Windows 2000 and Windows XP, follow these steps: a. Go to Control Panel -> Phone and Modem Options -> Modems tab. b. Select your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem in the list box. c. Click the Properties button.

d. The Properties dialog box appears. Click the Advanced tab and then click the Change Default Preferences button. e. The Change Default Preferences dialog box appears. The Port speed field on the General tab corresponds to HyperTerminal's Bits per second field. You can also find the setting for flow control on the General tab. On the Advanced tab, you can find the settings for data bits, parity and stop bits.)

Figure 7. The screenshot of MS HyperTerminal's Properties dialog box in Windows 98.

7. Type "AT" in the main window. A response "OK" should be returned from the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. Type "AT+CPIN?" in the main window. The AT command "AT+CPIN?" is used to query whether the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is waiting for a PIN (personal identification number, i.e. password). If the response is "+CPIN: READY", it means the SIM card does not require a PIN and it is ready for use. If your SIM card requires a PIN, you need to set the PIN with the AT command "AT+CPIN=<PIN>".

Figure 8. The screenshot of MS HyperTerminal's main window in Windows 98.

If you get the responses above, your mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem is working properly. You can start typing your own AT commands to control the mobile phone or GSM/GPRS modem. Further details about how to use AT commands to send and receive SMS messages will be provided in the following sections.