Setting Up SMS Alert Messages

PA Server Monitor can send SMS messages when your server is down, low on disk space, low on memory, etc. Download the Free Trial and try it out!

One of our most popular features is the ability to alert you when something isn't quite right. Many users want those alerts to go to their mobile phones via SMS message. There are three ways to accomplish this:

Easiest Solution

SMTP Email Message Action

Many mobile phone providers provide an SMTP gateway for sending messages directly to a mobile phone. This is usually the easiest way to sendan alert to a phone or other mobile device.

For example:
T-Mobile supports sending an email message to <phonenumber>@TMoMail.com
Sprint supports sending email messages to <phonenumber>@messaging.sprintpcs.com

The messages get forwarded straight to the phone.

Check with your phone provider to see if they provide this service, or check our list of SMS Gateways which lists email-SMS gateways for many phone providers around the world.

In addition, recent versions of the E-mail Message Action now support direct-sending of SMTP messages, without needing an SMTP server in most situations.

Send SMS Text Message (SMPP) Action

The SMPP action sends SMS messages from the monitoring service to a mobile phone via an SMPP gateway server on the Internet. Typically your mobile phone provider will have an SMPP gateway and will give you the parameters to fill in for this action. You can also contract with some 3rd party companies to let you use their gateways.

Phone Dialer (DTMF/SMS)

If you have a server that is not connected to the Internet, you can often hook up a modem/cell phone to the computer via a COM port. The Phone Dialer action lets you create scripts to dial the phone and send DTMF tones, or if a mobile phone is attached, you can send SMS messages directly.

Sending SMS messages directly from a mobile phone will require you to look in your mobile phone's manual and find out what commands it supports. Generally you'll be looking for the CMGS command. The following sample script gives you an idea of the commands that you are looking for:


				ATZ<
AT+CMGF=1
AT+CMGS=12345678  (phone number to dial)
Server problem    (text to send)
{VAL:26}

Note that the {VAL:26} is how you send a Ctrl-Z (End of Message character). Our products support replacement variables in the message text so you can send the title or description of an error message.

At least one customer found that having any extra lines (even blank lines) after the {VAL:26} would cause the message to not send (this is likely phone specific). Also, ATE0 turns off local echo, which will prevent the system from interpreting echoed outgoing text as response commands from the phone/modem.

A few customers in Europe have connected a cell phone to their computer to send SMS messages without an Internet connection. A customer in the U.S. did the same thing and gives some tips:

Phone used: AT&T Go Phone - Samsung SGH-a177
The phone powers/charges through the USB cable

Get the data cable. The box doesn't come with a CD so you have to go online at Samsung and get the drivers at http://www.samsung.com/us/support/search/supportSearchModelResult.do

The drivers won't load the modem. You have to download the Samsung Studio (used for transferring data and backing up your address book). After you download and install the 95 MB program and connect to the phone, the drivers will load.

Check your COM port in Control Panel - Modems, and use that in the Phone Dialer action settings.

ALSO, When I disconnect and reconnect the phone, the COM port used by the phone jumps from 4 to 5 and back. So be aware that if you have to cycle power on the box, check the COM port or you won't get notified. One option around this is to setup two Phone Dialer actions -- one goes to COM4 and another one to COM5 and just put up with the email on the failed alert.

Thanks Tim.

More details are available in the Phone Dialer (DTMF/SMS) document page.