sms uniGUI - SMS Light: Your own SMS center solution

[Fred Montier]

uniGUI & SMS Light

Manage your own SMS Center

Click above to see demo video https://unigui.com.br/uniguiSMSlight-eng.html

How it Works This project has 2 apps: SMS Light, a VCL app that sends the SMS message connecting to your USB GSM Modem at your computer, and an uniGUI StandAlone APP, tha manage to connect to SMS Light and send isolated messages or batch (CSV) messages. You might install SMS light in your computer and uniGUI project in your cloudserver and get both connected to send messages back and forth. With little modifications, you can make a whole SMS Service center to provide sending batch messages to your clients. The limit here is you GSM Cellphone Chip plan limits for sending SMS. Note that some provides limit the amount of SMS sending or charges per sms sent ! Check this with your provider before any bitter surprises after sending thousand of SMS !     Resources and Features   Allows integration between uniGUI and USB GSM modem to send sms messages from your uniGUI App/Server via your local device using SMS Light connected to it.   SMS Light, uses two separated methods to guarantee compatibility to all USB GSM modem devices available. Direct Serial port connection and Device Drive Connection.   WE have 12 years material/experience working with SMS solutions. You can try it before buy it. Link below.   All codes to SMS Light and uniGUI Server(is a VCL app thay integrates to uniGUI server via HTTP or socket)   Import CSV list to send and generates delivery status in CSV format.   No limits to send SMS. The limit/quantity is defined by your GSM Cellphone provider. Be aware !   Best solution to service's automation, notifications, integration, site and tasks monitoring etc.   Ideal for two factor's authentication. All under your control. No complicated API or rest services.   Use any GSM CHIP (3g, 4g 5g USB GSM Modem) and send SMS messages without paying fees to 3rd parties.   We support the code published in all demos. But you SHOULD and MUST try the SMS Light with your GSM device !   No hidden costs or fees. All code and project is yours.   Yes, we offer consultancy for adapting any of these examples to your systems. Contact us to receive a quote.   Try DEMO vcl app (SMS Light) with your hardware BEFORE buy it.   We do not provide support to GSM USB configuration and operation.   We do not provide remote support configuration to your project with issues related to your hardware.   The SMS Light App (is a VCL APP) will be running in your computer with your USB GSM device connected. Get this in mind ! It will receive request from the uniGUI Server (i.e: in your cloudserver) to send SMS messages and notify back if it was successful - Projects available to D10.3, D10.4 e D11.x - uniGUI x.x.1564 (tested).   Projects available to D10.3, D10.4 e D11.x - uniGUI x.x.1564 (tested).   Direct link https://unigui.com.br/uniguiSMSlight-eng.html

Edited December 22, 2022 by Fred Montier
Typos

[Stemon63]

Hi Fred,
i can works also with a multimodem configuration?
I have another system that permits to send sms with 4-6-8 different modems,  with auto switch if one is busy, damaged or not ready, or cycle between modems for "balancing". and failover.
If is possible, then I'm interested in your software.
Thanks.

 

[Fred Montier]

No. This is not the goal here since when you have this type of need you're really in another level. And you should  use the software provide with those solutions (tabs/usb rulers) and their native devices and software. They always jam connection, and break all tasks. Not to mention cell provider messages that are not standards and back notification that can hang and turn off-line serial ports.  Good luck with that and I have more than a dozen here that has some caveats and tweaks just to make it work. Even worst in Windows 8.x/10.

And we've been working with GSM/USB/SMS solution for more than a decade and is always good to use the same driver with the original equipment with multiple USB/CHIPS/GSM because is always very unstable with third party software. Hence , this solution has two different methods  to use the USB port. And is available for a prior test to avoid problems. So, test with your device BEFORE any purchase.

Multiusb/GSM chip solutions should be tailored to a very specific hardware.  I forecast a lot of problem with newbies that never used GSM USB Modem  with a single modem and one port, picture then with many ports with solution that we can't control.

And the worst, back notifications are always troublesome. 

My two cents to your question.

 

[mierlp]

Hi

Why not just connect API from an sms provider (once posted example here).
Big advantage is that you: have no limit on the number of text messages you can send as long as you have credit. Fail-over is already arranged at provider.
You can also subscribe to multiple providers where you can realize a fail-over at
provider. If one is not available, then take the other provider.
The cost per SMS is comparable and often lower than with a sim card. 

A regular sim card and thus your provider often have restrictions in the number of messages you can send (at least in Europe). 

Sure you are dependent on an internet connection but that is also true if you have a uniGui application running at a hosting company.

 

 

[Fred Montier]

Maybe this is the reality in your country. Not in mine and many others. And there is no free lunch when using SMS. "Noway Jose !"

Here in Brazil, even to send SMS to another country you have to get a special plan and is charged per SMS. All regular plans have limits and is very expensive. Not all SMS Centers/Providers/Brokers sends directly to +55 (Brazil Country Code) and/or must have a special cost to delivery, if you consider this possibility. The other problem is the return number than is a 5-6 digits not reachable. Extra costs apply and don't work for automation since you can handle returned messages. And to make things worst, in the early 2010's here, they invented the SMS "to collect", charges to the receiver. So, nobody was incline to use. Thus, created a very limited market to SMS.

And for sure, we got a lot of SMS gateways here too and the same apply to South America, but all are very expensive then send using small quantities by  SIM card with your limit . Hence, we had an early  adoption of Whatsapp in all of those countries. Its not the same reality in US and most west-Europe. But Asia, South America (I live in Brazil) and India,  have same situations to the same problems.

Using gateways here are prohibitive and all Cellphone providers only works with big companies. Hence we never had a SMS culture here as in the US, that spanned to Twitter creation. Remember the limitations ? At the beginning we got Twits as SMS.  It was originally planned to SMS users. Facebook bought WhatsApp due to the massive adoption in developing countries when people using wi-fi had no charges in theirs data plan. 

TLDR; Twitter would never see the light of day if it was supposed to be created in a developing country for this single reason alone. SMS here still very regulated and small market. Only for the big players. SIM Cards still a very good option to send SMS to your customers (...few hundreds a day) .
 

Quote

have no limit on the number of text messages you can send as long as you have credit

This is a limit sooner or later.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Fred Montier
typos

[mierlp]

Hi Fred

Quote

 

Maybe this is the reality in your country. Not in mine and many others. And there is no free lunch when using SMS. "Noway Jose !

 

 

 

There is certainly no free lunch...what I mean is that using an API is a suggestion and that also has many advantages over a gateway.
 

Quote

Here in Brazil, even to send SMS to another country you have to get a special plan and is charged per SMS. All regular plans have limits and is very expensive. Not all SMS Centers/Providers/Brokers sends to here or must have a special cost to delivery, if you consider this possibility. The other problem is the return number. Extra costs apply and don't work for automation. Here, they invented the SMS "to collect", charges to the receiver. So, nobody was incline to use.

I also definitely think there is a difference in the use of your mobile subscription in different countries. In Europe, there are no roaming charges between countries. Whether you are sending an SMS from the Netherlands to Italy or when you are on vacation in Italy and calling there with your Dutch subscription.

For sending SMS messages, I use the API of Bulk SMS( Bulk SMS Pricing | BulkSMS.com). For me that is cheaper than a cell phone modem/gateway
(I also have 1, but not using it anymore) with a subscription. As a subscription you can indeed get a mobile subscription from a telecom provider but those are often combi subscriptions with internet, calling and SMS or a Sim Only subscription or Machine-To-Machine/IoT. Often there is a limit of
1000-2000 sms messages per month. (in the Netherlands)

Here in the Netherlands they often advertise unlimited internet or calling or texting but in the end there is a limitation to that unlimited.
An example of a provider:
- unlimited data in the Netherlands
- unlimited data in EUROPE up to 17 GB
- unlimited calling
- unlimited sms
- € 20 per month

The term "reasonable use" is often used. So if you send 2000 text messages per month that no longer falls under 'reasonable use'.

There will always be some form of a limit. Isn't it the number of text messages that are in a bundle or the number you are allowed to send per month or the number of credits you buy from an SMS provider...only there is no technical limit to that.

I see mostly a shift,-and perhaps depending on the continent you live on, from physical SMS modems/gateways to sending via the Internet/SMS providers or integrations with other APIs, such as WhatsApp. It will also vary by application. Many companies like DHL or courier services or OTP services (one time password) use it as one-way traffic to the recipient. This is how I use it myself within a number of applications. 

One company that offers many integration options is https://www.cm.com/

[Fred Montier]

So.. we agree to agree. If this is not for you, so be it. Try to argue with those ones who have time to adapt API to every and each provider and pay for it etc.

But a lot of people needs EXACTLY  this kind of solution. And they are not in the Netherland ,  Europe or US. As the same, a lot of Delphi users are no longer in those markets. There is a big world out there with really big different scenarios

Happy Xmas and new year !.