Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 12:08 am Post subject: [asterisk-users] improved SMS?
Newbie question(s):
From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as
robust as it could be (?). I'm wondering if there's active work on
that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that
one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages
into the PLMN.
Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an
emergency messaging system here at the University that would send out
voice, SMS, and emails. Any input relevant to that goal would
probably be appreciated.
Thanks,
Russ
Russ McBride
Programmer/Analyst
TAS/IST
University of California at Berkeley
510-643-6853
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:13 am Post subject: [asterisk-users] improved SMS?
Am Donnerstag, den 12.07.2007, 16:57 -0700 schrieb Russ McBride:
Quote:
Newbie question(s):
From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as
robust as it could be (?). I'm wondering if there's active work on
that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that
one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages
into the PLMN.
Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an
emergency messaging system here at the University that would send out
voice, SMS, and emails. Any input relevant to that goal would
probably be appreciated.
Hi Russ,
my personal experience with short messages is that the system sometimes
chews on them for minutes, sometimes several hours, even inside one
mobile network, from cell phone to cell phone. This surely screws using
it as a primary tier emergency system, but as a backup after e-mail and
automated phone-out that could be OK. Sending from web-interfaces or via
Uwhatever-that-protocol-is-called will not improve the overall
performance.
Considering all options to send out SMs:
- Asterisk, SMS() app to a landline SMS gateway
- Web interface with script/wget
- Uwhatever-modem-dialup
the second seems the easiest to use to me, and in my experience the
first tends to choke on some messages, be it 1 in 100 - still not 100%
perfect. The web interface method surely is by far cheaper than the
other two, at least here in Germany, where #1 will be charged as a
call-to-cellphone, first minute, about 17 cent, and #3 if available for
the network you want to use will be similar.
With the web interface approach you also get rid of the problem of
number portability: The #3 approach will only deliver the message if you
connect to the provider that the number currently is contracted to,
while #2 will not care about that (#1 should also work).
You see I tend to prefer the web-based thing.
If you intend to send emergeny SMs, please try and find a trustworthy
supplier. In the European price scale the cheapest readily found
providers will charge about 3 cent per message, but if you go for the 10
cent providers you will find higher reliability (without routing
messages to Germany through a Romanian mobile network to save money).
Those messages directly inserted into the destination network are sold
as "provider messages" here, opposed to "cheapest" or "economy" or
whatever euphemism for crap they invent.
Do not mistake me though: For "fun" messages they use to be good enough.
If you talk about emergency, a few cent probably will not make a huge
difference though, and time might be an issue.
BR
Anselm
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:42 am Post subject: [asterisk-users] improved SMS?
On Tue, Jul 17, 2007 at 11:56:35AM +0200, Anselm Martin Hoffmeister wrote:
Quote:
Am Donnerstag, den 12.07.2007, 16:57 -0700 schrieb Russ McBride:
> Newbie question(s):
> From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as
> robust as it could be (?). I'm wondering if there's active work on
> that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that
> one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages
> into the PLMN.
> Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an
> emergency messaging system here at the University that would send out
> voice, SMS, and emails. Any input relevant to that goal would
> probably be appreciated.
Hi Russ,
my personal experience with short messages is that the system sometimes
chews on them for minutes, sometimes several hours, even inside one
mobile network, from cell phone to cell phone. This surely screws using
it as a primary tier emergency system, but as a backup after e-mail and
automated phone-out that could be OK. Sending from web-interfaces or via
Uwhatever-that-protocol-is-called will not improve the overall
performance.
SMS was never designed for guaranteed delivery (or guaranteed timed
delivery). There are options for messages to time out if they're not
delivered in a specified time, or new messages can override old messages
that haven't been read yet - but delivery isn't guaranteed.
A phone sending an SMS will try and establish a connection (sort of) all
the way through to the receiving phone and then deliver the message, if
it cant it will be sent to the receiving network's SMSC which will then
try and deliver it. If it gets put into a queue then the delivery time
will vary drastically depending on the load on the SMSC and other
network characteristics.
Fixed to SMS always goes through an SMSC, so delivery times vary.
Steve
--
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Euro Tech News Blog http://eurotechnews.blogspot.com
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:53 am Post subject: [asterisk-users] improved SMS?
On 17 Jul 2007, at 11:26, Steve Kennedy wrote:
Quote:
On Tue, Jul 17, 2007 at 11:56:35AM +0200, Anselm Martin Hoffmeister
wrote:
> Am Donnerstag, den 12.07.2007, 16:57 -0700 schrieb Russ McBride:
>> Newbie question(s):
>> From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as
>> robust as it could be (?). I'm wondering if there's active work on
>> that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that
>> one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages
>> into the PLMN.
>> Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an
>> emergency messaging system here at the University that would send
>> out
>> voice, SMS, and emails. Any input relevant to that goal would
>> probably be appreciated.
> Hi Russ,
> my personal experience with short messages is that the system
> sometimes
> chews on them for minutes, sometimes several hours, even inside one
> mobile network, from cell phone to cell phone. This surely screws
> using
> it as a primary tier emergency system, but as a backup after e-
> mail and
> automated phone-out that could be OK. Sending from web-interfaces
> or via
> Uwhatever-that-protocol-is-called will not improve the overall
> performance.
SMS was never designed for guaranteed delivery (or guaranteed timed
delivery). There are options for messages to time out if they're not
delivered in a specified time, or new messages can override old
messages
that haven't been read yet - but delivery isn't guaranteed.
A phone sending an SMS will try and establish a connection (sort
of) all
the way through to the receiving phone and then deliver the
message, if
it cant it will be sent to the receiving network's SMSC which will
then
try and deliver it. If it gets put into a queue then the delivery time
will vary drastically depending on the load on the SMSC and other
network characteristics.
Fixed to SMS always goes through an SMSC, so delivery times vary.
Steve
Just to add, that there is a delivery receipt option you can set on
the sending message. If your code watches for this receipt , it can tell
when/if an SMS has been delivered to the destination phone.
Tim.
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 1:36 am Post subject: [asterisk-users] improved SMS?
On 7/12/07, Russ McBride <russmcb@tsw.berkeley.edu> wrote:
Quote:
Newbie question(s):
From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as
robust as it could be (?). I'm wondering if there's active work on
that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that
one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages
into the PLMN.
Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an
emergency messaging system here at the University that would send out
voice, SMS, and emails. Any input relevant to that goal would
probably be appreciated.
Thanks,
IMO the support for SMS in Asterisk is very poor. I think you should
not consider Asterisk as part of your SMS solution but instead either
talk with your preferred mobile carrier and see what sort of
arrangements you can work out with them, or look at one of the SMS
broker services. Another option could be using a GSM mobile phone
along with a serial cable and some software, but I'm sure if you are
doing this on a long-term basis it would be better to get a direct
connection with the carrier.
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