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How NotePager Pro Sends SMS Messages Transcript for Video:
Welcome to the video tutorial on how to deliver SMS with NotePager Pro. In this tutorial, we’ll be going over the different methods and protocols available to send text messages.
Sending text messages/SMS is fairly easy to do and there are three ways available:
- Internet
- Cellular Hardware
- TAP via Dial-Up Modem
The modem method of delivery uses a protocol called TAP but carrier support for this protocol has been waning in recent years; AT&T and Sprint are the only two major US cell phone carriers that still support it. However, NotePager Pro does still support the protocol and can use it with carriers that support it as well.
With regards to internet and cellular hardware, there are benefits and drawbacks to either method of delivery. Cellular hardware is, by far, the most reliable method of sending SMS but it does require hardware to function. Using your internet connection is the simpler configuration but some internet hosts can be a little unreliable and this type of messaging makes NotePager Pro reliant on your internet connection; if it ever goes down, you won't be able to deliver your messages.
With regards to the internet method of delivering SMS, most carriers in the US and Canada support at least one internet protocol as a free, public access gateway. However, of the available internet protocols to use, most carriers also only support the least efficient and most issue prone protocol (which is SMTP/Email) for free, public access. Carriers outside of the US and Canada typically do not support internet based methods of sending SMS and must be messaged by cellular hardware.
Sending text messages with your internet connection can be done in a few ways; you can send text messages to cell phones directly through their carrier service or you can use a message aggregation service like I Am Responding, Active911, The Fire Horn, Clickatel, Infobip and similar.
Sending an SMS through a carrier by your internet connection can be done with one of three protocols. Listed from most to least efficient, they are:
•SNPP
•WCTP
•SMTP
Of those protocols, most carriers in the US and Canada only support SMTP for free public access and this is likely they protocol you'll use to configure most of your carriers.
Some cell phone carriers support SNPP and WCTP but these gateways are usually a part of the carrier's paid enterprise network, so you have to register with them to access those protocols. For example, Verizon's Enterprise Messaging Access Gateway (EMAG) supports SNPP and WCTP but you must be a registered member of EMAG to gain access to those priority hosts. The same is true for Sprint and AT&T's SNPP and WCTP gateways.
It is important to note that using your internet connection to send messages makes NotePager Pro reliant on your internet connection; if the internet ever goes down, NotePager Pro won't be able to deliver your messages.
Configuration steps for each method of delivery can be found on our support site (https://www.notepage.net/support.htm) and also in our NotePager Pro video tutorials.
Cellular hardware, on the other hand, does not rely on your internet connection and provides a cellular connection of its own. Cellular hardware is the single most reliable and efficient method of sending SMS as you're interfacing with hardware that allows you to send and receive SMS in the same manner as a cell phone. This means that nothing short of hardware failure or the cell towers in your area going down would prevent your messages from going through. This is the method of delivery we recommend for high priority traffic such as messages to EMS personnel, fire fighters, police officers and other types of critical messages. The drawback is that cellular hardware must have cellular service, which does mean that the device(s) will need a cell plan with texting.
NotePager Pro currently supports using USB and RS-232 connected cellular modems, like Multitech’s MTC-H5 series of device.
If NotePager Pro is running in a virtual environment, you can also connect a cellular modem to a COM port virtualizer that provides the COM port to the virtual machine. This grants NotePager Pro access to the cellular modem, which allows it to send text messages just like a cell phone does.
It's also important to note that carriers outside of the US and Canada typically do not support any internet based method of sending SMS and you must use cellular hardware to message those devices.
Configuration steps for each method of delivery can be found on our support site (https://www.notepage.net/support.htm) and also in our NotePager Pro video tutorials.
This concludes the video tutorial on how to send SMS with NotePager Pro.
For more tutorials, including how to
register NotePager Pro, please visit our website, www.notepage.net
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