SMS Direct Action

How to get here

SMS Direct messages are similar to SMS messages, except a phone line is not required. Instead, messages are sent directly to a cell phone, or other texting capable device, via a GSM modem. If the receiving phone is not active or is out of range when a SMS message is sent, messages will be received when the phone is turned on. SMS messages will be listed in the WhatsUp Gold Action Log.

Required for SMS Direct Actions

You need several items in order to use the SMS Direct Action:

• GSM modem to connect to the WhatsUp machine
• SIM card for the GSM modem
• Cell service/signal in the room in which the WhatsUp machine and GSM modem reside

Use this dialog to create an SMS Direct notification.

• Name. Enter a name for this notification. This name is for your reference only and will never be displayed to the notification recipient.
• Description. Enter or modify the description. This description appears in the Action Library and is for your reference only.
• Phone number. Enter the cell phone number(s) of the intended SMS message recipients. You can enter multiple phone numbers, separated by a comma. For example: 555-555-5555, 55 555 55 55 55, (555) 555 5555

  Note: All non-numeric characters other than the comma, such as "-" and ".", will be ignored.

  There is a 2,000 character limit in this field, so you can enter many numbers.

• COM Port. Select the COM port you want to use with this notification.

  Note: The list displays all ports associated with the GSM modem, including virtual and hard-wired, serial ports. You must select the port that is assigned to the modem in the Windows Device Manager.

• Message. Enter the text message you want to send with this notification plus any desired percent variable codes. Keep in mind that if you use percent variables, this will greatly increase the character count.

  Note: If the message exceeds 140 characters, the message may be broken into up to 3 parts and will be sent as separate messages ("1 of 3", "1 of 2", etc.), each message containing up to 140 characters, for a total of up to 420 characters. Spaces are counted in the total number of characters.

Keep in mind that SMS stands for Short Message Service. Essentially, the messages you send through the SMS Direct Action are text messages, and are meant to be brief.

Tip: To check the status of an action, or to cancel an action, or group of actions, on the console go to Tools > Running Actions.