Sending SMS/Text Alerts to a Cell Phone

Intermapper can send SMS or text message alerts to a cell phone, mobile phone, or wireless phone. These notifications are sent using an analog modem to dial a TAP paging terminal at your wireless provider.

NOTE: The methods described below depend on an analog modem dialing a TAP service or a cell phone. You can also use a cell modem to send SMS message directly to another cell phone. For more information, see Configuring an SMS Notifier.

The following methods are available for sending alerts to a mobile phone.

Telelocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP)

Intermapper can send SMS or text messages using Telelocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) with an internal or external analog modem. It connects to a paging service and delivers a notification or alert to your cell phone.

Using TAP to Send a Message

If your paging service provides a TAP paging terminal that forwards pages as SMS or text messages to your wireless phone.

To configure Intermapper to send alerts to your phone:

  1. From the Server Settings > Notifiers List window, click Add. The Configure Notifier window is displayed.
  2. From the Notifier Type list, select Alpha-numeric Pager (Dialup).
  3. Click Edit Subscriber List.
  4. From the Paging Services tab, click Add. Type the name of the service, the phone number to dial (including any numbers you might need to access an outside line), and a password. Accept the default values for data bits, stop bits, parity, and speed unless your paging service provided you with different values.
  5. From the Paging Subscribers tab, click Add. Type the subscriber name and select the paging service you created in step 4. In the Pager ID text box, type the subscriber's cell phone number.
  6. Click OK to return to the Configure Notifier window.
  7. Click Edit Message if you want to change the text message. Edit the message and click OK.
  8. Edit the notifier schedule, if required.
  9. Click Test Notifier to confirm that the message can be sent and received.
  10. Click OK.
NOTE: This procedure has been tested using Verizon's TAP access to their SMS/text message system. The access number is 866-823-0501. Other cell providers might offer a gateway to their text/SMS message service.

Sending a Message if TAP is Not Available

If your cell phone provider does not provide a TAP interface for text messages, you can use an email-based service to deliver the message. You should contact your cell phone provider for details on sending alerts and notifications via email.

NOTE: Remember that sending an alert through email fails if your connection to the Internet is down. See below for a low-tech workaround.

Workaround: When Your Internet Connection Is Down

If your Internet connection is down, but your cell phone provider does not offer access to their text/SMS message system from an analog modem, you can still be notified about problems by creating a new Alpha-numeric Pager (dialup) notifier and enter the cell phone number as the paging service number. This method dials the phone directly. This does not initiate a voice or text/SMS message, but the CallerID lets the recipient know that Intermapper is calling.

Troubleshooting SMS/Text Alerts

If you encounter any problems, Intermapper can create a log file that shows the details of the paging mechanism. This is useful to review or send to tech support.

To create a log file that shows the details of the paging mechanism:

  1. Open the Server Settings > Log Files window and click Add to create a new log file. Name the log file paging.
  2. Click OK.
  3. From the Configure Notifier window, test your notifier. The paging.txt file contains detailed logging for the test notification. You can find the paging.txt file in the InterMapper Settings > Intermapper Logs folder on the server. If the information contained in the paging log is not helpful to you, you can send the file with a description of the problem to support@Intermapper.com.