Enable IoT with SMS

Enable IoT with SMS

According to Statista, the number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices connected worldwide will jump to 30.9 billion units by 2025—significantly more than the 13.8 billion units forecast for 2021—as connected cars, smart home devices, and connected industrial equipment become the norm. With the number of networked sensors increasing in all areas of our lives, we’re enabling automated, real-time interactions between assets, machines, systems, and things.

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But like everything else in business, turning information into actionable insights depends on fast, reliable communication. That’s why SMS is essential for enabling IoT.

Why is SMS the right choice for IoT?

SMS is the ideal communications mechanism for IoT because it includes five essential characteristics:

  1. Global coverage: Stable 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks reach every corner of the earth, including areas with unreliable—or no—Internet coverage.
  2. High deliverability: SMS traffic has close to 100% delivery rates—especially if you use a reliable SMS platform like SMSEagle.
  3. Secure: Send information bypassing third-party providers with full data confidentiality.
  4. Cost-effective: IoT employs bulk SMS messaging to send data, which can be extremely cost-efficient when using the right provider.
  5. Reliable: Essential for IoT, SMS delivers notifications promptly and reliably. Even in the event of a power outage or when mobile data is switched off, an SMS message will still reach its destination.
  6. Power-efficient: Eliminating the need for a permanent connection and requiring little power, SMS extends the battery life on IIoT (Industrial IoT) devices from weeks or months to years.

Irrespective of whether an alert needs to reach a computer, human, or another machine, SMS is the best choice for every scenario. It is the only communications channel that works on every cellular device and every network.

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SMSEagle is a hardware & software solution that guarantees a swift delivery of your messages to designated recipients, whether it’s for notifications, alerts, or important updates.

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Deploying SMS to enable IoT in factories and intelligent buildings

  • Here are two examples of how SMS is enabling IoT:

    • Factories: IoT devices monitor equipment via digital inputs and outputs, sending time-sensitive alerts about changes in environment or equipment characteristics such as power, security, and temperature. As noted in the IoT Agenda, SMS is already used in existing IoT systems to wake up a device and put it into transmission mode. However, SMS can also be used as an efficient data transport for sending configuration updates or managing a device’s power supply so it can collect and store data while extending battery life.
    • Smart Buildings: IoT devices monitor environmental conditions and mechanisms, sending infrastructure failure alerts to Building Management Systems (BMS). Integrating IoT with BMW and SMS allows facilities managers to receive alerts through multiple channels simultaneously—including alarm systems, building intercoms, and messaging systems—and communicate with occupants and technicians, receiving and sending updates to ensure the safety of tenants and visitors.

    IoT and IIoT are enabling the future, and SMS plays an essential role in ensuring affordable, reliable communications. Whether you’re responsible for managing facilities or manufacturing equipment, using SMS to enable automation offers ubiquitous and pervasive coverage for fostering innovation. And you can deploy it today in over 200 countries with access to more than 93% of the world’s population—out of the box.

About SMSEagle

SMSEagle is a leading global brand of SMS gateway hardware supporting. Designed for reliability and easy integration with existing systems, SMSEagle supports bi-directional SMS communications via your web browser, email system, or an API. It also converts email messages to SMS and can send SMS alerts from network and security monitoring systems and SMS tokens from authentication systems. For more information, visit smseagle.eu.

Hardware vs Online SMS gateway? Let this quick quiz guide your decision

Choosing between a hardware and an online SMS gateway isn’t always straightforward. With so many factors to weigh—like security, cost, and reliability—making the right decision can feel overwhelming. This article introduces SMSEagle’s quick and interactive quiz designed to help you confidently determine which SMS solution fits your business best.

Read More »

RCS Messaging: everything you need to know about them

This article explores how RCS (Rich Communication Services) improves traditional SMS by enabling features like high-resolution media sharing, real-time typing indicators, and interactive messaging. We’ll break down how RCS works, how it transmits messages over mobile data or Wi-Fi, and what makes it different from SMS. Additionally, we’ll look at its compatibility requirements and how it changes the way messages are sent and received.

Read More »

Are you ready for the “new normal”?

As governments issued stay-at-home orders and non-essential services closed their doors, the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses and institutions around the world to adjust to what has become the “new normal.” And now that we’ve begun to accept it—even if begrudgingly—it appears that work-from-home and video conferencing is here to stay.

In his book, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman discusses how new technologies can and will transform the way we work, live, and interact. Referring to global events and political leaders, Friedman states that “some of our leaders want to build a wall against the hurricane … my argument is you have to build an eye that moves with the storm.”

Encouraging the development of an agile communications strategy, Deloitte reinforced Friedman’s message, stating that “the COVID-19 crisis is not a single, one-time event, but a series of circumstances that are constantly updating with new information and directives, and businesses must be able to adapt continuously.” Given the pandemic’s lessons, many organizations have found new ways to use reliable communications technologies that can easily be adapted for multiple use cases.

Increase engagement despite the COVID-19 pandemic

Despite having been around for decades, SMS messaging is one of the fastest-growing communication channels. Forrester predicts that messaging volumes will increase by 40% in retail alone in 2021 as brands launch campaigns to attract and retain customers.

Often considered low-tech compared to other technologies, the advantage of SMS is that almost anyone can use it, and procedures for signing up or stopping communications are simple, immediate, and effective. Moreover, as a disruptor, messaging demands an instant response, resulting in high engagement and an excellent investment return.

Deploying SMS to keep people and businesses safe, productive, and profitable

Here are a few examples of how SMS has been leveraged during the pandemic to keep people and businesses safe, productive, and profitable.

  • Healthcare: Limited only by an organization’s imagination, SMS has proved to be a highly effective way of communicating with vast numbers of people during the COVID-19 health crisis. Whether identifying or notifying potential carriers or providing accurate, reliable information, state and local authorities are actively using SMS as their go-to technology for managing the emergency. And with anxiety and depression symptoms of pandemic fatigue, dedicated SMS channels are being used to assist with suicidal tendencies. and mental health.

Countries are using SMS to speed up the delivery of COVID-19 test results and arrange for immunization and vaccinations. Moreover, with internet access unavailable to billions of people worldwide, texting is the only way to reach vulnerable populations. A platform for developing and sharing mobile services, a UNICEF project, RapidPro, is an open-source solution enabling anyone to build and scale mobile healthcare services anywhere in the world.

  • IT & Facilities: With offices emptying overnight and remote access skyrocketing, IT and facilities found themselves cut off from their computer rooms, data centers, and Building Management Control Systems (BMCS). Enabling many IT and facilities staff to work remotely, deploying reliable 2-way SMS systems allows them to monitor and manage business-critical systems while complying with government regulations.
  • Customer Service: With brick-and-mortar stores closed and SMS marketing offering the ultimate personalized customer experience, many brands shifted to 2-way texting to connect with customers during the health crisis. According to Forrester, this trend will most likely continue as retailers seek to amplify their brand and retain—or grow—their share of wallet in the months to come while maximizing their reach with reduced staff.

Technology is playing a critical role during the COVID-19 health crisis, and SMS is at the forefront. Whether a health authority, IT department, or B2C, if you aren’t currently using text messaging to engage your audience, now’s the time to rethink and implement a strategy that allows you “build an eye that moves with the storm.”

About SMSEagle

SMSEagle is a leading global brand of hardware SMS gateways. Designed for reliability and easy integration with existing systems, SMSEagle supports bi-directional SMS communications via your web browser, email system, or an API. It also converts email messages to SMS and can send SMS alerts from network and security monitoring systems and SMS tokens from authentication systems. For more information, visit smseagle.eu.

Two-way SMS communications

Are you connecting via your customers’ preferred channel?

Skip phone calls and emails and start texting.

Here’s why.

With an open rate almost five times that of email, Gartner states that “SMS remains an effective, yet underutilized, mobile tactic among marketing leaders.” And that’s not surprising. According to some sources, 98% of text messages are read—and 90% within the first three minutes. That makes SMS the most effective means of improving customer engagement by far. With every mobile phone able to send and receive SMS messages, no other messaging channel approaches SMS in its reach.

Text messaging allows businesses to share snippets of information and start meaningful conversations with individuals or groups. With 75% of consumers wanting to receive special offers and 64% asking for more communication via text,  SMS marketing is the optimal channel for brands to engage—especially with time-sensitive promotions.

Two-way SMS offers the ultimate personalized customer experience. As a direct message to a specific customer and either a real, live agent or well-trained bot on the other end, it’s easy to carry on text-based conversations using your customers’ preferred channel. Irrespective of your business’s size or the interaction’s complexity, customers prefer two-way SMS because they get an immediate response.

Include 2-way SMS in your omnichannel marketing strategy

With millennials (24 to 40 years old) overtaking baby boomers, holding much of the buying power (along with Generation Z  comprising those 18 to 23 years old), and preferring digital to human communication, using SMS marketing to reach them is essential for your survival. Used in conjunction with other channels, 2-way SMS can boost your marketing by simply speaking the native language of your customers and increasing:

  • Engagement: Reach your audience where they are—on their cell phones. With Gen Z on their smartphones an average of five hours or more each day—and with other generations not far behind—text messages deliver real-time alerts and messages with push notifications, nearly instant open rates, and rapid response times.
  • Intimacy: With personalization a critical differentiator in an impersonal world, 2-way SMS marketing positively impacts brand awareness, with retailers personalizing communications and recognizing special days with offers and promotions tailored to each customer.
  • Reach: Since it isn’t dependent on an internet connection, SMS is unique. It offers a far wider reach than channels built for the internet, even in remote areas or developing countries with limited infrastructure.

So if text message marketing hasn’t been on your radar and you’re fed up with receiving little response to email campaigns, it’s time to look at 2-way SMS.

Analyze campaign stats, refine your approach, and increase efficiencies

Text message marketing is also easy to track, allowing you to monitor your metrics and ensure the success of your campaigns. With up-to-date stats of messages sent, texts received, and overall contact counts, you’ll be able to analyze the data, see when engagement spikes, refine your approach, and increase your revenue and profits.

Unique versatility of SMS communications

Despite the vast number of messaging apps on the market—including Messenger, Signal, Skype, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp—the versatility of SMS communications remains unparalleled. Anyone with a mobile phone can receive and send SMS messages without needing to install a messaging app, making it easy to engage in two-way communications with your target audience anywhere in the world—even with local numbers.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to nurture future generations of customers—today.

About SMSEagle

SMSEagle is a leading global brand of SMS gateway hardware. Designed for reliability and easy integration with existing systems, SMSEagle supports bi-directional SMS communications via your web browser, email system, or an API. It also converts email messages to SMS and offers the ability to send SMS alerts from network and security monitoring systems and SMS tokens from authentication systems.

Create the right solution for your operation

Your obstacles are unique, and the solutions for them should be too. The functions of SMSEagle allow businesses to incorporate SMS communications into their systems in a way that makes sense to them. To find out how SMSEagle will allow you to create the solution you need, get in touch with our team.

SMSEagle Supports Young Driving Talent

We are proud to continue sponsoring young driving talent along with our sales partner IT Awacs from the Czech Republic.
Drivers Vojtech and Jan have been competing on the go kart racing circuit for some time now, their passion for racing is something to admire. The young drivers have been developing their skills and looking ahead toward the future, looking for their next challenge.

They have found it in FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of rules and specifications.

We wish the best for Vojtech and Jan in their racing endeavors and are delighted to play a small part in their development and success.

SMSEagle in DELL Lego Factory project

DELL Lego Factory project is a project developed by DELL Czech Republic together with ITAwacs (SMSEagle Sales Partner in Czech Republic). It is built from LEGO Technics with real technology for factory simulation of Industry 4.0. SMSEagle is used for SMS alerting purposes when factory failures are detected.

The project is being used in DELL showcases in Czech Republic. It was already seen in DELL Technology Forum, International Engineering Fair.

 

Are you on a mission? We’d like to help!

There are heroes who make Real Work happen while battling to eradicate hunger and poverty, helping children finish school, rescuing animals, preserving jungles. Maybe they are educating and preparing new generations for achievements that will change the world? Or caring for patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities?

A proven means of communication could make a big impact on what you’re trying to achieve and we’d like to help!

Nonprofit Discount
SMSEagle offers now offers a 10% discount to nonprofits and charities that we verify.

Who can apply?
In general, organizations are eligible to receive a nonprofit discount if they are a nongovernmental organization recognized as a nonprofit or charitable entity. Public and nonprofit-private educational institutions are also eligible to receive the nonprofit discount.

How to apply?
Send us an email with a link to a page on your website describing your nongovernmental, nonprofit status. If it’s not extremely obvious on your website that you’re a nonprofit, we may require you to email us additional proof of your nonprofit status. We accept any official documentation that supports your nonprofit status. For example, US customers can submit a 501(c)(3) document, while UK customers can submit their registered charity number.

*Orders have to be placed directly at our online store and do not combine with other discounts.*

New 8 modem MHD-8100 line devices

The MHD-8100 product line comes from the many inquiries that we receive from our clients about their need for a higher throughput device. The device runs on the same software as the NXS line devices making it very reliable. As opposed to the NXS line devices, it has 8 modems which allow to send up to 240 SMS/min.
The device is also equipped with a LCD display for easy signal monitoring, list of IP addresses of network interfaces and more.

  • Incoming transmission rate: up to 240 SMS/min
  • Outgoing transmission rate: up to 240 SMS/min
  • Processor type: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3350
  • RAM type: 2GB LPDDR4
  • Internal storage: 32GB eMMC storage
  • Network interface: 2x Ethernet 10/100/1000 TX (2xRJ45)
  • Other interfaces: LCD Display, 1x HDMI+DP, 2x USB 3.0

You can check the full device specifications as well as purchase these products at the pages below.

The MHD line devices have already proven to be unmatched in quality, performance and dependability. If you’re looking for a high throughput hardware with continually updated software, SMSEagle has you covered.

SMSEagle is a Certified Nature Friendly Company

We at SMSEagle are happy to do our part in reducing environmental risks posed by waste electrical and electronic equipment and the ways of minimizing these hazards. More importantly, we find it paramount to set a good example so that others will do the same.

“We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our offspring. Let us care about it, together.”– Antoine Marie Roger de Saint-Exupéry.

In the Report – World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) of 1987 it is written-…
“…balanced development is the development, where the needs of the present generation may be met without depraving future generations of the same choice.”

From that time on the balanced development has become the target in all areas of human activity. The idea of “corporate social responsibility” should be understood as such activities undertaken by entrepreneurs, which lead to a balanced development in particular sectors and branches of economy.

Although the “balanced development” has a much broader range of reference than economic activity, the sign “Nature Friendly Company” is the evidence that entrepreneurs and companies, which launch electric and electronic equipment into the Polish market, believe in values, which are a part of the vision of the balanced development.

 

SMSEagle NXS-9700-4G & NXS-9750-4G Receives Verizon Certification

Poznań, Poland, November 13th, 2019 – SMSEagle, the leading manufacturer of hardware SMS gateways, today announced that Verizon has officially certified NXS-9700-4G device.
Customers can now use Verizon networks and SMS plans.

“Verizon Wireless is the second largest U.S. wireless communications service provider, that’s why it’s important that SMSEagle users can take advantage of their offer to get the coverage they need,” says Radosław Janowski, CEO of SMSEagle.

(Update)
December 16th, 2019 – Verizon has also officially certified NXS-9750-4G device.

About SMSEagle

SMSEagle is a professional hardware SMS gateway for sending and receiving SMS messages. The device is designed with focus on reliability and stability. It has a Linux on-board, modern responsive web-interface, database backend, and built-in GSM/3G/4G modem. SMS messages are sent/received directly to/from cellular network without using any external 3rd party solutions. SMSEagle has a built-in SQL database for secure storage of messages. Built-in SNMP agent allows to constantly monitor performance of the SMSEagle. The device has a range of built-in plugins that enable additional functionalities and easy to use HTTP API for integration with external applications.

SMSEagle at Open Source Data Center Conference 2019

We are happy to announce that SMSEagle is a proud sponsor of Open Source Data Center Conference (OSDC) 2019! The OSDC takes place May 14 – 15, 2019 in Berlin.

The Open Source Data Center Conference 2019 focuses on innovative strategies, forward-thinking developments and new perspectives in dealing with complex data centers. This year’s agenda includes some of the most important representatives of the international Open Source scene.

The program includes inspiring speakers and interesting topics such as:

Nikhil Kathole | Red Hat | Simplifying your IT Workflow with Katello and Foreman
Kosisochukwu Anyanwu | Kinvolk | Virtualisation in Docker, using KVM as Hypervisor
Dan Barker | RSA Security | 5 Steps to a DevOps Transformation
Thierry De Pauw | ThinkingLabs | Feature Branching considered evil
Matt Jarvis | Mesosphere | Introducing Maestro – Kubernetes Operators the easy way

The whole program is available at osdc.de/agenda.

The aim of the event is to present state-of-the-art solutions and pioneering concepts for developers, decision-makers, administrators and IT managers who work with complex IT infrastructures. OSDC attracts more than 150 open source enthusiasts to Berlin every year. Speakers and participants take the opportunity to inform themselves about the latest developments and jointly launch new IT projects. An evening event offers the ideal setting for informal exchange.

More at osdc.de.