Weight 200gram
Dimensions 110mm x 80mm x 30mm
Power Supply 10..24V DC (Absolute MAX=26V)
Current Consumption ~50mA (outputs off)

Temperature Range -10°C to +60°C

System requirements

Operating system Win2000 / WinXP / Vista
Computer Architecture Pentium 2 or higher IBM compatible PC
Disk space 2MB
Ports 1 x free USB port

The GSM Commander accepts a standard GSM SIM card from any network. The SIM Card may be prepaid or on contract. If the SIM Card is purchased as part of a prepaid plan, ensure than the card is loaded with sufficient airtime.

Note that airtime will decrease with every SMS that is sent from the unit.

The unit can automatically detect if the airtime is running low. It is user's responsibility to make sure than the airtime is topped up. See your network's documentation on how to purchase and load airtime. The SIM card is fitted into the side of the unit, as indicated by the legend on the
enclosure. The SIM card will click into place. The SIM card is removed by pressing against
the edge of the card using a fingernail or sharp object. The card will pop out, ready to be
completely removed.

The GSM Commander is supplied with a basic antenna that is suitable for all networks in
South Africa. Screw the antenna to its connector on the unit (only finger-tight). Verify using a
cellphone, that there is sufficient signal at the proposed installation site. On a phone with a 4
or 5-bar signal strength indicator, you should have 1-2 bars of signal. If the signal is too weak,
the GSM Commander may have trouble sending or receiving SMS messages. In these cases,
try and find a better location, or use a special antenna.

Setting the unit up via SMS

The GSM commander provides functionality to provide some configuration changes to be
done via SMS message (from the administrator number only). Note that the unit cannot be
setup by SMS only. A PC is still required to perform the initial setup. Thereafter, some simple
changes to the setup may be done using SMS messages. Unlike other messages, All
configuration commands are case sensitive! The following operations can be performed via SMS message:

• Set Administrator number
• Clear all Numbers
• Check Administrator number
• Check airtime
• Add a number to the list
• Remove a number from the list
• Change SMS message text

Timed operations

The GSM Commander supports time constraints, which can be setup for any statement. Time constraints will prevent a statement from triggering outside of the preselected times and days of the week. The GSM Commander can also be configured to trigger a statement at a certain time on a certain date or group of days.

A practcal example setup

Monitor alarm
In this example we need to monitor an alarm system, and in the case of an alarm, the GSM
Commander must make a voice call and send a message to one or more numbers.

Hardware:
We connect the alarm output (12V signal) to one of our inputs.

Configuration:
Using the setup software, we create a behaviour statement that will read as follows:

IF Input 1 goes active
THEN Place voice call to +27821231234

We create a second behaviour statement that will read as follows:

IF Input 1 goes active
THEN Send “Alarm triggered!” to +27821231234; +27843214321

The first statement will cause a voice call to be placed to +27821231234 in the event of an
alarm. The second statement will cause a notification SMS to be sent to both +27821231234
and +27843214321.

This is an example of how the GSM Commander can have multiple actions triggered by a
single event. (in this case, an input becoming active) Note that the voice call will not  say
anything when the call is answered. One will typically use Caller ID to identify the GSM
commander number, and this will be enough to let you know that there is something wrong at
home.

Gate / garage door opener

In this example we need to open a gate in response to a missed call from any number in a list of accepted numbers. This is an ideal method to control a communal gate in a complex.

Hardware:

Many gate openers require a pulse to open, and second pulse to close. We will use the output of the GSM commander to supply this pulse at the position where the open/close switch is normally connected to the opener.

Configuration:

Using the setup software, we create a behaviour statement that will read as follows:

IF a voice call is received from any number in the list, THEN activate Output 1 for 1 seconds, then deactivate for 20 seconds, then activate again for 1 seconds.