# Sending an SMS using a cellular internet modem **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171 "2022-01-21T13:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MozeJose](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mozejose/32/13445_2.png) [@MozeJose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MozeJose)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/1 "2022-01-21T13:04:30Z")
My home Internet is provided through a cellular modem. Every time I hit a data cap, I have to take the SIM card out of my modem, put it into my phone, and send an SMS to my service provider. As one might imagine, this is a pain in the ass. Is there any way to send an SMS directly from the modem? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/2 "2022-01-21T13:44:34Z")
You might be able to get a second phone preferably android incase some sort of minor rooting (jailbreak) is needed, instead of your cell modem and use that as a wireless hotspot. This way you can send a txt directly from that phone instead of sim switching. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/3 "2022-01-21T13:56:50Z")
I can send texts from my browser with my android phone. If the cellular modem looks like an android phone to the world, maybe you could do that? Also, you could try asking your provider if there’s a better way to increase the cap. ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/4 "2022-01-21T15:13:28Z")
Your modem almost certainly has the ability to send SMS messages, it’s a matter of whether it gives you an interface for doing so. I just tested my Verizon USB730L modem, and while I can read messages I can’t send them. My Cisco LTE router, on the other hand, lets me send and receive. If your modem has a web interface, you might poke around there to see if there’s a facility for sending. Try [http://192.168.0.1/](http://192.168.0.1/) or [http://192.168.1.1/](http://192.168.1.1/) if you don’t know its address. ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/5 "2022-01-21T15:18:33Z")
Here’s the USB730L interface. You’d think they would let you send from the same Messages page, but nope. Hopefully your modem does. [![](https://i.imgur.com/WjUGECO.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/WjUGECO.png) ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/6 "2022-01-22T02:14:57Z")
If your modem provides access to the raw AT command interface (which they all have internally), you can send an SMS with the AT+CMGS command. For example, here’s the AT command set for the USB730L: [https://scache.vzw.com/dam/support/pdf/verizon-usb730l-at-command-reference-guide.pdf](https://scache.vzw.com/dam/support/pdf/verizon-usb730l-at-command-reference-guide.pdf) Sometimes the AT interface is provided on a virtual COM port on a PC. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/7 "2022-01-22T03:03:33Z")
You can send an SMS with an email-SMS bridge. They are not widely publicized, but almost all ISPs have them. You send the email to (for example) [1234567890@att.net](mailto:1234567890@att.net) and the text of the email is sent as an SMS to that number. ETA: > **[Sending emails to SMS or MMS](https://help.inteliquent.com/sending-emails-to-sms-or-mms)** > > Email to Text settings I just tried this with my phone and [mms.att.net](http://mms.att.net), and it worked. ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-an-sms-using-a-cellular-internet-modem/958171/8 "2022-01-22T13:58:34Z")
I think @MozeJose needs to SMS **from** their cell modem’s number, not **to** it. Presumably that’s how the provider is authenticating the request for a data cap increase.