Vodafone MachineLink 3G
SMS Forwarding
Feature Spotlight
1
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
What is SMS Forwarding?
• In the consumer market, SMS has been a long
used and well known form of sending messages to
other people.
• In the emerging machine-to-machine market, SMS
is often used as a means of relaying instructions to a
device.
• Many of the functions of the MachineLink 3G can be
controlled using SMS, providing an alternative means
of operating it when mobile broadband is down.
• Similarly, downstream devices connected to the
MachineLink 3G can receive instructions via SMS
messages through the use of the router’s SMS
forwarding feature.
• This presentation demonstrates how to configure
and use the SMS forwarding feature to communicate
with downstream devices.
2
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
SMS Forwarding example diagram
SMS -> IP Forward Engine
Call home
Phoningsudo
home…
reboot
TCP/UDP packets
Internet
MachineLink 3G
GDSP Backhome
Public IP
Private IP
NAT
3
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
Downstream device
C3 confidentiality classification
Call Home
SMS Forwarding example diagram
SMS -> IP Forward Engine
rebooting
sudo reboot
reboot
TCP/UDP packets
Cell tower
MachineLink 3G
GDSP Backhome
4
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
Downstream device
Configuring SMS Forwarding
5
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
Configuring SMS Forwarding
6
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
SMS Forwarding demonstration
Below is a screenshot showing the configuration of the SMS forwarding function. We
are going to send an SMS message to the router which will then be relayed via UDP
port 1550 to a Windows machine. We will then capture the information on the computer
to demonstrate the SMS being converted to IP packet data and being transmitted
downstream.
7
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
SMS Forwarding demonstration - UDP
The computer
connected to the
MachineLink 3G on
192.168.1.190 was
running Wireshark at
the time the
message was sent
and captured the
UDP IP packet data
of the event.
Keep in mind that
while this is a human
readable string of
text, the SMS you
forward can contain
other forms of
instructions used to
control or
communicate with a
device connected to
the MachineLink 3G
locally.
8
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
SMS Forwarding demonstration - TCP
9
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification
Some final words on SMS Forwarding
• SMS Diagnostics and SMS Forwarding may be used at the same time
• When SMS forwarding is enabled, all messages are passed to the downstream
device, including SMS Diagnostics messages. The downstream device should be
capable of filtering out the irrelevant messages.
• SMS messages may be forwarded a TCP port and a UDP port simultaneously.
• An optional feature for use in OpCos rather than GDSP use is that SMS messages
may also be forwarded to another mobile number in addition to via TCP and/or UDP.
10
Integrated M2M Terminals
Introduction Vodafone MachineLink
3G v1.0
C3 confidentiality classification