How do you send short messages (SMS) from an SIMATIC WinCC flexible HMI station to a mobile phone?

With WinCC flexible it is possible to send e-mails as short messages (SMS) to a mobile phone. You can send short messages with the following panels:

• OP/TP177B color PN/DP
• Mobile TP177 PN, Mobile Panel 277
• 270 series
• 370 series
• PC with WinCC flexible Runtime

Example:
In case of failure the operator panel sends an e-mail (1) to the mixing station. The service technician responsible receives the message from the operator panel (2). The service technician then connects to the operator panel (3) from his service PC.

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Fig. 01 - Example

Note:
More information on the topic of "Teleservice via the Internet" is also available in the following entry: 19865167.

You have the following options for sending text messages or alarms via SMS to a mobile telephone or to a pager:

• External providers make it possible to convert e-mails into SMS messages for mobile telephones and pagers.
• Your own SMTP server supports forwarding of e-mails via SMS message to a mobile phone or pager.

Example for sending a message via SMS:

So that an SMS can be received the service must be registered beforehand with the provider, e.g. T-Mobile (in Germany).

1. Activating e-mail reception with a provider (Example: T-Mobile):
   Send an SMS message from your mobile phone with the text "OPEN" to the T-Mobile abbreviated dialing number 8000. This opens your T-Mobile number for e-mail reception.
   Your e-mail address is then:
   T-Mobile number (incl. prefix)@t-mobile-sms.de
   e.g. 017100000000@t-mobile-sms.de.

   Up to 160 characters are transferred.

2. Deactivating e-mail reception (Example: T-Mobile):
   If you no longer wish to receive e-mails, send an SMS message from your mobile phone with the text "CLOSE" to the T-Mobile abbreviated dialing number 8000.

Note:
More information is available on the websites of the providers concerned.
Examples of other providers.

3. Configuration in WinCC flexible:

Note:
The e-mail functionality requires the license key "SIMATIC WinCC flexible / Sm@rtService".

In the WinCC flexible project tree "Bediengerät_1 > Device Settings > Device Settings", under "Name of SMTP server" you enter the name of the external provider or the name of your own SMTP server.

Note:
The provider must function without authentication. This means that the provider must work without user name and password.

You must make the settings under "Project > Device Settings" of the WinCC flexible project:

• Name of the SMTP server
• Name of the SMTP sender (as from WinCC flexible 2005)
• SMTP authorization (as from WinCC flexible 2005)

Note:
The "Sm@rtService" option is required to implement this. To enable messages to be sent as e-mails as well, the HMI system must possess an e-mail client.

In the project attached "mailto.t-online.de" has been selected as SMTP server, because it doesn't need authentication.

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Fig. 02 - Device Settings

Note:
The "Name of the SMTP sender" input field serves as the Return Address, in which you can specify the designation of the HMI operator panel or plant designation or its location, for example. You have the option of entering an e-mail address in the "SMTP Authentication" input field. If authentication at the provider is required, you must specify a valid e-mail address in the "SMTP Authentication" input field, e.g. "John.Doe@gmx.net".
Providers that require an authentication with user name and password are not supported.

Alternatively you can also define the e-mail settings on the operator panel in "WinCC Internet Settings" in the "E-mail" tab. On the Windows CE Panel the same settings are to be found in the "Control Panel". Then deselect the "Use the default of the project file" option and enter the name of the SMTP server in the input field. This makes it easier to change the server name.

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Fig. 03 - Windows XP - WinCC Internet Settings

Note:
Please note that settings on the panel or PC override settings in the project. Therefore, if the settings on the panel or PC are deleted, the defaults configured in the WinCC flexible project apply!

4. Assignment of the e-mail address for alarm classes:

In order to send an SMS or e-mail when an alarm is triggered you must specify the mobile phone provider's e-mail address in the alarm class.

You can specify an e-mail recipient for each alarm class in the menu under "Project > Device > Alarm Management > Settings > Alarm Classes".

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Fig. 04 - Alarm Classes

Note:
You can specify any valid e-mail address as recipient e-mail address (see Fig. 04) and it doesn't necessarily have to be an e-mail address of the same provider as the SMTP server. For example, you can specify the e-mail address "John.Doe@vodafone-sms.de" as recipient e-mail address and use the SMTP server (outgoing mail server) of T-Mobile ("mailto.t-online.de").

5. Assigning the "SendEMail" system function:

If you wish to have an e-mail sent only in the case of a specific alarm, you should use the "SendeEMail" system function. In the project tree under "Device_1 > Alarm Management > Discrete Alarms" you can assign the "SendEMail" system function to each alarm under "Events". Analog alarms are configured in the same way.

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Fig. 05 - Discrete Alarms

Assigning parameters for "SendEMail"
For the parameters of the system function "SendEMail" you can assign predefined texts and addresses or assign "Tags" to each parameter.

In the example attached tag names have been assigned for the parameters "Address" and "Return address". In this way you have the option of changing the address (recipient of message) and the return address (address to which the message might have to be forwarded) later.

Note:
Not all the parameters of the "SendEMail" system function have to be assigned a text/tag.

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Fig. 06 - Sample project

Other providers:
The list is only a small selection of possible providers. Contact your provider for detailed information. Obtain information via the function:
"Enable mobile phone to receive e-mails from the Internet".

• Vodafone: http://www.vodafone.de
  OPEN / CLOSE : 3400 ; Vodafone number@vodafone-sms.de
  
• E-plus: http://www.eplus.de
  START / STOP : 7676245 ; E-plus number@smsmail.eplus.de
  
• O₂ : http://www.o2online.de
  +START / STOP : 6245 ; O₂ number@o2online.de

Configuration file:

The download contains the functions described above for sending e-mails to a mobile telephone.

SMS_Versand_PC.zip ( 2408 KB )

IMPORTANT
The sample program is freeware. Any user can use, copy and forward this program FREE OF CHARGE. The authors and owners of this program take no responsibility whatsoever for the functionality and compatibility of this software. Use of the software is at the user's own risk. Since this software is free of charge, there is no warranty nor entitlement to error correction and hotline support.

Runnability and test environment:
The following table lists the components that have been used to create and verify this entry.

Components	Product and version
PC operating system	Microsoft Windows XP SP2
Standard Tools	-
Engineering Tools	-
HMI Software	WinCC flexible 2005 SP1
HMI system	-