SMS/GPRS/SIM900 + SIM Card question(s) (best place to purchase?)

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

I have a SEEED Studios GPRS Shield V2.0.

Its been sitting (as I grabbed it on a whim when RadioShack clearance prices were cheap!)

I have been kicking around the idea of getting it up and running, and playing with some minor house automation stuff.. or basic sensor reading/sending to my phone..etc

I have read lots of info regarding the SIM card to use, where to purchase.. what works and what doesnt.. but most of this info was form posts years ago..

Anybody have any updated info on this? Specifically on the SIM card they purchased? where? how much? plan prices?

Form what I gather..

needs to be a 2G sim card..(GSM Sim, or M2M = Machine to Machine)
needs to have text + data plan? (is the data portion required? I dont mind being limited to only texts)
Sim card: mini (not micro) 25mm x 15mm in size

I have read that AT&T does not sell these anymore? (which would be my first choice) can anyone confirm?

Where have others got their SIMs from? and can you do unlimited pre-paid?

Is there a monthly cap? (like you pay $XX and its only good for a month? Or does it last until the money is gone?)

I might have some older SIM cards in old phones laying around.. but not sure if they will even work?
or where to go to 'activate' them again?

Looking for some updated/current info.. and more so the SIM car and packages/costs.

thanks!

2

^ bump?

nobody has ever used these? or got a SIM card for thiers that they want to share/discuss? :o :confused:

3

hahaha AT&T is american right? I have built similar projects in the UK that offers free text to anyone with similar service provider. In the UK, theres a provider called Giff Gaff which is good for GSM proects. But also bear in mind that some GSM chips like the Sim9000 ( if im not mistaken of the serial number) only works with certain frequencies, and supports quad band only. So keep that in mind =)

4

Yes, sorry I should have clarified, US based. :slight_smile:

I just wanted to start playing with the shield,.. and send text back/forth to my cell and have it read then trigger to appropriate behavior/event..

(not any commercial or crucial projects) :wink:

thanks!

5

nice =) i made something similar using this

http://imall.itead.cc/im120417009.html

and I used it in two countries, Malaysia and UK. Both just so happen to have free unlimited text to its own service provider. So i exploited this service haha.

Im sure AT&T has that sort of service

6

cool!

Yours still needed a SIM card to be installed....correct?

I currently have a phone, and a plan with AT&T.. but its a 4G (whatever) type/based plan.

I have unlimited calls/text as well.. (just not data)

Did you use a 2G card? or just whatever current SIM card you had available? (to exploit the free texts)

I looked around my house at some older phones I had laying around... I only found some older 3G card.. (no 2G cards) :frowning: