📱 SIM7600 Tutorial: SMS, GPS & Voice

Complete toolkit for your SIM7600G-H modem! Send and receive SMS, monitor messages in real-time with a web dashboard, and automate communications on your Windows computer! 🚀

Perfect for:

📱 Send & Receive SMS - Full two-way SMS communication
🌐 Web Dashboard - Modern UI for managing messages
🔔 Building SMS notification systems
📊 Logging messages for analysis
🤖 IoT and automation projects
🎓 Educational projects and experimenting

💡 Beginner-friendly! No prior experience needed. Just follow the steps below.

🪟 Windows only - This guide is for Windows 10/11. Linux users can adapt with minor changes.

personal note this project was mostly created using AI and I'm using SIM7600g-H 4G HAT (b) for the development of this repository. If you find any issues with your setup please raise and issue.

🛠️ What You'll Need

Before you start, make sure you have:

SIM7600G-H Modem (or compatible SIMCom modem)
- USB cable to connect to your computer
- Active SIM card inserted into the modem
- Antenna connected (important for signal!)
Windows Computer (Windows 10 or 11)
Python 3.10 or newer
- Download from python.org
- ⚠️ During installation, check "Add Python to PATH"!

That's it! Everything else will be installed automatically.

✨ What This Does

📥 SMS Receiving

Automatically finds your modem - no manual port configuration!
Receives SMS in real-time - messages appear as they arrive
Logs everything - saves to text files and JSON format
Shows messages on screen - see incoming SMS instantly

📤 SMS Sending

Send SMS from CLI - Quick command-line sending
Character encoding support - Handles special characters and accents
User-friendly warnings - Preview message before sending

🌐 Web Dashboard

Modern web interface - Send and view messages in your browser
Real-time updates - Messages refresh automatically
Phone number autocomplete - Quick access to your contacts
Minimal, clean design - Focused on usability
Message history - View sent and received messages

🔧 Developer-Friendly

Easy to use - just run one command!
No code duplication - Modular package architecture
Full logging - Debug with detailed logs
Thread-safe - Concurrent sending and receiving

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Connect Your Modem

Insert your SIM card into the SIM7600G-H modem
Connect the antenna (📡 optional, depends on signal strength)
Plug the USB cable into your computer
Wait for Windows to install drivers (this happens automatically)
Check Device Manager - you should see several "Simcom HS-USB" ports

Step 2: Install Python

Go to python.org/downloads
Download Python 3.10 or newer
Run the installer
⚠️ IMPORTANT: Check the box "Add Python to PATH"
Click "Install Now"

Step 3: Download This Project

Open PowerShell (search for it in Windows Start menu) and run:

cd Downloads
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/sim7600-tutorial.git
cd sim7600-tutorial

Don't have Git? Download the ZIP from GitHub and extract it, then cd to that folder.

Step 4: Install the Program

In PowerShell, run these commands:

# Create a virtual environment (keeps things clean)
python -m venv .venv

# Activate it
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# Install with web dashboard (recommended)
pip install -e .[dashboard]

# Or install CLI only (no web interface)
# pip install -e .

💡 You should see (.venv) at the start of your PowerShell prompt now.

🌐 The [dashboard] option installs Flask for the web interface. Skip it if you only need CLI.

Step 5: Test Your Modem

Let's check if everything works:

python -m sim7600 sms receive --init-only

You should see:

[INFO] Auto-detecting SIM7600 modem...
[INFO] Found SIM7600 modem on COM10
[INFO] Modem initialized for SMS push (+CMT).
[INFO] Init-only requested; exiting.

🎉 Success! Your modem is ready!

Step 6: Start Receiving SMS

Now run the program without the --init-only flag:

python -m sim7600 sms receive

That's it! The program is now running and waiting for SMS messages. Send a text to your SIM card's number and watch it appear on screen! 📱✨

Press Ctrl+C to stop the program.

🎮 Usage Guide

🌐 Web Dashboard (Recommended)

The easiest way to use the toolkit - a modern web interface!

python -m sim7600 dashboard

Then open http://127.0.0.1:5000 in your browser.

Features:

📤 Send SMS with one click
📥 View all received messages
⚡ Real-time updates every 5 seconds
🔍 Phone number autocomplete
⚠️ Character encoding warnings
📊 Message history (sent & received)

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

📤 Send SMS from CLI

Send a quick SMS from the command line:

# Basic usage
python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Hello from SIM7600!"

# With debug output
python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Test message" --echo

Features:

✅ Auto-detects modem
⚠️ Warns about special characters
🔄 Shows preview of converted message
📝 Confirmation prompt for non-ASCII text

📥 Receive SMS

Continuous SMS monitoring:

# Default: shows messages on screen + logs to file
python -m sim7600 sms receive

# Silent mode (background operation)
python -m sim7600 sms receive --no-console

# With debug output
python -m sim7600 sms receive --echo

📊 View Your Messages

All messages are automatically saved to:

logs/sms.log - Easy to read text format
logs/sms.jsonl - JSON format (with direction: sent/received)

Open them with Notepad or any text editor!

Run in Background

Want it to run 24/7? Use:

python -m sim7600 sms receive --no-console

Save to JSON

Track messages in JSON format:

python -m sim7600 sms receive --json-out logs/messages.jsonl

Custom Configuration

Create a .env file for persistent settings:

copy .env.example .env
notepad .env

Edit values like:

PORT=auto (or specific port like COM10)
LOG_PATH=logs/sms.log
JSONL_PATH=logs/sms.jsonl

📋 Feature Status

✅ Implemented

SMS Receiving - Real-time message monitoring
SMS Sending - CLI and web dashboard
Web Dashboard - Modern UI for messaging
Message Logging - Text and JSON formats
Auto-detection - Finds modem automatically
Character Encoding - Smart handling of special characters

🚧 Coming Soon

# GPS
python -m sim7600 gps track            # Track GPS location

# Voice
python -m sim7600 voice dial "+123"    # Make phone calls

📝 Command Reference

Web Dashboard

python -m sim7600 dashboard              # Launch web interface
python -m sim7600 dashboard --port 8080  # Custom port
python -m sim7600 dashboard --host 0.0.0.0  # Allow network access

SMS Receiving

python -m sim7600 sms receive              # Start receiving SMS
python -m sim7600 sms receive --init-only  # Just test connection
python -m sim7600 sms receive --echo       # Debug mode

Options:

Option	Description	Example
`--port`	Specify COM port (auto-detected by default)	`--port COM10`
`--logfile`	Where to save messages	`--logfile my_sms.log`
`--json-out`	Save as JSON too	`--json-out messages.jsonl`
`--no-console`	Don't show messages on screen (silent mode)	`--no-console`
`--init-only`	Test connection and exit	`--init-only`
`--echo`	Show raw modem responses (debugging)	`--echo`

SMS Sending

python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Your message"
python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Test" --echo  # Debug mode

Options:

Option	Description	Example
`--port`	Specify COM port	`--port COM10`
`--echo`	Show raw modem responses	`--echo`
`--encoding`	Force encoding (auto, gsm, ucs2)	`--encoding gsm`

Examples

# Web dashboard (easiest!)
python -m sim7600 dashboard

# Receive SMS continuously
python -m sim7600 sms receive

# Send a quick SMS
python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Hello!"

# Send with special characters (will show preview)
python -m sim7600 sms send "+1234567890" "Café ☕"

# Silent background receiving
python -m sim7600 sms receive --no-console

# Custom log location
python -m sim7600 sms receive --logfile C:\MyLogs\sms.log

# Debug mode (see AT commands)
python -m sim7600 sms receive --echo
python -m sim7600 sms send "+123" "Test" --echo

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Could not find SIM7600 modem"

Check these:

Is the modem plugged in via USB?
Open Device Manager (search in Start menu)
Look for "Ports (COM & LPT)"
You should see multiple "Simcom HS-USB" devices
One should say "AT PORT" - that's what we need!

If you don't see any Simcom devices:

Unplug and replug the USB cable
Try a different USB port
Check if Windows is installing drivers (bottom-right notification area)
Restart your computer

"Port COM10 is already in use"

Someone else is using the COM port! Try this:

# Find what's using the port
Get-Process python* | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like "*python*"}

# Kill it (replace 12345 with the actual Process ID)
Stop-Process -Id 12345 -Force

Or just:

Close any serial terminal programs (TeraTerm, PuTTY, Arduino IDE)
Restart your computer (easiest!)

"Python is not recognized"

You forgot to add Python to PATH during installation!

Fix:

Uninstall Python (Windows Settings → Apps)
Download from python.org again
Run installer
⚠️ CHECK "Add Python to PATH"
Install

"Not receiving any SMS"

Check your modem status:

# Test connection
python -m sim7600 sms receive --init-only

Check signal strength:

Make sure the antenna is connected
The modem should have a blinking LED
Try moving to a window or outside

Check SIM card:

Is it inserted correctly?
Is it activated by your carrier?
Can you send SMS to this number from another phone?

"Permission denied" or ".venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 cannot be loaded"

PowerShell security settings are blocking the script.

Fix:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Then try activating the virtual environment again.

Dashboard Issues

"Dashboard not installed" or "No module named sim7600_dashboard"

pip install -e .[dashboard]

Can't access dashboard from another computer

# Allow network access (default is localhost only)
python -m sim7600 dashboard --host 0.0.0.0

Dashboard stuck on "Sending..." button

Make sure you're running the latest code:

Ctrl+C  # Stop dashboard
python -m sim7600 dashboard  # Restart

"Failed to send SMS" in dashboard but CLI works

The modem might be in use. Check:

Close the CLI receiver if it's running
Check terminal output for error messages
Try restarting the dashboard

Still having issues?

Check Device Manager: You should see "Simcom HS-USB AT PORT 9001 (COM10)" or similar
Multiple ports?: The SIM7600 creates 5 different COM ports - the program auto-selects the right one (AT PORT)
Manual port: If auto-detection fails, manually specify: python -m sim7600 sms receive --port COM10
Enable debug mode: Run with --echo to see raw modem communication
Open an issue: Report a bug on GitHub

💡 Project Ideas

Now that you can receive SMS, here are some cool things you could build:

Beginner Projects

📊 SMS Stats Dashboard - Count messages by sender, time of day
🔔 Desktop Notifications - Pop up a notification when SMS arrives
📧 SMS to Email - Forward messages to your email address
📝 Keyword Logger - Only save messages containing specific words

Intermediate Projects

🤖 Auto-Responder - Send automatic replies (add sending capability)
📱 Multi-SIM Manager - Run multiple modems simultaneously
🔐 2FA Code Extractor - Parse and display verification codes
📈 Analytics Dashboard - Web interface showing message statistics

Advanced Projects

🏠 Home Automation - Control devices via SMS commands
🚨 Security System - Get alerts from sensors via SMS
🌐 SMS API Server - Build a REST API for SMS integration
📡 IoT Gateway - Bridge between SMS and IoT devices

Share your projects! Open a discussion on GitHub to show what you built!

🤝 Contributing & Development

Want to add features or modify the code?

🛠️ Development Guide - Learn how to add features and modify the code
🐛 Report bugs
💡 Suggest features
🔧 Submit pull requests

We welcome contributions from beginners! Don't be shy - everyone's first contribution counts.

Popular feature additions:

Sending SMS messages
Webhook notifications
Database storage
Desktop notifications
Message filtering

See docs/DEVELOPMENT.md for detailed guides on implementing these!

🔒 Security & Privacy

⚠️ Important Notes:

Your .env file may contain sensitive settings - never share it
The logs/ folder contains phone numbers and messages - keep it private!
This project uses .gitignore to protect your data automatically
For production use, add encryption and access controls

📚 Documentation

Quick Reference

README.md - You're here! Quick start and usage guide
CONTRIBUTING.md - How to contribute to the project

Developer Guides

docs/DEVELOPMENT.md - Add features and understand the code
docs/ADDING_PACKAGES.md - Create multi-package projects
docs/PROJECT_OVERVIEW.md - High-level architecture explanation
docs/ARCHITECTURE_DECISIONS.md - Design rationale and choices

SMS Send Feature

docs/USAGE_EXAMPLES.md - Detailed SMS send usage examples
docs/SMS_SEND_QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Quick command reference
docs/SMS_SEND_IMPLEMENTATION.md - Technical implementation details
docs/SMS_ENCODING_NOTE.md - Character encoding explained
docs/SMS_SEND_FEATURE_COMPLETE.md - Complete feature summary

Migration & Publishing

docs/MIGRATION_GUIDE.md - Upgrade from old sms_logger version
docs/PUBLISH.md - Publishing to GitHub

📖 Learning Resources

Want to understand how this works? Check out:

AT Commands Reference - Learn about SMS AT commands
PySerial Documentation - Serial communication in Python
SIM7600 Datasheet - Official modem documentation

✅ Tested With

Modem: SIM7600G-H (Simcom HS-USB AT Port)
OS: Windows 10 & 11
Python: 3.10, 3.11, 3.12

Should also work with: SIM7600A, SIM7600E, SIM7600SA-H, and similar SIMCom modems.

📚 Documentation

Core Documentation

📖 README.md - This file (getting started guide)
📋 CHANGELOG.md - Version history and feature updates
📝 QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Command cheat sheet

Feature-Specific

🌐 Web Dashboard Guide - Dashboard documentation
📱 Usage Examples - Code examples and recipes
🔧 Development Guide - For contributors

Reference

🏗️ Architecture - Package structure
📊 AT Commands - Modem command reference (if exists)

📄 License

MIT License - Free to use, modify, and distribute. See LICENSE file.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with PySerial for serial communication
Thanks to the SIMCom community for AT command documentation
Special thanks to everyone who tests and improves this project!

Enjoying this project? Give it a ⭐ on GitHub and share it with others!

Questions? Open an issue - we're here to help! 💬

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 20 Commits
docs		docs
src		src
.env.example		.env.example
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
PROJECT_STATUS.md		PROJECT_STATUS.md
README.md		README.md
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
requirements.txt		requirements.txt

License

ShamanAndrey/sim7600-tutorial

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

📱 SIM7600 Tutorial: SMS, GPS & Voice

🛠️ What You'll Need

✨ What This Does

📥 SMS Receiving

📤 SMS Sending

🌐 Web Dashboard

🔧 Developer-Friendly

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Connect Your Modem

Step 2: Install Python

Step 3: Download This Project

Step 4: Install the Program

Step 5: Test Your Modem

Step 6: Start Receiving SMS

🎮 Usage Guide

🌐 Web Dashboard (Recommended)

📤 Send SMS from CLI

📥 Receive SMS

📊 View Your Messages

Run in Background

Save to JSON

Custom Configuration

📋 Feature Status

✅ Implemented

🚧 Coming Soon

📝 Command Reference

Web Dashboard

SMS Receiving

SMS Sending

Examples

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Could not find SIM7600 modem"

"Port COM10 is already in use"

"Python is not recognized"

"Not receiving any SMS"

"Permission denied" or ".venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 cannot be loaded"

Dashboard Issues

Still having issues?

💡 Project Ideas

Beginner Projects

Intermediate Projects

Advanced Projects

🤝 Contributing & Development

🔒 Security & Privacy

📚 Documentation

Quick Reference

Developer Guides

SMS Send Feature

Migration & Publishing

📖 Learning Resources

✅ Tested With

📚 Documentation

Core Documentation

Feature-Specific

Reference

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgments

About

Resources

License

Contributing

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages 0

Languages

Packages