Excellent review of the A6. I really appreciate the work that you have put in to bring us an unbiased and very informative discussion about this module.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

Always helpful videos . I am enrolled and their comments provide much light on the subject.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeff Thom Thanks!

Thanks Andreas! Once again,great video and information, saving my life! Greetings from Uruguay!

Andreas, that is an amazing price for cellphone module! Thanks for sharing your findings. Next would be using the Arduino IDE on it. Although sounds crazy, I wonder if sometime in the near future chip would be a cellphone on a chip with GSM, GPS, WiFi, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro, and camera!?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

And the whole thing below 5$! I am sure, this will come over the next years. The only limitation seems to be our creativity if I look, how many temperature sensors and weather stations are built by makers. Here, you are an exception with always new ideas!

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

+hello there If you get older (like me) you will honor size ( of letters) because small ones are no more visible ;-)

@ipodmaurits

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe the ai-thinker a20 could be interesting then :)

Another useful piece of kit. I only wish I had time to play with one. Very informative and I know where to come if I do get the time.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

This one really needs time because it is not easy...

Thank you for the great work you're doing, this is super interesting.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

you videos are always entertaining and educating - that' a grat combination - thank you und uf wiederluege

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Mike Herbst Thanks for the comment. This helps always to find some time to produce the next video...

Very useful video, Thanks! I've got one module and tested calls, SMS and web retrieving, using serial terminal by the moment. I asked AI Thinker for an API to program it and they told it is not available for the moment. Another drawback is that, with current AT commands, A6 cannot behave as a server. Maybe it is not that important as, normally, a device like this will push data regularly, but it would be useful in some projects that a remote system may send requests to the device.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Germán Martín You can call the module to wake it up as one comment suggests. With the AT command it is relatively easy to use the module ( if you know the commands). In the next video I will dig a little into this matter.

WOW Andreas! Very nice summary, Thank you alot. :) Greetings from Germany. ^^

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

Thanks, always glad to hear of a new gadgett. I flew over and purchased one with a developer board right off so I can play with it a bit. Love new gadgetts. Hope I can find a free service here in the States like you did over there though as I don't really want to activate another on my expensive cell phone lines jut for a play thing.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I found in all countries I traveled recently a quite cheap pre-paid SIM card which I used. We do not need a lot of volume, so I always bought the cheapest one. But, unfortunately, the USA is not on this list of countries...

Interesting, thanks for sharing! Might have to buy a few of these to enable some cool projects in the future :)

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+salle rc that's what I thought when I saw the module the first time, too...

I'm pretty sure I will never need all the information you provided in this video. I enjoyed watching it anyway. I am a rookie at Arduino, and really like all your videos; one of the BEST channels on UTube. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge via this media!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for your nice comment. I also think, KZread is a good way to distribute knowledge. This is, why I do it. And you never know, what you will learn over time. Nobody was born as an expert.

Hello Andreas, once again great video! I've watched so many of your videos and each one of them is super interesting and informative :-) Just one little question: Since you mention the SIM800L in the video, do you have any experience with it? If yes: What are the (dis-) advantages over the AI-Thinker A6? And which one would you rather recommend to use?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Thnaks for your compliment. I never worked with the SIM800L, so I do not know which one is better. The A6 was much cheaper when I bought it.

thanks for introducing us to this module

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

Hi Andreas, Thanks for the Hint. Another great Module for IoT. It could Measure the Temperature of my preferred Lake - to go swim or not :-)

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

That is a good idea. With a solar panel, it should work. If there is no sun, you are anyway not interested in updates...

Great video ! Btw, I don't mind your Swiss accent. It's not too bad ! Please continue with these interesting video's. It's very entertaining. Greetz !

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the compliment. I am just working on the next one.

Awesome channel dude ..keep the work up !

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

The link is dead, which one do you recommend now from Aliexpress?

Hi there, great video just ordered a module to play with.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Clive Mayo enjoy!

I do not know if I'm wrong on that but it reminded a lot about Hayes command set. We used to "program" telephone modem at the time we hate that kind. Those we used if we would put a BBS up or we should communicate directly with another computer, not necessarily a PC. I myself have worked with such systems in two cases the last as late as 1995, this system may still run.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

You are right. The Hayes AT commands are the basis for these commands. I think, this is part of the problem that they are not very adapted to today's usage with programming interface...

Love your videos Andeas. Just a quick suggestion : In your code, when you write debug comments like this : Serial.print(" HTTP/1.1"); ... if you enclose the string with an F() statement like this : Serial.print(F(" HTTP/1.1")); ... the string comments are not stored in program memory, which reduces the footprint of your code. Production-wise it makes no difference, because you can just remove those lines from code, but it does give a clearer indication of program memory requirements when debugging.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip. Didn't know it.

Hi Andreas, thanks again for this nice video! I have one question. Can this module also be used with the raspberry pi?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Yes, of course. It only needs the described connections. If you want to understand how to use it watch my next video on this module.

Hello, congratulations on your videos! Have you already done a tutorial for the A9G module?

@AndreasSpiess

5 жыл бұрын

No, I never used it

Andreas, you can use just regular Arduino and SoftwareSerial which emulates serial communication on any pin/pins. This way you can have more independent serial interfaces.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+cbm80amiga I often use Software Serial. But here, I need 115200 baud. And this did not work when I tried with my UNO. There is a possibility to change the baudrate of the module. This will be the content of a future video.

Very useful. Thanks for sharing. Please continue the good work. God bless you.

@AndreasSpiess

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I will

Really great stuff, thanks for information!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Krisztián László Simon You are welcome!

@symik3

8 жыл бұрын

I like your videos.

I just got the A6 from Electrodragon. There are a lot of AT commands! I have been able to make calls and send SMS from a terminal, I would like to send MMS messages, but the module documentation does not mention how to send MMS messages. Great video thanks for sharing your projects!!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+xennelul I did not use MMS, so I cant help. I am more in the M2M business

@simonf3167

8 жыл бұрын

There is more data here www.stm32duino.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=1156 there is a link post 2 to another website with links to the datasheet. I have not used for mms either SMS, Voice and GPRS DATA only.

@xennelul

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks very useful! I think MMS is mostly TCP, I will post about it when I figure it out.

Hallo Andreas Sehr interessant. Welcher Provider bietet die kostenlosen 10MB in der Schweiz an?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

M-Budget (zumindest auf Papier)

wieder super, Dankeschön!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Peter Leder Bitte, gern geschehen!

Hi Andreas. Excellent info, as usual! The problem of this module is that it lacks 3G network support. 2G networks will become unavailable in a short period of time :-(

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Jorge Nunes Thanks for this comment. I was not aware of this problematic. This is great using KZread: viewers learn something from creators and vice versa. The investment is not so big to write it off in a few years. Do you know of a cheap 3G module?

@dl8cy

8 жыл бұрын

Swisscom is planing to shut down GSM 2020 - in Germany Telekom and Vodafone will keep running the GSM after 2020 - Telefonica told that the are a lot of M2M communication on GSM my be they will reduce but not shut down. (The background is that the licence will run out 2017 and the frequencys are not bound on GSM only anymore and they are free to change technology in hole or in parts of the frequency spectrum

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Mike Herbst Thanks for the info!

@jorgenunes6995

8 жыл бұрын

I'm searching for a cheap 3G module also :-|

@DougHanchard

6 жыл бұрын

Africa and parts of SE Asia will continue to use GSM 2G networks for at least another 10 years. This is also probably true for many countries in South America as well.

great fan of your videos. can you please confirm if there is an analog port on this. and can this be used without an arduino to capture and send (via MQTT) a sensor's reading. say of dht22

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

No, I cannot confirm that. This module only can transmit messages.

Andreas, great to follow your channel and to know there are other ESP tinkerers in Switzerland! Which plan in Switzerland does offer free 10 MB? Thank you for your videos!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I saw it om m-budget, but did not try yet

In your code, *A6command* and *A6waitfor* use "yy", can you explain it's for what ? With the A6 there is a problem with a long reply (for exemple with AT+CIICR) because after a number of seconds the A6 sends "COMMAND NO REPONSE" so the command "wait for OK" doesn't work.... the "yy" solve this problem ?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

The "yy" is just a placeholder. This routine can wait for two different responses ("OR"). If your answer is always the same, you do not need the second option and just put in any placeholder which for sure does not appear in one of the responses of the module. I think, you have another problem before the command "AT+CIICR". You have to try if your SIM card is enabled and has no PIN code or your network provider expect other commands etc.

Please also keep an eye at your providers TOS. Over here in germany most include a section forbidding "automated systems" for private contracts. Of course that term is somewhat debatable, but at least one didn't quite like my "connect;request;disconnect;sleep 300"-Script and cancelled my account…

@MisterWayneTV

8 жыл бұрын

Ist das bei allen Providern so?

@adlerweb

8 жыл бұрын

In den AGB steht bei den meisten etwas, das man in die Richtung interpretieren kann. Reaktion ist mir nur bei einem Reseller, der kein Netz nicht als Ausrede zulässt, bekannt. Auch da aber nur bei wirklich konstanten Verbindungswechseln - schätze die haben deren Datenbank etwas genervt.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Interesting which problems can occur. I absolutely did not think about this problem. I also learned, that GSM networks will be closed down in the near future, and that it seems forbidden in some countries to use these modules without proper homologation... This is the power of youtube. Learning in both directions. Btw: I like your videos and always watch them!

@adlerweb

8 жыл бұрын

Well, we hear the same thing about analog TV and Radio for quite some time. There are a lot of large GSM-only installations like fire alarms or the automated toll-system installed on freeways in Germany still active and I'm pretty sure there will be generous migration times until GSM will finally vanish over here. The homologation is afair only for the type, not every unit - I'm not sure if the EU even has it's own stamp, the US-FCC-Approval is at least printed on the module. This regulation officially applies to WiFi as well, so not really a difference there. And still a pretty high chance that nobody cares as long as there is nothing horribly wrong and impacting other users…

@till9236

7 жыл бұрын

2020 for Switzerland already :-( www.watson.ch/Digital/Schweiz/853324977-Salt-und-Swisscom-besiegeln-das-Aus-f%C3%BCr-Uralt-Handys-%E2%80%93-2020-wird-das-2G-Netz-abgeschaltet

Hello Andreasve awesome video thank you. I have Question. Did you mange to test what the current it takes to run This GSM modules? I'm pretty sure it might take a lot i do not know. I'm ordering one now. it usually takes 2 to 3 weeks from china to Here is the USA.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I will do a second video about the module and measure the current. From what I have seen, it has some spikes like the Esp8266

Hi friend, good video! The A9 is the upgrade version module of A6, A6 already discontinue to produce now.

@AndreasSpiess

4 жыл бұрын

This is also an old video. I will no more use GSM modules on this channel.

@kitecattestecke2303

4 жыл бұрын

@@AndreasSpiess why not? Gym is not bad? Does it not work or can it be blocked?

Very well done video Andreas, thank you! I've ordered myself a few of these modules (alongside the same evaluation board in your video) and will for sure implement one in my current "smart home" setup as a backup modem. For the sub $5 price per module (found as cheap as $3.31 with free shipping) I think you've made a great find!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Enjoy your "smarter home"!

@TheGarrison89

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I for sure will! I received my development board and a cheap SIM card (with free 200MB data plan) a few days ago and have it communicating with one of my ESP-12E controllers, (albeit a bit crudely at this stage). As it's implemented now it works great as a quick and dirty backup modem to hit my externally hosted servers. I did some digging around and found the schematic for the test board we have, might be of help to others to have it in the video's description: www.electrodragon.com/w/images/b/b7/A6_dev_board_schematic.pdf Found it here with a good rundown/overview of the A6 module: www.electrodragon.com/w/GSM_GPRS_A6_Module Thanks again for this video, it made integrating this chip much quick and easy!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the information!

Hi Andreas, thank you for this useful instructive video. I have a question about arduino and a6 tx rx connection. As i understand arduino serial is 5v and A6 is 3.3 V Does this connection requires a logic converter or we can connect them directly?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I do not know of a clear indication. So, the safe side is always to use a level shifter. Mine survived 5 volts...

@ymisetz

7 жыл бұрын

thank you

Hi! What's the advantages of this module near the SIM800 module? Thanks!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

At the first sight: The price. Otherwise, they seem to be comparable. I never tested the SIM800

Have you worked with the newer AI-Thinker A9 with GPS/GPRS/GSM ? ... Would be nice to have a video about this board

@AndreasSpiess

5 жыл бұрын

No. I stopped my work on GPRS and wait for NB-IOT.

Andreas, love your show, I am experienced ESP8266 and Arduino programmer, I am starting a GSP->GSM project for Fleet Truck Location back to a Base (probably a VPS), what do you feel is the best GSM and GPS modules to use with an arduino mega?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

In an earlier video I tested the u-blox GPS modules. They seem to be ok. And this A6 module seems also to be ok. Just read all the comments of this video about GPRS service in general. There is good information if you do a commercial project

I am having a problem with this module and since could not see a forum discussing this, thought of sharing it over here. I am just not been able to save my configuration using the AT&W command on this module. Wonder if anyone else faced this problem

did you test a6 or a7 RTS or CTS i couldnt use them .its so hard when you want hardware intrupts for esp8266 but there is no output high when module want to send serial.it became a problem for me when i encode gps every 1 second suddenly one sms comes to module but i lise data i cant read sms location ...do you have opinion..

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

No, I did not use RTS or CTS. I am not sure if this can be done without these pins as many boards have a Serial buffer for a few characters. So, you always have a few milliseconds to react.

can it be wired into 8266 and be used to send sms notifications?

Thanks for the great video! I would really appreciate if you could do a video comparing different GSM boards. I could not find profound comparison on the internet. I just bought an SIM800L board and it showed a very bad reception. (Maybe just because of the PCB antenna, but I don't have the tools to prove it)

@AndreasSpiess

3 жыл бұрын

I decided to stop covering GSM because the service is switched off in most countries.

@tusuldumlalading2209

3 жыл бұрын

@@AndreasSpiess I see. Bad luck for me. In Germany the GSM network seems to stay for quite some time and LoRa is not yet available in lots of places.Anyway, thanks for your reply and all your great videos.

@tusuldumlalading2209

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe something to LTE NB IOT?

For your Interest the A6 Module (the little tin thing) runs at 3.3v on that sub board module. The sub board module has its own micro usb connector for power (You can power your project from the 5V from pin 1). To start the sub module up short the PWR_KEY pin 1 on the aerial side to 5V pin 1 on the non aerial side for 5 seconds ( They are diagonally opposite ). As long as you take the PWR_KEY pin above 1.9V that's enough so you can power it on with a gpio pin from your arduino. The PWR_KEY pin is 5V tolerant. As for RX and TX, the TX from the Module to the Arduino will be fine. you can always use a simple resistor voltage divider to connect the TX from the arduino to the RX on the module. Something like Arduino TX ------[1K8]---------{Module RX}-------[3K3]-----Ground Like you I have been using it with a USB to a 5V TTL serial adapter without issue. There is more data and a data sheet link here. raymondtunning.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/a6-gsmgprs-module-pinout-and-data/ The timers are really useful as they power the device up from a turned off state. So if you were doing say a battery monitor you could set the timer for every 3 hours it would turn the module on. The serial output could be used wake your uP which could in turn read the battery level then power of the module. Then the cycle repeats. Even in standby mode it draws less than 1mA it comes out of standby if a timer event happens or it receives an SMS or a call. Also useful is the fact you get Caller Line ID so if you wanted a garage door opener you could get it to recognize that your phone, list of phones, had rung it then open the garage. The module does not even need to answer just send the "Hang Up" command so you have a "secureish" door opener unless someone spoofs your mobile number.:(

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+simonf Thank you for this info. I will definitifely further play around with this module. The remote control scenario seems to be interesting as it is "free of charge" and does not use your prepaid money!

sir thanks for you tutorial its really helpful but i have a question about this module. ESP8266 is able to run separately once it program. is this module also having that ability to run without arduino once it is programmed .please reply and once again thanks for your work.

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

I do not know of a method to program these devices. I only used them as a peripheral.

@mrrcomp

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Did you get this issue working? Working with the ESP8266 + A6?

Thanks Andreas, Please do some video for Ai-Thinker N92 (NB IoT) module or similar.

@AndreasSpiess

3 жыл бұрын

I do not have such a module :-(

is there any code to enable hardware flow control hand shaking on these modules

Sir how can the A6 module be put into sleep mode? There's documentation around the A6 claiming it can run at less than or around 1mA when in sleep mode. But the regular SIMCOM sleep mode AT commands do not work here, so what are they commands for sleep mode? Thanks in advance!

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

I do not know. The commands should be documented in the A6/A7 documentation. They are not always the same as with other chips.

@tejasarlimatti8420

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you

Andries, do you know if one can use this module to communicate with ESP8266 with both running at 3.3V? Thanks for your awesome articles.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I think so. Both can use Serial connection and both are 3.3 volt

Never heard of A6 before, thanks! I wonder how does it compare to Neoway M590...

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

There is already a comment about this topic below (one of the first comments)

@AfdhalAtiffTan

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

forgive my ignorance but... With this module can I use the GSM network for free? Or the chip for the connection just works as a regular phone chip, needing bills pay etc?

@AndreasSpiess

5 жыл бұрын

You need a SIM card

Hallo Andreas ich habe versucht ein A6 Modul in Betrieb zu nehmen, leider schaltet sich das Ding immer wieder sporadisch ab (LED erlischt). An was kann das liegen? Ich habe im Moment nur einen USB Seriell Wandler angeschlossen. Gruss Stefan

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Da habe ich keine Ahnung. Ist die Stromversorgung ok? Die Dinger brauchen ziemlich strom...

i have been lost on sms delivery status report and csmp parameters. please mr spiess, explain these parameters. i could not set the parameters up.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

This is an old project and I forgot most of it. So, somebody else has to help (or the documentation)

hI As always your video is full of information. I managed to test my A6 via putty and now am trying to connect and use your A6_Debug script to connect via a ESP8266 . I connect rx=>tx and tx>rx gnd >gnd but no reaction comming from the module. Would greatly appreciate any inside you can share Regards Meir

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe you watch my video concerning finding errors. I cannot do remote diagnostics

@mrrcomp

6 жыл бұрын

Can you send me a link to that video :) thanks

For these guys trying to connect in German with ALDI Talk Base. This service does not require all the "AT+SAPBR" commands from the script. As far as I'm moved forward with e-Plus as provider the GPRS registration seems to work "magically" without any initialize. All SAPBR commands cause an error 58 on my devices. I also do not find this AT command in the provided A6 reference. Maybe required and working in Switzerland.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment. I am doing a video where I explain a little more how I connect to the service. It is due tomorrow evening...

I am a great Fan of your videos, especially 8266. Would you please, do some videos on interfacing CCTV cams with 8266, so it can stream videos. One more project would be play from 8266 12E, internal 4M memory mp3 or wav files without using external active components. (No TF cards, and serial players) Any help would be welcome..

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I never did video. MP3 is on my list, but on a low priority

Hi. Did you try calling AT+COPN command? I called it and it basically bricked the module. It sends some responses at startup and after that it doesn't respond at all, no echos no nothing. Any idea?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I just did what I showed in the video because I was only interested in using internet services. So, I cannot help you.

Hi! Thanks for the interesting video. I just had to buy one of these modules. It's mostly working correctly but I am not able to issue a AT+CUSD=1,"*101#",15 request to get the account balance. I get a weird +CME ERROR:16777215 . Have you tried sendig/receiving a USSD message?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

No, I did not use USSD.

70mA draw from the reset pin sounds unusual. I would have expected a few hundred uA. Do you know which chip it uses inside? I have a hunch that it's going to be MT6260 or its variants like MT6261. If so, it also has a Bluetooth radio, FM, LCD Interface, camera interface, battery charger, ADC, I2C, SPI, SDIO, GPIO and many other peripherals which are not exposed in this module. Do you intend to do a uncapping video?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+helloworld I will definively make one more video. And I will try to meaure the real current.

@simonf3167

8 жыл бұрын

There is an alternative to doing a Hardware reset set a timer for 10 seconds in the future and shut it down.soon as the timer hits it will restart. To be honest if you use the board on the demo baseboard like you are doing you are going to have problems it constantly tries to connect to the AI Cloud. You need to switch off the connection to the Demo board STC uP.

Hello Andreas, First of all thank you and congratulations for your amazing work with such a clear tutorial. I am "playing" with the sketch of "a6swisscom". Everything works perfect for me, but I need to publish my measure and receive information about the status of two outputs of my system. I have realized that if I publish something wrong or correctly the server, in this case sparkfun server, answer me a different message telling how has gone everything (errors, etc). So, it is possible to develop something in the server (other people are going to do that but I would have to tell them what I expect) in order to receive the status of an ouput when I publish the status of my inputs??? I do not know if I can read, receive some info and format it. Sorry, I do not have too much knowledge about http protocol. Thank you and congratulations!!!

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I am also not a http guy. So, maybe you ask somebody with more knowledge in this field.

@javierpelaez1

7 жыл бұрын

Ok, it does not matter. Thanks

Great video Andreas, It is possible to connect the A6 with an esp12, I would like to send information from a esp12 to mqtt broker using the A6. thanks in advance.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Yony Muñeton It should be possible if you connect it to Serial

Hello sir, Is it possible to read SMS for relay switching with arduino ?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I think so.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

But I never tried it. You should get the message in your sketch and then, you can search for a particular string linke "ON" or "OFF" and switch the relay accordingly

Can someone explain to me what is so great about this module regarding to M590E which is 3 times cheaper?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+kurwicha I did not know about the M590E. Looking at the feedback at Aliexpress, many buyers complained, that the cheap module was used and not new. You also have to assemble it yourself. Do you have experience with these cheap M590E?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+kurwicha And the A6 is 4 band. The cheap M590 is only 2 band.

@kurwicha

8 жыл бұрын

I have never been in any America, so I don't call it an issue ;).

@kurwicha

8 жыл бұрын

Not quite an experience, but i bought and test it by sending sone SMSes and it worked well. It's hard to tell if the module was used. It was kinda dirty, but the pads didn't look like soldered before.

@simonf3167

8 жыл бұрын

Why is a Jaguar 3 times the price of a Fiat. The M590E are usually Kits which have to be assembled from what I have seen on various sites most of the cheap ones are pulls. The M590E is only Dual band so will only work in half as many countries. The A6 Module has audio (Ear and Mike) connector. The A6 Module has a real aerial not a curly pigs tail. The A6 Module has a high efficiency switching power supply chip the M590E module has a diode to drop the voltage and a Capacitor. The A6 is a currently produced product so if you need quantities you will be able to get them. If you want a one off module for yourself to do a specific task and are not bothered that if it breaks you may find it difficult to replace use the M590E. If you want a product that is going to work in many countries and is going to be available later use the A6.

Hi Andreas, thanks for you very instructive videos. I just received a batch of A6's and immediately tried to connect one of them to the serial port of my pc. The USB connection is fairly straight foreward RX, TX and ground. I connected 5V and Power on the A6 chip and connected an external 5V power supply to the mini USB port. Setting connection params to 115200 N 8 1. It does not seem as i have connection to the A6. My 'Power supply' is an cell phone charger which can deliver 1.35 A. Could the current output be to low, or am i in the complete wrong direction.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

+Klaus Berthelsen I am not sure I understand,but the USB is only for power (if you use a barebones A6 Module. You need an additional Serial to USB converter

@klausberthelsen3367

7 жыл бұрын

Precisely, I am using a USB to TTL (CH340G) converter for the RX, TX, ground, and the micro USB only for power. Question was if I meet the minimum requirements fro the power.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Klaus Berthelsen That should not be the problem. Did you change once the RX/TX cables. Maybe they are mixed. I assume, you enter At and enter. Make sure, your Terminal emulator sends CR and NL

@klausberthelsen3367

7 жыл бұрын

Hi again. I tried to connect the A6 to the computer without an external power supply, that is i connected the 4 leads form the USB to TTL interface with 5V on the USB to 5V on the A6, Ground to Ground, Tx to Tx and Rx to Rx. Now it works. I suppose i have learned to try the simplest solution first. Thanks for your help.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Glad to read this!

HELLO, I AM TEST MY GSM A6 BOARD TO THEY PUTTY BUT NOT TYPE AT OR ANYTHING. I AM TRY ON ANOTHER TERMINAL SOFTWARE AND TRY TO WRITE AT$0D AND SEND BUT NOT OK REPLAY RECEIVE BUT IN BUILT BOARD MCU START CONNECTION PROPERLY. PLEASE HELP ME.....

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Did you do all connections as described in this video? Then, it should run. Otherwise, the board is defective

Hi profesor , one questión , the reset pin in some other boards is makert diferent , mine has two pin has PWR or as EN, what pin is better to do the hard reset ?, thx

@AndreasSpiess

2 жыл бұрын

I do no more remember the details. This is an old video. So you have to try.

Do you think it's possible to bridge this module with ESP8266 or an Uno to do websocket?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I am not familiar with websockets so far. So, I cannot answer this question

what's the voltage that you feed the module?

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

If I remember right: USB 5V

today i try to work with this module. Andreas in your code AT+CREG? - its always give us 1,xx even if NO sim in module OR sim card is not working(not register in network)! AT+SCID - give error when sim is not pressent - i use this command when u must do something to change REAL state of AT+CREG? i dial unreal number ATD+0; after that AT+CREG? give me error us i expected so if u know another decision how to know what - is sim is present and working plz me know

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I cannot tell you more than I said in the video. You have to try yourself. Each network reacts a little different.

@RaviPujar

7 жыл бұрын

You can check if SIM is inserted and detected properly by using command AT+CPIN? command. If it replies +CPIN: READY then SIM is detected.

I'm waiting until a 3g version of this device comes out.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+MrHD71 I was not aware of the 2G problematic. As I mentionned, this is my first experience with GSM. So, I probably have to write off a few dollars in a few years. Do you know of cheap 3G modules?

@MrHD71

8 жыл бұрын

+Andreas Spiess I completely have no idea of cheap 3g cards. the cheapest card I could find was $50 USD which is way too much for any hobbiest project to spend on a single component. let me know whenever you fimd anything interesting at a good price.

@simonf3167

8 жыл бұрын

The only cheap 3G modules are USB dongles around $10 the problem is you would need something like a PI zero to operate them. You maybe able to use a uP that is capable of being a USB Master but it would be a nightmare.

@ERICRAC

7 жыл бұрын

For www.Bubbleio.fr project : Same feedback for me. I've not seen 3/4G chip at less than 20-30$. On the other hand, I've made investigation on 2G perennity and I think we will not have real change before 5G (which will change the IoT communication market I think). So, at least 5 years of 2G availability , enough to validate a business model :-)

@orfescuhoratiu

5 жыл бұрын

@@ERICRAC 2 G will have a long life due to the IOT world ...keep that in mind...2G = Low power consumption...so no worry. good luck

how to send a text file with a6 module and arduino uno to a web server? please help.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I do not know. I am no internet specialist.

Hi Andreas, I've been looking for a code to read the sms on a6 mini but to no avail i found none. Even in the electrodragon.com. The sample shows send only. I will greatly appreciate if you can show send me a solution.

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

I newer did this, because I was only interested in internet traffic. Maybe you try an example for another GSM board: www.ayomaonline.com/iot/sim800-controlling-arduino-with-sms/

@victorbanga2813

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Andreas. I think i will have to ditch the a6 mini and change it to sim800 due to poor support and difficulty of writing a code to read sms.

i purchased a AI6 as the seller says it is 3g 4g but i am not sure

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

AFAIK it is 2G. Many of these services will be shut down over the next years. But unfortunately, I do not know of a cheap replacement for now.

Very interesting topic. Too bad it's 5 years old and GSM modules are becoming obsolete fast. Now all the 3G/LTE modules are expensive and unless you need one you wouldnt buy to tinker with it. Just curious, how expensive for this module 5 years ago?

@AndreasSpiess

3 жыл бұрын

It was only a few dollars.

Is there any way to send email via A6 Gsm-GPRS module with AT commands?

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe. If you can emulate a pop protocol. Or you use a service like IFTTT to create a mail. For sure not simple.

@VasilisPalavratzisgr

6 жыл бұрын

thank you so much

@DougHanchard

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, you can send email via GPRS using POP commands - providing you preconfigure the SIM card for mail server setting(s) as required by the POP server you want to use. Warning, it's an intense amount of data once configure. You will need to create a script for how many queries, per hour or day, etc. USE M2M - and click on email tab to setup m2msupport.net/m2msupport/data-call-at-commands-to-set-up-gprsedgeumtslte-data-call/

The Aliexpress link is no longer available! .. interesting card ..

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe you find another link. They sometimes disappear.

where i can activate a m2m sim card? because in italy they are only activated for industries and not private users... and this problem is a great limit for me.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I just used normal consumer prepaid cards with a data volume on it. This works at least in Switzerland and in Dubai. I se no reason why it should not work elsewhere.

@matteogiovo7605

8 жыл бұрын

name of the prepaid card? thanks a lot

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

You should get it from all your providers. One example:www.tre.it/tariffe/piani-internet/ricaricabili/solo-sim-int

Hallo Andreas, welcher Prepaid-Anbieter bietet denn 10MB pro Monat gratis?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

+graphics80 Ich hab das mal bei M-budget gesehen, allerdings nie ausprobiert

The M2M devices usualy doing some mission-critical tasks and often installed in hardly accessible places, so it's components must be very stable and reilable. The SIMCOM SIM900 is tested for many years and proven to be stable. This new module needs to be tested for several years, detailed documentation must be released and tech support must be started at least in english before module can be used in real M2M devices. Before it's done this is not a killer module, but just a toy to play with. Still I like it and just ordered one.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Concerning the documentation, you are absolutely right. Concerning the years of testing I doubt: First, product life cycles are very reduced these days (think of the risk of a new Iphone every year, they cannot test too long). Second, the GPRS network will be shut down around 2020. With these long tests the module would have a very short life... BTW: If I had to do a decision for an important product, I definitely would go your way and spend a little more for a proven technology. But fortunately, this is "only" my hobby.

Another place it is hard to get GSM signals is the centre of Australia.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

Maybe, this place has other advantages. Otherwise, I would not make sense to go there ;-)

As mentioned in other comments, GSM is phased out or going to be phased out in many countries. LTE is the way to go now these days. Have a look at the SIM7600 boards, but they are sadly more expensive.

@AndreasSpiess

2 жыл бұрын

Do they work? in which country? I have to try them again...

@7667neko

Жыл бұрын

Here, LTE modules are 3-5x more expensive than GSM ones or more...

In Canada, the data plan would cost around $25/month ... We are so behind the EU for mobile pricing.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Richard T Do you not have pre paid offers?

@RichardT2112

8 жыл бұрын

+Andreas Spiess Sadly no ... we have "no contract" plans, but they are at least $25/month for data.

@madrian_hello

8 жыл бұрын

In Slovakia we have plans like 1€/1GB.

@madrian_hello

8 жыл бұрын

+Adrian pre paid offer, no contracts.

@Retro_Hacker

7 жыл бұрын

In Poland with some operators you have free internet with prepaid,in Germany with Netzclub you have free internet forever

Does this fit in a matchbox?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I have to admit: I have no Matchbox in the house to try. I think, it is a little bit bigger and will not fit.

free 10 MB? maybe you could make a breakout board that will handle about 10 of those sim holders and microcontroller that will change what sim is connected to the module?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

:-)

there is no 2g available in Australia anymore

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info.

Hello Andreas, in my modulo I can find AT+HTTPINIT you know why?

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

I did not use this module after this video. So I cannot help you.

@BrunoHorta

6 жыл бұрын

Andreas Spiess ok, but in your code you use AT+HTTPINIT, on my A6 when I send this command I get an error :(, and in A6 documentation in don’t see any reference about the command.

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

This is precisely why I left this chip. With every service provider, it behaved differently. I do not know if it was the chip or the standard which is very old. I decided to wait for the newer standards.

@BrunoHorta

6 жыл бұрын

Andreas Spiess hehe you are right, I see many examples and part of some ones work and another no, I try in A6 and A9 and the result is the same. Thanks for your help :), I love your videos. At the end of this week I will publish one video in my Chanel with A9. Good night my friend

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

So I subscribed even if I do not understand one word...

How did you come to the conclusion that a post request was only 1kb? Did you check your quota? My experience was that there was a large overhead for each packet sent, and carriers round up data to some minimum number. This means that even starting a tcp connection could result in hundreds of kb from the qouta. Of course, this was in the bad old days before smartphones. Anyways, I'm also perplexed that they're going for such old technology....

@simonf3167

8 жыл бұрын

I dont know how Andreas did his calculations but it is quite easy to do. You know how many bytes you sent as a header in the POST command when it replies such as +CIPRCV:41,SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_5.9p1 Debian-5ubuntu1.9 The 41 is the number of bytes received. There are things like to DNS lookups to take into consideration they do cache in the module. Most people would write there own socket on the server so you just write the data to the port without a tonne of headers and the reply would be a simple OK or Acknowledge. So you would send maybe a device number maybe a 20 character GUID and say a 5 character Bat Level reading. so about 30 bytes in total. some Operators have minimum billing per day. So you may be charged for 1MB of data transfer if you use 100bytes or 100K in a day. My operator does not, it charges you for 1MB when you use some data, then does not charge you again till you have used that whole MB.

@antijn

8 жыл бұрын

Ok that sounds reasonable, and 1MB per day would then mean a minimum of 30MB data per month, if you're using the data connection daily. Thanks!

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+simonf I did not do real calculations. I just know how many bytes I transmit an the answer string of sparkfun. Togeter, they are probably 400 bytes. Then I added some overhead without knowing anything about service provider behavior. I just assumed, they will not cheat us ;-)

hi I have the esp8266 12f with the AI-THINKER firmware.. I was able to add my script to turn a light on and off.. one problem I have, when the esp connected to my router, the esp8266 F12 obtain a IP address 192.168.0.113 from the router. however the esp8266 also shows up with another IP address 192.168.4.1 that is open and shows up an open wifi where anyone can login and turn my light on and off. is their anyway to disable the or add a password to the firmware password?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Please google Wifi.mode(...) and you will find the solution. The ESP has 3 modes. Station, AP, and both. Currently, you use both and this is why you get an additional network. Use the STA mode and the second network will be gone

@roystervi

7 жыл бұрын

thanks for the tip I find this code ......."WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);" ...... which I pace under the ....."void setup"....and its not showing up when I do a wifi scan on my phone..... and working great.. I have another problem on another esp .... I try to google for a solution but could not find one. I have a esp on a relay which works but after certain period the esp maybe going to sleep or turn off. when I pull the plug and plug it back it, it will work again. if I removed the relay the esp will stay on all the time. any idea what causing this...

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

The ESP does not sleep if not instructed. But sometimes it crashes (even if not instructed ;-) ). Maybe you use the serial monitor to watch, wat happens with and without relay. And maybe you add a few Serial.println() statements at important points. Then, you should quickly discover, what happens.

Please help to solve the problem with an error. What could it be? how can I fix it? It happens that all the tests are OK but basically that's the mistake. :( AT + CLDSTART Start AiCloud Connect AT + CLDSTOP + CME ERROR: 50 Someone tell me how to fight?

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Why would you need this command?

@masterskaiacss

7 жыл бұрын

I do not need her. I do not know why this team. I have in the datasheet for this module is a section of writing in Chinese. and in this undress 5 teams belonging to the module A6 I bought here a device and spend tests directly on the card. Separately POL module I have not included. Most likely, this command is programmed directly into the controller of this card. So all the same it is for the team and how to work with it? Where it can be read. Sorry for my English, I am from Moldova and I use a translator. ru.aliexpress.com/item/Smart-Electronics-GPRS-module-GSM-module-A6-SMS-Speech-board-wireless-data-transmission-test-board/32655695434.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.52.FyBx1O

@AndreasSpiess

7 жыл бұрын

Please watch my videos and you will see, that I did not use this development board because it did not work.

You might want to redo some part of the video, because ->_10889_ for some reason it also responds _"Call", 1_ why it added a slight transparency is a mystery that you might want to look into. I did compare it to another video with a map it seems to ad up.

@svampebob007

7 жыл бұрын

it's a small world!, made even smaller with KZread's recommendation algorithms :)

i got some problems with send CUSSD command: when i try: AT+CSCS="GSM"; GSM 7bit AT+CMGF=1; // text mode AT+CUSD=1; // enable USSD AT+CUSD=1,"my_ussd_code",15; i got result but in a unformated text.... +CUSD: 2, "⸮:⸮]o⸮⸮oPy⸮⸮d⸮ f⸮" ,15 // code is "*627# is for know my balance account $$$.

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

Each service provider creates other problems. So you have to try :-(

@rafaelmarroquin4429

6 жыл бұрын

Andreas Spiess yeah could be :( I'll trying :)

Does anyone know if there is an Espressif device like this available in 2022?

@AndreasSpiess

Жыл бұрын

I do not know what you are searching for :-(

@undercrackers56

Жыл бұрын

@@AndreasSpiess Thank you Andreas. At first I misunderstood the module to be an SoC (like ESP32) with comms chip. I now understand it to be a comms chip on a PCB that will interface to a microcontroller. Today (Sep 2022) it seems that this A6 chip is not easily available and in any case uses 2G cellular which is being phased out by Western telcos. I am looking for a reasonably priced comms chip to use with an ESP32. The comms chip must be available in variants for different territories such as Europe, USA, Canada, etc. I looked at Simcom devices (7600E and A7600E) but these are expensive for the performance that they provide. I don't need MB bandwidth - KB will suffice. I do need good connectivity though.

I am going to feel really weird connecting this to my NodeMCU ESP8266 via serial and issuing AT commands!!! ;)

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+System One Technologies This wold give a good gateway from GSM to Wi-Fi ;-)

I see Steven Spillberg starting a copyright infringment lawsuit regarding that logo quite soon :D

@AndreasSpiess

2 жыл бұрын

I think he should have stared it by now. The video is quite old ;-)

The circuit diagram of the evaulation board is available here: wiki.aithinker.com/_media/gprs/a6full_functing.rar

@AndreasSpiess

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your link!

Espressif did ESP, AI thinker is probably manufacture.

@AndreasSpiess

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe.

!...and the response from AT+CSQ command DOES NOT mean that you are connected to a network! This is signal strength. AT+CREG? does that and AT+COPS? shows you who you are connected to....

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

+Graham Gillett Thanks forthe clarification. Iam aware of that. But in my case both events happened at nearly the same time. So, I used the CSQ as one example sketch I found. I will change it for the next episode.

Which Swiss prepaid offer gives you 10 MB?

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

m-budget

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

but I did not test it yet

@pepper669

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info. BTW: Today I received another Wemos D1 mini - unfortunalety, it was just another clone without the Wemos logo on it, although it had one the picture... Anyway, I'll give it another try.

@AndreasSpiess

8 жыл бұрын

I do not care too much for the brands. They either work or they do not work... I always buy at least two modules. Because of the cheap prices I find this a good compromise if one does nor work. But so far, I had very, very few quality issues with modules.