Don't buy a GSM module, use your old phone! 

Seems there was a little frustration from my subscribers regarding the video title and video content. I have read all the comments and definitely see everyone's point regarding the not actually functioning like a GSM module, I did mention this in the video but perhaps I wasn't clear. The point of this project is not to replace a GSM module with a smart phone but rather to use a smart phone for a similar purpose, I do see that the title was misleading in that regard and I do apologize for that. I do hope that some of you out there found this useful and I really do appreciate all your feedback. Thank you all.

Even though the title of this video is misleading, the solution presented here is very useful. It is a nice hack and can be useful in many situation. For example, you can laid the phone over a box with a microphone. So, with every ring, an Arduino can pickup the sound an turn on a light. This could be useful for elder people that can't hear the phone's ring.

Yeah it was really a clickbait but I think that you gave us some good ideas to use a old phone in arduino projects. For example: - We cold use a old android phone and create an app to interprete and execute somenthing --> enconde/decode message --> interpeter message --> execute actions - We cold use the vibrator of the phone as a serial input to the Arduino I'dont know if it's doable but it's interisting, thank you for the video!

Absolutely perfect voice and speed. Thank you.

Great video, but another alternative with the same phone and with a lot of features is usisg a data cable connected to the arduino to send AT Commands. With that you are able to detect sms, open and send messages and filtering the received numbers for security. Ex: You want to control two thing like the coffe machine and the kitchen ligh, by sending a SMS "Switch on Coffe-Machine" or "Switch on Kitchen Light". The arduino will be listen via AT Commands the received SMS of the phone. Ih the received number doesen't match it will ignore the command and clear the message, if it match it will execute and sent back something like "Done!". Finally if command is not valid he will send back sommething like "unknone command". In the past I already did some things with that and sommenthing I like to use is some old 3G modems, they work great.

Alternatively - use serial-over-audio interface via the headphone jack.

I just never think about this simple approach : )) Thank You!

The only real difference between this and a GSM module is that the GSM module actually knows who is sending it the SMS and tells that to the arduino. This construction just takes any SMS to activate because the arduino does not have a way to filter out the correct phone number and message content. So if I were to know this phone's number, I could just send it anything I like and your light will turn on. A bit of a security risk, isn't it?

Some Android phones provide serial pads. If you connect your Arduino to it, you could communicate directly with the phone. For that to work you'd obviously need to locate these pads on your phone's board. You'd also need to root your Android phone in order to be able to read/write to the console (serial port).

I use cordovarduino cordova plugin to interface android phone to communicate with arduino. And make a mobile app through which I can interface arduino and esp32. I get battery power , touch screen ,wifi connectivity. 50% of the code can be done in javascript mobile app. Microcontroller just manage some relays and sensors.

I used a lot of (Nokia) phones for projects like alarms and remotely booting up and resetting a computer. Nowadays the modules are so cheap and sophisticated, that I wouldn't prefer an old phone. It draws much more power to and you can blow up the battery when it's connected to the power outlet all the time. Now I got an unlimited SMS plan and sent almost 500 messages in less then a week to test my new Arduino control by SMS (sim800L board).

And that's how you make detonator

Great Video...Simple project many uses. Thanks

Subscribed! love this vid. also your narrating voice is superb! keep up the great hacks!

Congratulations for your projetc & you explained very well.

its really going to suck when companies start dropping GSM networks. I wonder if i can create my own at home for fun

OMG! That's great! Keep going, I like to watch kind of your vid:))))))))))

Sick project man!

An interesting but limited project. It would be useful an application in android that will transform specific sms codes in audio tones, examples: "code 01" "code 99" in the body of the sms would produce different tones, and when connecting it to the arduino it could interpret tones in different actions, this only connecting the speaker pins or simply with the audio jack

A comparator and digital in on the arduino would have been a better bet because you can use interrupts and sleep mode to conserve power (and its more computationally efficient than analog read)

There will also be cases where your get calls from the cell carrier company, or random wrong numbers.

Nice concept and video! Thanks!

Loved it! So creative

What about touch screen phone?

Interesting, but pretty disappointing since it isn't capable of sending HTTP requests, etc. It's a bit too simple. But creative! Well done :)

Can you make a video attempting the use of a mifi device to get internet access

Use the headphone jack and take the ringtone signal as your trigger,this way you don't need any external modules nor tear down your cellphone.

This is in a way a very fast and easy way to automate some things. On the other side, it's ridiculously inefficient in my opinion. A GSM Module or anything else that can communicate 'directly' with the arduino is a better solution. Right now you're using a phone with a powerful processor and only using it as a switch.

Great Video!! A Suggestion...why not use the DTMF tones produced by the phone? you could use the earphone output of the phone, connected to a DTMF receiver/decoder and control more devices...

I do not see the video yet, but I used my old phones as GSM modems without any other unit. Eg. in the beginning of the 00's I have read my emails with my Palm III and Palm V and I used my Nokia 3650 as GSM modem (on GPRS network) connected to Palm via IR. Later I used my Sony Ericsson K800i as same for my PSION Revo. The browser and ICQ runs on this little marvel without any Arduino etc...

Bastante creativo. Aveces es bueno usar lo que tienes a la mano. A menos que ya sea para un proyecto [Comercial - Estudiantil]. Bastente bien te felicito

Simple and fun to test, I'm subscribing man :)

In a nutshell, you recycled an phone thats good, and you got another sub

Imagine you get called an the Phone rumbles all the time :D

good video, but I was expecting that you where going to interface the Arduino through USB with the phone for full data exchange

I don't understand why you need arduino, when phones have all the things from it. It has processor, usb plus camera, gsm, touchscreen. Make arduino from your phone instead.

I thought he was going to take the GSM module out and use it as a standalone module.

you have earned a subscriber!!

You should start building those and selling them I am interested in one

good and simple

its not working base on gsm.. it is a pure jugaar.. why using arduino the led can drive directly.. led positive is connected to the positive terminal of vibration motor of cell phone and negative connected to the negative of motor..

a very good idea, and thank you

Wow! Good for remote foreplay!

I loved this upload great

Poor man's GSM module 😜 But I liked the idea.

I kinda broke the enclosure when I didn’t know how to open the old phone I had somewhere in my house. I think it will still work but maybe not because I also kinda scratched the circuit board too hehe.

"old s4 mini" lol im still using a s2

Bravo for inventive thinking but it's a very clumsy way to turn your light on/off remotely. It would be easier, and cheaper, to use a twitter interface. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the video.

I want to use it to open a gate with a sms but if someone know my phone number they can open it as well .. Easy but not secured

Dude, they're only like $10 in Amazon.

I don't think that this is good for the arduino... because of the inductance of the motor's coils...

you better root your android, use a serial chip that has drivers build in the kernel and run a script to output to serial an event. your aproch it's kinda useless since you can't see who's texting and what's texting, a simple text from the provider with an offer or some promo garbage can trigger your setup to do stuff

gsm module cost a few bucks on aliexpress and you can do lot more things with it. I can't see the point to use an old phone for this. Good idea anyway

inagine your gsm service provider keep sending you promotional messages

you dont need new stuff from amazon because phone has it built in to your phone

plz make a separate button so when we press Tha button the msg should come to another phone

Can I get ATM information with this

I hopped you would actually salvage a gsm module out of your old phone, but good video anyway.

Using old useless stuff for something new is always good. But you have to come up with a better interface to the phone using the USB or so

Hey, why does arduino not interface with the USB more... never seen Arduino USB to phone connection...but it could do anything.

that was a clever hack

I wish you had told us the purpose of your project at the beginning. We can only guess the reason for your machinations through inductive logic as the vid progresses.

Sir you build the code send command message to on and send command to off

or without all this arduino coding and stuff, you couled use a rc servo to switch light on of

you only use the motor.

Quora recommended me to see your website

what if i want to receive sms when light turned on

How would you tackle the marketing calls / sms :p

Can you still use this GSM as a source of communication or detector. Like for example we don't really have GSM that is why we tried using oldphones, we will like it if it detects sounds or movements the oldphone/GMS will send message to my new phone or the one that I'm carrying always, is that possible?

very bad use of old phone. it will be very unreliable solution. arduino should read sms.

is there any way or solution that the old phone can send sms to you? Like connecting a GPS module then pass the data from the module to the old phone then sends that data sms to you? Just wondering if its possible.

Do an video how to made GPS tracker

Find the video unnecessarily. Because a mobile phone and a GSM module are extremely different. While you just catch the signal from the engine to execute a command. Can the GSM module significantly more, you can send SMS via the Arduino itself or receive and evaluate. You can not do that with a normal cell phone.

What are you doing?

Weird question, because I'm not sure I understand GSM- does this mean it can essentially function as a phone, but without a phone plan??

I want to make security system using pir and a Chinese keypad phone which has rx tx pinout is it possible to use this phone?

good idea

How can we use it as a GSM Tracker???

Can you do from 5g ??

Very nice. So how about starting with a new, but very cheap phone? I need to get data from an environmental monitorig device to a server via SMS. New phones with the very limited functionality I need start at £10 - so they are worth considering as an alternative to a GSM board, especially since I've had real difficulty getting a board with an Ai chipset instead of a GoouuuTech chipset (which I really can't make use of).

Sure! I would love to get my lights turned off by SMS spam! :) good vid

hi it is nice but can we make real value calls using this

thank you 👍👍👍

GMS IS DEVICE AND GUI IS APPS BUT FOR ME GMS ALSO CAN APPS FOR ROBOT IT GMS AI THAT SUTE SOFTWARE WHOLE EACH APP TO OWN IT.

Brilliant !!!

Do we should have to recharge the sim

i want to crate an arduino to send a msg to another receiver when some gas has been over to the given limit. how can do it.? i'm new to arduino world. please help

Can you do the same thing but with the audio output?

hi can you show a circuit working with the ldr

Hi i have a project which have the same idea .. Can you help in programmation of arduino .. I find it so hard plllz !!

that was innovative, but you could do it without breaking the fone i guess.

Damn it kind of annoys me how he didn’t format the code properly xD

can you show me your old phone GSM module send SMS please.

It was a good idea, however there is many cheap GSM module that is more accurate and more functional than this.

but you made a macro device

why not just install an app to communicate with arduino using usb otg???

Have u got a code for a camera or motion sensor

That's awesome GSM could be replaced with a mobile

I didnt get the use of this project... for what al things can it be used.

Now you needs to power two devices and pay for the electric in the long run.