AT Command Tester - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: picandmix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 01:19:13 pm
content: Was looking to use AT Command Tester for checking out some Sim900 modules, but every time I try to download it tries to force Java on to me.Always told to avoid Java as too risky/buggy , so is there a way to download / use AT CT without Java or is there a decent alternative program which I have not yet found other than resorting to simpler programs like Putty ?thanks

author: 6thimage
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 01:52:59 pm
content: I've just had a look on google and the only AT command tester program I can find is java based (http://m2msupport.net/m2msupport/software-and-at-commands-for-m2m-modules/). So I'm not sure which one you are talking about. Anywho, if it is a flash program, you will need flash to run it - the same as if it is a java program, you will need java to run it.I don't know of any alternative programs - the last time I did anything with AT commands I used a serial client for simple testing (putty) and then used python when I needed to automate it. If you want a graphical interface (and are familiar with programming) you could probably make a little program with a GUI in something like python, java or c# in an afternoon.

author: picandmix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 04:28:31 pm
content: Sorry, yes its that m2m program ; put Flash when I meant Java !- corrected original post.

author: 6thimage
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 07:17:22 pm
content: As web browsers ask you to run each applet, java isn't really too much of a risk to have installed. You can always use openjdk if you are linux and don't trust oracle.As far as the individual applet being buggy or risky, then that's a risk you take with any program.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 07:52:59 pm
content: What exactly does this "AT Command Tester" do?You could download the JAR and run it locally couldn't you?I have always made my own test tools in the past.

author: 6thimage
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 08:57:42 pm
content: Quote from: Wilksey on July 29, 2015, 07:52:59 pmAT commands are used to control modems (including mobile phone sim modules), the command tester allows you to send commands to a modem without having to type them in manually (which can be a pain).Quote from: Wilksey on July 29, 2015, 07:52:59 pmYep, but picandmix seems concerned about using java.

author: picandmix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 09:25:33 pm
content: Tha AT command Tester just seemed a handy way to test out / learn about the Sim900 modules and the AT command set.Just that as it has to use the known buggy Java I wanted to check that I was not exposing myself to a load of problems/hacks.Have just been using Putty and using the At commands that way.As mentioned on my other Arduino Sim900 shield post, I have now got a Sim900A module and reflashed it with the 900 firmware and for basic phone and sms outgoing messages it seems to work fine using a Tesco Sim on the O2 network.Trouble is, for a newbie to the AT commands and GSM structure its a big learnig curve.For instance simply trying to understand the meaning of a command like CBAND - I get the reply EGSM_MODE,ALL BAND but its hard to establish what that is refering to - does it mean Enhanced GSM 2G both 900 and 1800 Mhz ?

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 10:12:07 pm
content: Why not set up a virtual machine and run Java from there? It's a good tool to have for SW development since it's so easy to clone a clean/dirty system.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 11:44:56 pm
content: EGSM is 900MHz, extended GSM mode.You probably want to leave it at ALL_BAND mode.There are several documents for SIMCOM modules that you could use, there is a whole doc for the TCP/IP stack for example.It really depends what you want to do with it, if you just want to poke around with commands then any terminal program will do that, just look up the meaning in the AT user manual.FWIW I clicked on that Java "app", not sure what happened, but I had to apparently update Java, which told me I had to uninstall old Java versions for security, which I did, I updated Chrome, then I got a weird thing happen where ads kept popping up, and the applet kept giving me errors about not being able to run, went to a different site, same thing happened, closed Chrome completely, re-opened and it was back to normal, no pop up ads, very very odd!It didn't appear to do any "lasting" damage to my work computer, I have a AV guard installed, and I ran Malware Bytes and it came back clean, seemed to be when I right clicked on any link these ads kept popping up, but not sure if it was to do with the Java update, the Chrome update or going to that webpage added a right click hook to the browser.

author: picandmix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 09:42:55 am
content: Thanks, I have already downloaded several of the Simcom manuals though heavy going to start with.Just using the sim900s from a hobby point of view at the moment.Think I will stick with putty, seems that AT Commander and Java are real trouble.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 10:27:43 am
content: They can be "heavy" but a lot of the basic commands are the same, the TCP/IP stuff will be specific to vendor, but sometimes the parameters will be very similar (there are only so many ways to specify a socket number for example).If you are not interested in listening on a socket, then you can skip that part, it is not easy to accept incoming connections on a mobile link, unless you have a public static IP or dynamic DNS of some kind, or a VPN.There might be specific services which you may not be interested in, like a SMTP client, or telnet server, or something like that, you can skip those parts.Basic SIM setup (APN, Username, Password etc) are typically the same or very very similar across the GSM / 3G range of modules, and probably 4G as they can fall back to 3G -> 2G, likewise the commands to send and receive text messages and make a phone call.