Hi all, I wanted to share my recent success in setting up SMS notifications in Home Assistant using a GSM modem. This has been a game-changer for me, allowing me to receive alerts directly on my phone without relying on internet-based services. Here’s how I did it:
First, I purchased a Huawei E3531 modem, which I’ve heard great things about for this purpose. The setup was surprisingly straightforward. I connected the modem to my Raspberry Pi via USB and ensured it was recognized by the system. I checked the serial port using dmesg | grep tty and found it under /dev/ttyUSB0.
Next, I navigated to the Integrations section in Home Assistant and searched for ‘SMS’. I followed the prompts, selecting the appropriate modem settings. The most crucial part was entering the correct serial port and ensuring the modem was powered on and connected to a SIM card with SMS capabilities.
Once configured, I set up a simple automation to send an SMS notification whenever my garage door opens. It’s incredibly satisfying to receive a text message with a photo of the door opening, all handled seamlessly by Home Assistant.
I’d highly recommend this setup to anyone looking for reliable SMS notifications. The ability to receive alerts even when the internet is down is a huge plus. If you’re considering this, make sure to test your setup thoroughly and check the logs for any issues. Happy automating! 