Remote GSM SIM Management with Raspberry Pi

Remote management of a GSM SIM card using a Raspberry Pi B+ and a Huawei E173 USB 3G modem. The RBox chat-bot connects to an XMPP/Jabber server and lets you send/receive SMS, make voice calls, and dial USSD codes — all from your phone's chat app, anywhere in the world.

Raspberry Pi B+ with Huawei E173 USB 3G stick — the complete RBox GSM gateway.

Why remote SIM management?

• Your SIM card has no roaming and you're travelling internationally
• You're outside GSM coverage but have internet access and need SMS functionality
• You manage multiple SIM cards and want centralized access
• You need a self-hosted SMS gateway for sending/receiving over the internet
• You have remote sensors that report data via SMS and want a central collection point

Ensure your SIM card is deployed at a safe and secure location to avoid possible misuse.

Items needed

• Raspberry Pi B+
• Micro or full-size SD card
• Huawei E173 USB 3G stick
• SIM card (PIN lock must be disabled)
• 5 V / 2 A power supply
• Two Google or Jabber accounts (one for you, one for the Raspberry Pi)
• RBox SD card image

Setup

Setup diagram — Huawei E173 plugged into the Raspberry Pi, which connects to the internet through a home router.

1. Flash the RBox SD card image (see the RBox setup guide for details)
2. Insert the PIN-unlocked SIM card into the Huawei E173 and plug it into the Raspberry Pi
3. Connect the Raspberry Pi to your home router via Ethernet and power on with a 2 A supply
4. On your phone's XMPP client (Xabber, Conversations, etc.), check that the Raspberry Pi account is online
5. Send Help — the bot replies with the list of supported commands

Both XMPP accounts must be authorized as contacts before the Raspberry Pi is powered on — do this from a PC first.

When RBox boots without the USB 3G stick connected, SMS/SIM-related commands will not appear in the help list.

Reading SMS

1. Send Smsupdate — immediate reply: InProgress : taskID=1
2. Wait 3–5 seconds for the modem to read the SIM
3. Reply Success : taskID=1 confirms messages are cached
4. Send Smstotal — reply shows the count (e.g. Success : 2)
5. Send Smsget 0 to read the first message, Smsget 1 for the second, etc.

Deleting SMS

1. Send Smsdeleteall — immediate reply: InProgress : taskID=2
2. Wait 3–5 seconds
3. Reply Success : taskID=2 confirms deletion
4. Verify with Smsupdate followed by Smstotal — if messages remain, repeat the delete

Sending SMS

1. Send Smssend 009198xxxxxxxx hello this is a test message
2. Immediate reply: InProgress : taskID=3
3. Wait 3–5 seconds — reply Success : taskID=3 confirms the SMS was sent
4. If sending fails, try omitting the international/country code prefix (0091)

Voice dialling

1. Send Dialvoice 009198xxxxxxxx
2. Immediate reply: InProgress : taskID=4
3. The modem dials and rings for 20–25 seconds, then disconnects automatically
4. Reply Success : taskID=4 confirms the call completed

Voice dialling currently places a silent call (no audio playback). Future RBox releases may support playing a recorded message for automation use cases.

USSD codes

USSD codes like *101# are useful for checking prepaid balance and other carrier queries.

1. Send Dialussd *101# (the code varies by carrier)
2. Immediate reply: InProgress : taskID=5
3. Wait 3–5 seconds — reply Success : taskID=5 confirms the USSD response was received
4. Send Readussd to read the carrier's response text

SOURCE CODE

github.com/hackboxguy/brbox — RBox sources and build instructions

Related posts

• RBox XMPP Command Reference for IoT Control
• Bridge SMS to XMPP: Receive 2FA Codes Abroad
• Battery-Powered IoT Device with Pi Zero and 3G