Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

To all:

I will release a bug fix release (0.5-6) today or coming weekend.

v0.5-6:

NEW: added new command-line option for SMSCON to set user settings (encrypted & non-encrypted) in smscon_config file.
CHANGE: improved user setting reading from smscon_config file.
FIX: smscon can, under circumstances, send to wrong phone number when activated.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Please someone help; my passwork for SMScon Editor is not working or I forget it ,is a way to retrive it

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

From smscon.log:
DAEMON INFO: internet connection behaviour already set to "GPRS"
DAEMON INFO: (EMAIL) trying to connect to "smtp.xxxxx.xxx"
DAEMON CRITICAL: <<< SMSCON FATAL ERROR:
SMTP AUTH extension not supported by server. >>>
DAEMON INFO: smscon_daemon has stopped

I know the smtp-server is working, because I can send email through it. It is my operators smtp-server. But I do not have username+password, so I have left those fields empty in the SMSCON-Editor. Seems like smscon does not support smtp-servers which do not support AUTH?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

I will fix this, when no username or password for mail is entered smscon will always fail.

I will implement the sending of email work for smtp servers which do not require user authentication (you can leave the username & password blank).

Zimon, maybe I need your help to test it.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

same problem here. i am sure that when i changed my password it was working. now it just says it is wrong.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

OK, I will test it when you have the trial version ready.
The (obvious) logic would be something like; if username string contains only whitespace, then assume smtp-server is not supporting AUTH and blind simple SMTP is used.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Can't you use the ambient light sensor to choose a proper brightess level for the front camera? Or take a couple of test frames? I'll have to investigate this...

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

In coming 0.5-6 I have implemented it exactly like this... :)

If you don't enter anything in USER & PASSWORD setting, it uses no user & password authentication for sending email to the smtp server.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Hi Dante,

We've solved (I think) jorgecallejas' problem outside this thread.

In your case, could you describe more what you mean?
When you say "it was working", you mean you have changed, closed the editor, opened again, wrote the new password and it opened. Then reopened and the password was not any more accepted?

Did you re-install in between?
Could you share (either here or in a PM) your new password?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

New version of smscon is released to Extra-devel (v0.5-6)

Changelog:

0.5-6

• NEW: added new command-line option for smscon to set user settings (encrypted & non-encrypted) in smscon_config file.
• NEW: added package icon.
• CHANGE: improved user setting reading from smscon_config file.
• CHANGE / FIX: if USER & PASSWORD setting is empty, email sending to smtp server is done without user & password authentication. /* UNTESTED */
• CHANGE: cosmetic changes in logging.
• REFACTORING: parts of script code.
• FIX: smscon can, in specific case, send to wrong phone number when activated & receives hereafter a non-SMSCON command SMS message from another phone number.
• FIX: added time & date of frontcam picture taken in email.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

hi. the new password is just letters and a space. and yes. i remember changing the password,exiting the app, reentering and it worked. is there a way to delete the password file and start over?

editing/deleting files in opt/smscon-editor?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

If you added a space in the password then the update never happened.
Can you try 12345

Sorry, I will add some protection in a future version (I really didn't expect people to use passwords with spaces - stupid of me.)

Edit: just for info, the password stored is short of unbreakable (i.e. md5sum). There are several ways (not gonna start mentioning them here) to bypass it and open the editor but your password is safe :)

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Seems to work now. At least the test from SMSCON-Editor with front camera came through OK.

When I tried to send Location test after that, smscon_daemon stopped for some reason. The log:
It somehow tells it would be using WAP 2.0 IAP, although I don't think it is using that IAP but the correct full internet IAP. At least all the time I have had ssh connection active, so I do not think it is using that WAP IAP although the log says it would.

After this I restarted smscon_daemon and tried to send Location test email again with SMSCON-Editor, but same thing:
DAEMON INFO: smscon_daemon has stopped

Edit:
I tried again, just to send FrontCamera test email. It sent it, I also received it, but after that smscon_daemon stopped again:
....
DAEMON INFO: internet connection behaviour not used
DAEMON INFO: smscon_daemon has stopped

The location test mails never came, so it does not send them.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

I'm glad to hear that this is fixed :D And I'm glad to contribute with my bughunt to fix this app *hehe*

Will purge the one I got installed and update to the new one and try it out =)

Cheers

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Thanks for testing.

No need to purge, just update.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

The test options, when finished, always stop the daemon. This is intended behaviour (it's only a partial simulation to test the connection & selected function).

Could you send me your output from:

I would like to see wat is causing your problem. Are you using multiple SIM cards?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

that was the second one that i tried. still no luck. is there seriously no way to just delete the thing? wouldnt the editor start over then?

EDIT: got it working! i just uninstalled it. deleted the smscon-editor folder in home/user/ and reinstalled. all my settings were still there and the password has been reset to 12345. this time i changed it for one that doesnt have spaces =D thanks anyway.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Ah ok, so one has to restart daemon then after each test.
Hmm...this is maybe stupid question, but why it has to stop daemon after the test?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

To switch back to the previous connected data connection (WLAN, GPRS or no connection) and to set the Internet Connection behaviour back to it original setting (ASK, ANY, WLAN or GPRS) after the connection & function test.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

From: http://wiki.maemo.org/SMSCON#Commands
Haven't tested this (all these should be testable from SMSCON-Editor IMO), but I guess it sends only the latest IMSI-code back?
It wouldn't hurt to send ALL IMSI-codes it finds somehow (from gconf IAPs for example) in time decending order, as much what can be fit to 160 (SMS) characters at least.
Also, why not getting back all WLAN-MACs it finds from gconf with some SMSCON command.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

The purpose of the tests in the editor, is to check that the settings the user has added work. It is not designed as a tester for the SMSCON daemon.
We want to make sure that the number, mail, passwords are somehow correct and the service can use them.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Ok. What is the reasoning not to use smscon_daemon's functions to send really the same messages it would send in the real situation? That way also that part of the code would be tested more often.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

This is possible but only from command-line (in v0.5-6 & higher). I used it for my own development purposes. It's only for internal testing & debugging of SMSCON!

To simulate a received message:

Example:

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Version update to 0.5-7.

Changelog:

0.5-7

• FIX: activation of the current active/available GPRS connection could fail in specific cases (bug in acquiring the connection name).
• FIX: better logging/behaviour when locking/unlocking of device.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Edit: Nevermind :)
Have fixed it now, and all is working fine...

//Pontus

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

@digitalvoid

I tried sending a test email from the SMSCon Editor Test tab and also an email with a picture taken from the front camera to my gmail inbox but I did not receive any of those two mails yet so far.

However while testing SMSCon Editor settings I did get a mail informing me about the GPS co-ordinates on my gmail inbox.

Why is it that I did not get the other two mails then?

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

== smscon v0.5-7 - Nokia N900 remote control utility ==

I still have this problem, that from SMSCON-Editor the simple test mail or test mail with the picture (front camera) works, but Location test mail does not work. Somehow or something it is doing differently in latter case.

The normal test email came OK, the Location test email(s) never came.

It is funny, I have exactly opposite results as the previous poster.

Edit:
And once again, I am sure I do not have "OPERATOR WAP 2.0" IAP in use. Haven't used it since...a month ago. I have the normal full access "OPERATOR Internet" IAP in use almost always and also currently. If I go to Status area, where it shows what Internet-connection IAP is in use (and where you could change it), it says "OPERATOR Internet".

So when it says "GPRS network (OPERATOR WAP 2.0) already connected", it is not true. The program should get the right in use IAP from somewhere else than it gets it now from.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

@ funkmunk:

Have you looked at the log of smscon (/tmp/smscon.log)?

Can you send me the log or post it here?


@ zimon:

I will send you tomorow a test pre-release for you to evaluate (0.5-8).

Some changes in the detecting of the networks. Maybe this will solve the problem...

Re: {Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Yes, this can be really usefull! Is it possible with current version?

Re: {Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

No, unless you do it by first asking ssh tunnel to the device with REMOTEON command and then doing those queries somehow in command line interface (CLI).....or make an another tunnel (2) for VNC and launch a vnc-server on the N900 side through the first ssh-tunnel.

SMSCON could have this kind of command also, VNCON, which would do the ssh-tunnel as with REMOTEON but first would start the vnc-server and make a same time ssh-tunnels for ssh and vnc.
I am not sure if ssh-client in N900 is cabable creating two tunnels at the same time with two ssh -R -options.

This kind of VNCON-command would not be so useful when the phone is stolen though.

Re: {Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

No, it is not possible.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Would it be possible to add the ability to issue an arbitrary command with smscon?

That way we could use it for anything. I am interested in using it for SMS based push for email and IM (where my server would monitor specific email folders and sms me if there is something interesting, then smscon would issue the dbus command to send/recieve email, which would establish a data connection).

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Thanks for this awesome application, here's some feature requests to make it the best AIO Anti-Theft software ever:

* Alarm Mode: afaik, as of current SMSCON release, It sends SMS to target number if IMSI code is changed while booting up. Problem is, what if your mobile is out of GSM covered area or SMS failed for some reason? Then you will not notice it's stolen until you find out yourself. I think Alarm Mode would be better option, I mean, if IMSI code is changed, instead of a single SMS sent to single target number, try to use all possible connection methods to deliver information to multiple targets and keep doing it until receiving valid SMS command to stop it.

* Data Wiping: I understand that maybe developer of SMSCON (or any developer here) doesn't really want to introduce this function, because it could brick N900 easily if something goes wrong, but I think it's an essential function. Just make it an "option" with proper warning messages, and It would be beyond awesome if you make it customizable so we could wipe /home/user/MyDocs/somethingveryimportant and /home/user/.stupidplaintextpasswordfile instead of wiping/bricking the whole system.

* Stealth: I guess It's not going to be easy, but as for current SMSCON release it shows up every incoming/outgoing SMS on Conversations, notifies the thief about it, shows up messages if you try to use reverse ssh and shows up the Call UI if you make your device call you. If Joe The Thief is not the dumbest person ever seen in the face of the earth, he will notice that you're trying to remote access your device and he will power it off, take SIM Card away or even throw away/destroy your device.

* Advanced Tracking: It's not essential but making it possible to notify about Incoming/Outgoing calls (and their numbers) would help the owner A LOT about getting his device back. And maybe sending a copy of received/sent SMS messages to the owner could help too.

* Remove it from Menu: I'm pretty sure that It wouldn't be hard to add an option to remove smscon and smscon-editor from menu, because we already have an X Terminal, It is possible to start GUI apps from that terminal and most of thieves are not Linux guru's and in fact mostly they don't even know what XTerm is, but they do know to push buttons, select SMSCON from the menu or google it to see what it is. So, I would prefer removing smscon related things from the menu and start it from XTerm, if you think that it's not user-friendly enough, make it an option.

* Wi-Fi Autoconnect: afaik SMSCON supports 3G Internet but why not make use of Wi-Fi, since it's already a built-in feature of N900 and there's still some ppl out there using unsecured connections. This feature could be enabled by SMS or Alarm Mode (see: first idea) and It would try to connect to unsecured Wi-Fi access points to send valuable information to owner and allow reverse ssh, since It's using a Wi-Fi point, It means It has an IP address, so you can track that address too.

* Server File Check: Prey already implements this feature and I think it's useful, why not make SMSCON check a file from my webserver often to see if it's 0 (OK) or 1 (Stolen) and if it's 1, send information to backup number or enable the Alarm Mode (see: first idea) You can implement this feature as an option, since 3G Internet is not that cheap in some countries.

Well.. It seems like It would take a year or two to implement all of this things, I just wanted to notify you about "SMSCON of my dreams" and maybe help you if you liked any of this ideas and if they're easy to do, maybe you can add some of them in future releases :)

Thanks for this great app,

Re: {Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

I can confirm that you can have multiple concurrent reverse ssh tunnels on the n900.

I've used this to:

1) set up a persistant reverse tunnel on 19999:localhost:22 on the phone
2) ssh into my phone from my PC on localhost:19999
3) in this shell, start a reverse tunnel #2 on 9999:localhost:5900
4) start a second ssh session on PC to 19999, then start x11vnc server within it
5) on PC, tightvnc into phone on localhost:9999

It all works OK (other than needing the phone's screen to be left permanently on for the vnc session, and failing to route some keyboard input to the foreground app) - so you can remote control the phone if you've left it somewhere inconvenient (eg. to access SMS/email/contacts/IM's etc).

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

A wonderful and very useful app. But I have a couple of simple questions, forgive my ignorance….just thinking out loud.

Now that someone have all this valuable information that could be used to track down the thief……

a) Is it legal to collect this information about the thief with all the privacy laws, spying on someone without their knowledge, etc, at least here in the US?
b) Assuming it is legal, then how would someone make good use of the information to get the device back? I am thinking but not sure, if someone is to take this to law enforcement would they cooperate to get me the device back? Or is it simply going to be ignored since they probably have more important things to worry about than a stolen phone?

Any ideas?

Because if the answers to the above is not promising I strongly support the “data delete” option, at least no personal information is left on the device.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

@Pluto

I'm not living in US but afaik;

a) Common sense says it's not against privacy laws because it's your device not his/her, you can install spy software legally on it, for anti-theft, educational or parental control purposes. But I'm not %100 sure of course.

b) Police can return your phone if you know it's IMEI code, it's common knowledge, but in some countries (and maybe US included) they don't care much about it because it's expensive to do it and doesn't work in every case. Using SMSCON, you could get mobile number and IMSI code of thief, so you can just ask police to get his information (they just need to call his GSM operator and ask for it) then you will know who stole your device, and if you know it absolutely you can ask for help to get it back. And you can use SMSCON to locate the device/thief or make it call you, so it's really an easy task for them to get it back. They are not going to ignore it, since you're not forcing them to do track anything.

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

@Pluto,Aranel
I am not living in US either, but I know couple of EU countries where it is illegal to spy even your own stolen phone.

Or If you want to get a list of called phone numbers from a operator, because they of course are seen in your bill, they won't give you the list of phone numbers but only to police. I know it sounds like against common sense, but it is so. I know becase my phone was stolen 2 years ago and they made long distance calls of 500€ before the IMSI was closed. I had to pay, but couldn't get the list of the called numbers: "you know, ciriminals have rights too". It is a question of phone theft being a minor crime.

@Pigro:
I was thinking doing the two tunnels at the same time:
from N900:
ssh -R 19999:localhost:22 -R 18888:localhost:5900 user@pc.remotehost.org.invalid

@digitalvoid:
I will test the new test version tomorrow

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

ah - I see what you mean. Yes, that syntax works on n900, good thinking, batman!

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Hello, I used to use my own N900 to test smscon. So I send to myself an sms with the correct keyword. Since a few version,0it seems that smscon go in a loop and keep sending back the same command acknowledgement endlessly. It seems to interpret the received acknowledgement as a new command ?
I used the command "Lock"

Re: [Announce] SMScon (control your device with SMS)
 

Hi, a few notes. It is a good idea to check if is is Wifi connection already acitvie - then send email via that connection, if not then first try to activate wireless , if not succeed, then enable gprs and send it through it.
lock command always send reply even config deifne "no"
EnableDeviceLock(True) I've changed it to EnableDeviceLock()
Good idea to update it.
Also I've receiving 6 messages for any command, but from log I can see
DAEMON ERROR: failed to send SMS to "+6421......"
It is look like the sms got send but reporting some error. How to debug it?

+5 for Stealth mode should be ON. any way to remove received sms?