SMS AAISP Command Line Tool

A simple Bash script for sending SMS text messages via the Andrews & Arnold (AAISP) SMS gateway.

It uses curl to POST messages to https://sms.aa.net.uk/sms.cgi, allowing you to send SMS messages from the command line or from scripts/cron jobs.

Requirements

Bash
curl
An active Andrews & Arnold account with SMS enabled

Installation

Save the script as sms-aaisp
Install it into your personal bin directory:

mkdir -p ~/bin
mv sms-aaisp ~/bin/
chmod +x ~/bin/sms-aaisp

Ensure ~/bin is in your PATH (usually already is on modern Debian) If not, add this to ~/.profile or ~/.bashrc:
```
export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
```

Log out and back in (or reload your shell) after changing PATH.

Configuration

Edit the script and set your AAISP credentials:

AAISP_USERNAME="+441234567890"
AAISP_PASSWORD="your_api_password_here"
AAISP_URL="https://sms.aa.net.uk/sms.cgi"

Notes

AAISP_USERNAME is typically your landline number in international format (+44...)
AAISP_PASSWORD is your AAISP control panel SMS password, not your main account password
Keep this file readable only by you:
```
chmod 700 ~/bin/sms-aaisp
```

Script Behaviour

Sends a single SMS message using AAISP’s HTTP POST interface
Suppresses curl output (--silent)
Prints a confirmation message when complete

Example output:

Message Sent

Usage

sms-aaisp <destination_number> "<message text>"

Example

sms-aaisp 07123456789 "This is a test SMS."

Numbers should normally be supplied in UK national format (as expected by AAISP).

Script Behaviour

Sends a single SMS message using AAISP’s HTTP POST interface
Suppresses curl output (--silent)
Prints a confirmation message when complete

Example output:

Message Sent

Error Handling

This script does not currently parse or validate server responses.
If you need robust error handling:

Remove --silent from curl
Capture and inspect the HTTP response
Check exit codes in calling scripts

Security Considerations

Credentials are stored in plaintext inside the script
Do not commit this file to version control
Restrict permissions to prevent other users reading it
Consider sourcing credentials from environment variables if used in shared systems

References

Andrews & Arnold SMS service
https://aa.net.uk/sms/