Managing Distant Network Equipment with Text Messages

Six KTH students working toward their master’s degrees in Communication Systems are testing an invention designed to allow network operators to remotely manage mobile phone network equipment through simple SMS text messaging. Condroid Remote Management is intended to cut out the need for site visits to equipment in remote locations that lack Internet access.

The system is intended to make network access possible anyplace in the world that can be reached by SMS, including some of the most remote, unpopulated areas on the planet.

“Our invention can control network equipment in remote locations such as mountains or deserts where there’s no access to the Internet,” says master's student Mahsa Tabatabaei, a member of the team behind Condroid Remote Management. The program runs on smartphones running the Android mobile phone operating system. 

“We’re trying to make remote management as user-friendly as possible. All you need is basic knowledge of network administration to use Condroid Remote Management,” Tabatabaei says.

The system can also be useful in restoration of network equipment following natural disasters. “If the power goes off and a router fails, you don’t need to send out a network administrator. You can fix it by sending text messages from a smartphone.” 

A prototype system has been tested in the students’ lab at KTH, and the next step is testing in a distant location. “Condroid Remote Management is a robust and energy-efficient way to manage network devices anywhere in the world,” Tabatabaei concludes.

For further information: Mahsa Tabatabaei, mahsat@kth.se.

Katarina Ahlfort

See a presentation of Condroid Remote Management.