Text Message performs an Action?

Good morning, I have an alarm system that in case of event sends a text message.
It is possible that at the time of receipt of the message smartthing performs an action, for example, activate Arlo.
Could I do it with IFTT? or Core?
Thanks for your help

If you have an Android device, you could do this with SharpTools for Android.

Alternatively, I’ve seen people setup Twilio accounts and run a script to react to SMS changes.


Here’s some details on the Android based approach:


Edit: In the above image “Friend’s Phone” would be the SMS coming from your alarm system.

Tasker would be setup such that whenever an SMS is received, it would tell SharpTools to control the garage door on SmartThings.

  1. In Tasker, create a new Profile → Event → Phone: Received Text
  2. Configure the profile with your desired filters (who it came from, what the message says)
  3. Configure the action to take your desired SmartThings action via SharpTools

Josh provided the layout, and he is the author of Sharptools which facilitates this functionality.

Here are some ways to use it:

Bed/Breakfast owner has a smart lock on the guest entrance door. For each guest, he enables the following:

  • guest sends text with specific characters (a ‘code’) to a particular phone#
  • AutoNotification (a Tasker plug-in) running on an android tablet detects that this particular code is coming in from this particular sender’s mobile account, within an allotted date range. This is called a ‘context’ in Tasker.
  • upon the conditions of that context being met, Tasker tells SmartThings via Sharptools to open the smart lock to let the guest in.

Chamberlain Garage system sends a push notification each time the garage opens or closes.

  • garage opens after dusk. AutoNotification detects the notification, detects the word ‘open’
  • Tasker tells SmartThings via Sharptools to turn on the front porch light, and to turn on the foyer light
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