The Icon 322 GSM modem that is used to send and receive text messages requires you to insert a SIM card registered to an account in order to operate. I will attempt to describe here how I got the SIM card and established an account with AT&T. It might seem unorthodox, and there are likely better ways of doing it, but this was my first foray into the field and I had to feel my way along. If I did this again I believe I would simply go to an AT&T store and tell them you want a pay as you go SIM card, get the SIM from them and let them set up the account.
I think I mentioned that my first attempt at a home monitor used a Telit 865 GSM modem I bought from Sparkfun Electronics. The current design uses an Icon 322 modem and Asus net book PC. These notes apply to how I got the SIM card for the Telit setup working. I don't recall whether I had to do further work to use the SIM card in the Icon 322 modem, and will attempt to find out.
First, I ordered an AT&T SIM card from Amazon. The order specified: AT&T SIM Card-Brand New Unactivated-SKU 71247. The cost was around $5.00.
Then I activated the SIM card with an AT&T account, and I registered it as a go-phone. I went to the AT&T web site for go phone, registered the SIM card to modem IMEA (357938020021374, use AT#CGSN command to get, or read from modem), and put $15 on account from credit card. I entered the ICCID number (89014103232848126223) from SIM card on web site. I was assigned the Go phone number 443 XXX-XXXX. This implies AT&T has locked the SIM card ICCID to the modem IMEI number. But this might not be the case, since I believe when I got the Icon GSM modem I simply transferred the SIM card from the Telit modem to the Icon modem and used it. I will look into this further and write another entry when I get an answer.
To make text messages cheaper I signed up on my AT&T account for a $10.00 for 1000 text message package, and then made it auto-renewing every month. This brings the monthly cost to $10.00 for the modem account.
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