AT Commands Tutorial

What are AT Commands?

AT Commands or ‘ATtention’ Commands is the basis of communication between any cellular (or RF) modems and its host controller. Any firmware or hardware developer working with these modems will make use of these modem AT commands to essentially send instructions on various functions.

AT Command set , which are now a universal instruction standard for all cellular modems, even by different manufacturers, was originally created by Dennis Heyes as the Heyes Command Set for the ‘Heyes 300 Baud Smart Modem’ in 1981.

Use of 3GPP AT Commands for GSM Modems

AT Commands are mainly used to configure and debug modems as well as to enable network connection to a carrier in GSM, GPRS, and mobile phone modems. These AT Commands for GSM allow developers to send and receive several device and network parameters from the modem such as the current network status indication, roaming, network technology currently being used (4G, NB-IoT, 2G, etc. ), and other such information. The data being transmitted is crucial during any debugging or developing activities.

The AT commands for GSM/IoT modules can be used to access a few crucial services such as:

• Device and SIM information
• SMS & MMS services
• Fax services (if supported)
• Voice & data services

Even today, AT Commands, are still being used to establish and configure network connections on modern 5G modems as well.

How are AT Commands being communicated?

AT Command instructions are single-line instructions that need to be sent to the device in sequential order while the user has to wait for the response (in most cases) before sending the next command. Sending across the relevant AT Commands and receiving its responses usually requires a host device such as a microcontroller that is connected to the modem via a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter). A UART is a two-wire communication protocol that allows two devices to communicate with each other in a half-duplex fashion. In newer modems, the AT Command instructions can be directly sent across via a USB connection or even wirelessly over the network for remote diagnostics.

List of AT Commands -Syntax and Types

Similar to a programming language syntax, AT Commands also have syntaxes that the user has to follow in order to send valid commands to the device. The general syntax for a command is as follows:

AT<COMMAND><SUFFIX><DATA>

Any AT Command will need to be preceded by “AT” in order to invoke the AT Command functions within the modem which is then followed by the actual command that needs to be sent to the modem which is trailed by the suffix in order to indicate the command mode or ‘type’ and then the data that is needed to be sent, although this field might not be required for all commands.

This structure is known as the command line structure and is terminated by a single carrier return or the user can send multiple commands in a single line separated by a semi-colon.

GSM AT Commands Types

AT Commands can be broadly classified into two sets, Basic Commands, and Extended Commands.

Basic AT Commands

These are cellular modem AT Commands that do not begin with the “+” symbol. Some of the common AT commands under the basic set are D (Dial), A (Answer), H (Hook control), and O (Return to online data state).

Extended AT Commands

Extended Commands are those that start with the “+” symbol. All AT Commands for GSM fall under this category and a few of the common commands are +CMGS (Send SMS message), +CMGL (List SMS messages), and +CMGR (Read SMS messages).

Further, the AT Commands are of 4 categories primarily - Test Commands, Read Commands, Set & Execution Commands.

Classification of AT Commands

Type	Suffix	Role
Read	?	Get a modem configuration setting
Set	=	Set a modem configuration setting
Execute	None	Trigger a modem operation
Test	=?	Check whether a modem supports the named command

The response given by the modem is known as the ‘Result Code’. This code lets the user know the status of the given command response. An ‘OK’response signifies that the command has been executed successfully while an ‘ERROR’response may be returned for the following reasons:

• Syntax of the AT Command is Incorrect
• The modem is incompatible with the AT Command issued
• The modem is currently unable to process the command (eg. when trying to change settings while the modem is active and transmitting)

Test Commands

These are primarily used to check whether the given command is supported by the modem or not. Depending on the specific modem, some AT Commands may or may not be supported due to hardware or software limitations. The test commands allow the user to confirm the support of the modem before pushing the instruction.

Syntax:	AT<COMMAND NAME>=?
For example:	ATD=?

ATD stands for Dial Command and ATD=? Is used to check if the modem supports Dialing functionality.

Read Commands

Read Commands are used to extract information from the modem. This information can be regarding certain parameters or settings that have been configured in the modem or even network-related parameters.

Syntax:	AT<COMMAND NAME>?
For example:	AT+CBC?

Set Commands

Set Commands are used to modify and configure modem parameters/settings. This is mostly used during the initial setup of the modem

Syntax:	AT<COMMAND NAME>=value1, value2, …, valueN
For example:	AT+CSCA=”+123456789”, 120

Execution Commands

Execution Commands are used to perform an operation with or on the modem. This command is the most common type of command.

Syntax:	AT<COMMAND NAME>=parameter1,…, parameterN
For example:	AT+CMSS=1,”+123456789”, 120

Most Commonly used AT Commands Lists

AT Command with Examples

Although different vendors have different lists of AT Commands for their specific modems, there are two common AT Command sets that are used by all

• Universal AT Commands:Common commands can be used on any modem.
• Proprietary AT Commands:Specific commands developed by the modem’s vendor for use with their modems.

There are 7 basic universal AT Commands that can be easily familiarized with for any modem.

AT

This is the most basic AT command that lets the user check whether a connection has been established between the modem and the host system. If the interface is correct, the modem returns “OK” else, it will return an “ERROR” if there is a misconfiguration in the connection, and in cases where the physical connection is not correct, no response would be received.

+CMGF

This command sets up the SMS mode of the modem. By preceding the command with a 0 or a 1, text or PDU mode can be selected. The text-mode operation is quite simple with a direct textual interface but is quite limited by its capabilities. PDU on the other hand allows the user to gain more detailed access to the SMS service with HEX values being used in place of plain text.

Syntax:	AT+CMGF=<mode>
For example:	AT+CMGF=1

+CMGW

The +CMGW command is used to store a message in the SIM card of the modem. After executing the command, the ‘>’ sign will be displayed and the user can enter the message to be stored. These messages are stored in a serial fashion.

Syntax:	AT+CMGW=”Phone number” > <Message to be stored>
For example:	AT+CMGW=’+123456789’ >Hello world

CMGS

The CMGS command allows the user to send a saved SMS message from the SIM card.

Syntax:	AT+CMGS=<Serial Number of SMS to be sent>
For example:	AT+CMGS=1

ATD

ATD is the simplest command to dial a provided number.

Syntax:	ATD<Phone Number>;
For example:	ATD+123456789;

ATA

ATA is a command used to answer any incoming calls to the modem. The call will be denoted by a message “RING” which is repeated at every ring of the incoming call. If the user does not answer/the call ends, “NO CARRIER” will be displayed.

Syntax:	ATA(Enter)
For example:	RING RING ATA

ATH

ATH is a command used to disconnect a remote user connects to the modem.

Syntax:	ATH(Enter)

List of GSM Modem AT Commands

Major AT Commands for GSM modems areas listed below. Not all commands are supposed by all modems due to hardware or software limitations

AT Commands for Testing

Command	Description
AT	Checking communication between the module and computer.

AT Commands for Call Control

Command	Description
ATA	Answer command
ATD	Dial command
ATH	Hang up call
ATL	Monitor speaker loudness
ATM	Monitor speaker mode
ATO	Go on-line
ATP	Set pulse dial as default
ATT	Set tone dial as default
AT+CSTA	Select type of address
AT+CRC	Cellular result codes

AT Commands for Data Card Control

Command	Description
ATI	Identification.
ATS	Select an S-register
ATZ	Recall stored profile
AT&F	Restore factory settings
AT&V	View active configuration
AT&W	Store parameters in given profile
AT&Y	Select Set as power up option
AT+CLCK	Facility lock command
AT+COLP	Connected line identification presentation
AT+GCAP	Request complete capabilities list
AT+GMI	Request manufacturer identification
AT+GMM	Request model identification
AT+GMR	Request revision identification
AT+GSN	Request product serial number identification (IMEI)

AT Commands for Computer Data Interface

Command	Description
ATE	Command Echo
ATQ	Result code suppression
ATV	Define response format
ATX	Response range selection
AT&C	Define DCD usage
AT&D	Define DTR usage
AT&K	Select flow control
AT&Q	Define communications mode option
AT&S	Define DSR option
AT+ICF	DTE-DCE character framing
AT+IFC	DTE-DCE Local flow control
AT+IPR	Fixed DTE rate

AT Commands for Service

Command	Description
AT+CLIP	Calling line identification presentation
AT+CR	Service reporting control
AT+DR	Data compression reporting
AT+ILRR	DTE-DCE local rate reporting

AT Commands for Network Communication Parameter

Command	Description
ATB	Communications standard option
AT+CBST	Select bearer service type
AT+CEER	Extended error report
AT+CRLP	Radio link protocol
AT+DS	Data compression

Miscellaneous AT Command Examples

Command	Description
A/	Re-execute command line
AT?	Command help
AT*C	Start SMS interpreter
AT*T	Enter SMS block mode protocol
AT*V	Activate V.25bis mode
AT*NOKIATEST	Test command
AT+CESP	Enter SMS block mode protocol

AT Commands for SMS Text mode

Command	Description
AT+CSMS	Select message service
AT+CPMS	Preferred message storage
AT+CMGF	Message format
AT+CSCA	Service center address
AT+CSMP	Set text mode parameters
AT+CSDH	Show text mode parameters
AT+CSCB	Select cell broadcast message types
AT+CSAS	Save settings
AT+CRES	Restore settings
AT+CNMI	New message indications to TE
AT+CMGL	List messages
AT+CMGR	Read message
AT+CMGS	Send message
AT+CMSS	Send message from storage
AT+CMGW	Writes message to memory
AT+CMGD	Delete message

AT Commands for SMS PDU mode

Command	Description
AT+CMGL	List Messages
AT+CMGR	Read message
AT+CMGS	Send message
AT+CMGW	Writes message to memory

Wireless AT Commands and Cavli Hubble IoT Platform

Over the years of modem technology, AT Commands and their implementations have mostly stayed stagnant, and the requirement of physical access in order to push the commands to modems has been proven cumbersome in situations where the device has already been deployed.

With this in mind, Cavli has engineered our SmartModules with the capability to receive AT Commands over cellular networks through Cavli Hubble IoT platform. This allows developers to send AT Commands to deployed devices across the world through the Hubble platform which allows for easy and quick device diagnostics and configuration through an easy-to-use terminal interface on the Hubble platform.

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