In EDUBase, download the Free SMS Sending App from the web portal, install it on an Android phone with the school's SIM, and link it to your campus. The portal then queues challan, absentee, marks and notice SMS, and the phone sends them on your normal SMS package.
How does sending SMS from your own SIM work?
Many schools already have a mobile SIM with an SMS package and would rather use it than buy a separate messaging service. With EDUBase, the web portal decides what needs to be sent and to whom, and puts each message in a queue. An Android phone running the EDUBase Free SMS Sending App picks up that queue and sends the messages from the school's own SIM.
Because the messages go out through your ordinary mobile connection, the school pays only its normal SMS package. The phone acts as the sending device; the content, recipients and records stay in the portal.
What do you need before you start?
The setup is light, but it helps to have everything ready before you begin.
- An Android phone that can stay at school, charged and connected to the internet.
- A SIM with an SMS package from your mobile network, inserted in that phone.
- Access to the EDUBase web portal with rights to the SMS settings for your campus.
- Parents' mobile numbers correctly entered on student and family records, since every SMS is sent to the registered number.
How do you set up the Free SMS Sending App step by step?
The Free SMS Sending App is not on Google Play; it is downloaded from the EDUBase portal itself. Once installed, it is linked to the school so it can receive that campus's SMS queue.
- Download the Free SMS Sending App from the web portal onto the school's Android phone and install it.
- Sign the app in to your school so it is registered as the sending device for your campus. Each sender phone holds its own revocable credential, so a lost phone can be cut off without changing anyone's password.
- For a multi-campus school, repeat this on a separate phone for each campus; every campus can have its own SMS device.
- Keep the app running on the phone so queued messages are sent as soon as the portal creates them.
- Send a test message to a staff number and confirm it arrives before you start parent messaging.
Which messages can be sent to parents?
Once the phone is linked, SMS can go out from the screens where the school already works. Write your own wording in SMS templates, using placeholders so each parent receives their own child's name, amounts or marks.
- Fee challan messages, including optional parent alerts when scheduled challans are generated.
- Absentee SMS from the attendance register or after a QR or gate scan.
- Marks SMS sent in the same step as entering marks on award lists.
- Automatic fee defaulter reminders on the day and hour you choose.
- Notices and general messages to any selection of students, families, classes or staff through SMS Blaster.
- Staff SMS to employees from the HR module.
How do you check that messages were delivered?
Every message the portal sends is recorded. The SMS Report shows what was sent and to whom, and the Family SMS Report shows messages by family. If parents also use the Parents App, the App Notification Report shows app messages separately.
If messages stop going out, first check the sending phone: whether it is switched on, connected to the internet, has the app running and still has SMS balance on the SIM.
When should you consider a branded SMS gateway instead?
Sending from your own SIM suits schools that want to use an existing SMS package. Some schools prefer messages to arrive under the school's name rather than a mobile number. In that case a masking or branded SMS provider can be connected through SMS Gateway Settings. You can also reach parents through WhatsApp or Parents App notifications alongside SMS.
Ways to send messages to parents from EDUBase
| Criterion | Free SMS Sending App (own SIM) | Branded SMS gateway | Parents App notification |
|---|---|---|---|
| What sends the message | An Android phone at school with the school's SIM | A masking/branded SMS provider | Push notification to the EDUBase Parents App |
| How it is set up | Download the app from the portal and link the phone to the campus | Configure the provider in SMS Gateway Settings | Parents install the app and log in with a one-time code |
| Sender shown to parents | The SIM's mobile number | The branded sender name agreed with the provider | The EDUBase Parents App |
| What the school pays for | Its normal SMS package | Discussed with the chosen SMS provider | Free Android app for parents |
| Works for parents without the app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Delivery records | SMS Report and Family SMS Report | SMS Report and Family SMS Report | App Notification Report |
| Multi-campus handling | One sending phone per campus | Configured in SMS Gateway Settings | Reaches every family in scope |
Related modules
- SMS, WhatsApp & Notifications — Reach parents by SMS, WhatsApp, branded SMS or app notification, from every screen that matters.
- Student Attendance — Mark attendance from the class register, the Teacher App, a QR scan or a gate device, and tell parents instantly.
- Fee Automation — Let the system generate challans, apply late fees and chase defaulters on schedule.
- Fee Reports & Defaulters — Know what was billed, what was collected and who still owes, per class, family or month.
- Examinations & Results — From subjects and grading policy to award lists, result cards and date sheets.
- School Setup & Multi-Campus — Campuses, classes, sections, sessions, academic year and reference lists, set once and reused everywhere.
- Staff Management (HRM) — Employee records, shifts, documents, letters, leave and the Teacher App login, in one place.
- Cloud Hosting, Backups & Data Isolation — Your school's data in its own database, on managed cloud servers, backed up and monitored.