Simulator

A GSM module simulator: sending an SMS from a SIM800L

Mokxi is a free online SIM800L GSM module simulator that runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no account needed. A SIM800L on an Arduino Uno, powered from its own lithium cell, sending a text message with AT commands. The module’s replies show on the serial monitor, the message arrives in a simulated network’s box, and you can text the board back.

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Arduino Uno: an SMS from a SIM800Llive0.000 s 0.00x
Click to open it in the editor
Click the circuit to open it in the editor and watch the serial monitor: the AT commands, the module’s OK replies, then the text going out. Type sms hello into the SIM800L’s own box to send one back.

What you can do here

In the circuit above, or in the editor it opens.

  • Send a text with AT+CMGF and AT+CMGS and read every reply
  • See the message arrive on the simulated network’s side
  • Text the board back and watch +CMT arrive in the sketch
  • Ring the module with a simulated call
  • Practice AT commands without a SIM card or airtime
  • Test the parsing code for incoming messages before you buy a module

What the running circuit shows

A conversation in AT commands.

A GSM module is driven by text. The sketch sends AT and the module answers OK. AT+CMGF=1 puts it in text mode, AT+CNMI=1,2,0,0,0 asks it to pass incoming texts straight to the board, and AT+CMGS="+15551234567" starts a message. The module answers with a > prompt, the sketch sends “Hello from Mokxi” and a Ctrl+Z, and the module replies “+CMGS: 1” and OK. All of it scrolls past on the serial monitor in about nine seconds.

The other end of the air is the module’s own box in the serial monitor. It reports “SIM800L registered on MOKXI SIMULATED” and then “SMS to +15551234567: Hello from Mokxi”. Type sms hello there and the board receives a +CMT line with the sender’s number, followed by hello, exactly the two lines a sketch has to parse to act on a text.

How the SIM800L is modeled

The serial side is real; the network is a stand-in.

The module’s TXD and RXD carry real serial frames, here to pins 3 and 2 of the Uno through SoftwareSerial, and it answers the AT commands a text-message project uses. Wire TXD to the wrong pin, or pick the wrong baud rate, and you get silence, as on hardware.

Nothing leaves your browser: no text is sent to a real phone, and the network is one simulated operator that always has signal. Mobile data is not modeled. The circuit powers the module from a 4.2 V lithium cell for a reason that matters on a real bench: a SIM800L wants 3.4 to 4.4 V and draws short bursts of up to 2 A when it transmits, which an Arduino’s 5 V or 3.3 V pin cannot supply. A module that keeps restarting is nearly always a power problem.

How it works

Three steps from a blank tab to a running circuit.

  1. Open the editor

    It runs in your browser tab. Nothing to install, and you need no account to start.

    Your first project
  2. Wire it and write the code

    Drag parts onto a breadboard, run each wire from pin to pin, and write the sketch beside it.

    Wiring
  3. Press Run

    Your sketch compiles in the tab and runs on a model of the chip, with the Serial Monitor beside it.

    Run and serial
Reviews

What makers say about Mokxi.

“The AI checker helps check and correct my circuits, and it has way more components than Tinkercad. As a student I really appreciate the tool.”

ChloeEngineering student

“I’d been looking for a real online electronic simulator that was intuitive and complete when I found Mokxi. I was able to quickly import a Fritzing file and my Arduino sketch and start testing. Mokxi has all of the makings for the best online Arduino simulator I have been able to find!”

JayModel builderFeatured in his DioramaOS post

“I’m using Mokxi to develop and simulate an STM32-based four-wheel-drive robot car before building the actual hardware. It allows me to experiment with DC motor control, PWM, RPM measurement using photointerrupters, and different acceleration, braking, and reversing strategies, helping me understand and refine the system before implementing it in real life.”

NusretRobot car builder, Hamburg

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FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is it free?

Yes. The circuit on this page, every part in it and the editor it opens in are on the free plan, with no card.

Do I need an account?

No. The circuit runs the moment the page does, and the editor opens without one. A free account is only for saving a project to the cloud and sharing it by link.

Can I simulate a SIM800L without a SIM card?

Yes. The module here is registered on a simulated network, so the AT commands for sending and receiving texts work with no SIM card and no airtime. No message reaches a real phone.

Which AT commands send an SMS?

AT+CMGF=1 for text mode, then AT+CMGS="number". Wait for the > prompt, send the text, and end it with Ctrl+Z, character 26. The module answers +CMGS and OK when the message has gone.

Why does my SIM800L keep restarting?

Its supply is sagging. It needs 3.4 to 4.4 V and bursts of up to 2 A, so power it from a lithium cell or a buck converter set to about 4 V, with short thick wires. This circuit uses a lithium cell for that reason.

More simulators

Each one opens on a circuit that is already running.

Send a text

Open the circuit, watch the message go out, then text the board back. Nothing to install, and no account needed.