# Connecting to 2-way radio systems

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [26 June 2019 04:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599 "2019-06-26T04:58:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bungouk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/bungouk/32/9921_2.png) [@Bungouk](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Bungouk)\
**Post date:** [26 June 2019 04:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599/1 "2019-06-26T04:58:49Z")

</div>

Hi all,

I am new to node-red, although in the past I have used SMC gateways which use the same type of workflows.

What I would like to do is connect a Motorola Mototrbo radio to node red via USB so I can then send text messages through a radio system.

example if I had an alarm from a serial port then this would send a text to a radio to alert a user. does anybody know how I would achieve this?

SMC uses the following info to connect a mobile

USB connection  
CAI Prefix – The CAI (Common Air Interface)  
Radio ID  
IP address of the mobile

Let me know if you require anymore information.

Thanks

Bungouk

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [26 June 2019 06:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599/2 "2019-06-26T06:00:24Z")

</div>

Node-RED makes available quite a few ways of potentially doing what you want but as I don't know your hardware, it is very difficult to guess which is best.

The first place to look is on the Flows site (link is in the menu at the top of this forum) to see if anyone has already created a node.

Possibly the next thing to look at is, because you say there is an IP address, that implies that the device has a TCP/IP or HTTP API interface - if so, you will need to investigate that API and work out what you can do with it. Node-RED can easily communicate with such interfaces.

The next option would be an existing Node.js package. The place to look is on the npm site. There you should look for a node.js package that lets you communicate with your kit.

If that doesn't show anything, the next thing to look at is whether there are command-line tools that will let you communicate with the kit.

Node-RED can work with either of these options in various ways and I'm sure that people will help once you have more information.

Good hunting.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bungouk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/bungouk/32/9921_2.png) [@Bungouk](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Bungouk)\
**Post date:** [6 July 2019 06:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599/3 "2019-07-06T06:59:49Z")

</div>

I was browsing Github and come across the following Moto\_XCMP\_XNL package which says it allows sending data across radio wave.

> **[xjapanseikima/Moto\_XCMP\_XNL\_master](https://github.com/xjapanseikima/Moto_XCMP_XNL_master)**
>
> XCMP/XNL develop. Contribute to xjapanseikima/Moto\_XCMP\_XNL\_master development by creating an account on GitHub.

Problem I have is i’m not sure what to do with it, would you know what needs to be done to get it working with Node-Red?

Thanks

Bungouk

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [6 July 2019 09:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/connecting-to-2-way-radio-systems/12599/4 "2019-07-06T09:43:22Z")

</div>

It is written in Java and doesn't have any releases so unless you know Java, I think you will struggle. I suggest you reach out to the developer and discuss your needs with them.