Key Takeaways
- Quarterly fire-alarm MMS is a cropped panel tag plus zone status — not a lobby selfie that “proves” the tech was there.
- Fail photos go to the AHJ / building owner queue. Pass SMS to occupants is a different template with no deficiency crop.
- Free is 1 device, 300 SMS lifetime, and 300 contacts. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year. Platform price is devices plus send volume.
- Occupant login OTP stays off the inspection SIM.
- Idempotency is asset-id plus inspection-period — techs retake the same panel.
Summary
Scenario 441 is field-service MMS for fire-alarm and sprinkler quarterly inspections — not HVAC commissioning, not meters, not DVIR, not key handover. The photo that matters is the panel tag and the zone LEDs, cropped so a reviewer can read the device ID. Service pricing is devices plus SMS send volume. You bring the phones and operator credit. Free is 1 device, 300 SMS lifetime, and 300 contacts.
Starter allows 2 devices: inspection dual-SIM plus a spare. Uncapped platform volume is not unlimited carrier SMS. Confirm MMS fields in Developer Center.
panel tag · zone LED · period
asset-id + quarter — techs retake
A panel photo is not a completion selfie
The reviewer needs the manufacturer tag and the trouble LED, not the tech’s face in the lobby. Reject shots that fail OCR on the asset ID. Occupant SMS never carries the fail crop.
MMS gateway, transactional SMS.
If the tech uploads a wide lobby photo and the desk closes the work order, the AHJ later asks for the panel serial and you have nothing. Gate close on a readable tag crop, not on “photo attached.”
Inspection MMS matrix
| Shot | Audience | Failure |
|---|---|---|
| Panel tag crop | AHJ / owner | Lobby selfie closes the job |
| Trouble LED | AHJ / owner | Occupant sees a fail crop |
| Pass SMS | Occupants | Deficiency text to the building |
| Retake same quarter | Same asset-id | Duplicate “inspected” texts |
Device tag and crop
Persist asset-id plus inspection-period. Signed webhooks. Webhooks, DLR. MCP wraps REST only.
Fail photos vs pass SMS
Fail stays on the compliance thread. Pass is date-only to occupants. NFPA 72 is the inspection language — not a reason to MMS the whole code book.
Devices, volume, and airtime
MMS is heavier than SMS. We still meter devices and platform sends; you pay the operator. Free (1/300/300) is one panel proof.
AHJ operations
Charge the inspection chassis before the quarterly window. Setup, Downloads, pricing.
Decision guide
Ship when close requires a readable tag. Delay if a selfie closes the order. Not a CodeCanyon inspection pack.
Inspection checklist
- Period-keyed idempotency.
- OCR gate on the tag.
- Fail crop off occupant SMS.
- OTP off the inspection SIM.
- Developer Center fields confirmed.
Next steps
Scenario 381 HVAC, scenario 331 DVIR.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- MMS gateway on your own SIMMultimedia where supported
- two-way SMS inboxReplies on your SIM
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- PHP REST send samplesPHP code examples
