# Airlink XE as backup

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/airlink-xe-as-backup/8934>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [August 20, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/airlink-xe-as-backup/8934 "2014-08-20T19:37:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pjgonzales](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@pjgonzales](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pjgonzales)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/airlink-xe-as-backup/8934/1 "2014-08-20T19:37:05Z")

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Our customer wants to send out text messages via email as their primary method of alert notification, but wants to have a backup method in case their internet goes down. They currently use Win911, but that will change once we implement their Ignition installation. I have recommended using the SMS notification module and an Airlink XE as their backup system. Is it possible to set up a ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ notification method using both internet and SMS? Alternatively, could they use a cellular modem or router to simply redirect network traffic if their primary internet goes down? (ie: use a primary and secondary addressing scheme in Windows, allowing them to still reach the internet via the cellular router)

Any information would be helpful. Thanks.

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**Author:** ![james.hunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@james.hunt](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/james.hunt)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/airlink-xe-as-backup/8934/2 "2014-08-22T22:14:27Z")

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With a alarming pipeline you can have a primary and secondary notification block setup with first being the email notification and the second being sms. Then you can use a python script to validated internet access with the urllib2 library , with the internet\_on() function. With this function you could have it on a timer script that check after fixed period of time to make sure that the internet is available. If this returns false then have it right a 0 to a memory tag that is being check by a expression block to see the state of the tag when a alarm event is fired.

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**Author:** ![pjgonzales](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@pjgonzales](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pjgonzales)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/airlink-xe-as-backup/8934/3 "2014-08-26T20:04:45Z")

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Awesome! Once I get the Airlink Ill set it up and give it a shot! Thanks!