What are the reasons for SMPP error 13 (decimal)?

Symptom

When attempting to connect to the Vonage SMPP server, I received error code 13.

Applies To

• SMPP
• SMS
• Error 13

Resolution

The generic meaning of this error (0x0d - 13 - ESME_RBINDFAIL) is Bind Failed.

The error can occur due to connecting to an incorrect endpoint (mis-matched zone), due to the account not being SMPP-enabled, or due to bad credentials.

For mis-matched zone, see Which host and port do I use to connect to the Vonage SMPP server?

For accounts that are not SMPP enabled, submit a Support request.

For error due to bad credentials:

1. Ensure the password (API Secret) meets the following requirements.
   
   • Alphanumeric Characters (a-z , A-Z, and 0-9) only
   • Minimum 1 lower case character
   • Minimum 1 upper case character
   • Minimum 1 digit
2. Restrict the API Secret to the number of password characters limited by the server/proxy in which the SMPP bind configurations are set up. The default Vonage API secret is 16 characters. If your SMPP system follows the SMPP standard of 8 characters maximum, please shorten your API secret to a maximum of 8 characters. You can change the API secret in your Vonage API account dashboard, under the menu Settings.