Sierra Wireless AC860, AC850 User Manual
®
AirCard
800 Series
Wireless Network Cards
arInstallation Guide
2130623
Rev 3.1A
Preface
Limitation of
Liability
The information in this manual is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
Sierra Wireless or its affiliates. SIERRA WIRELESS AND ITS
AFFILIATES SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR
ANY AND ALL DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, GENERAL,
INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
EXEMPLARY DAMAGES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUE OR ANTICIPATED
PROFITS OR REVENUE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE ANY SIERRA WIRELESS PRODUCT,
EVEN IF SIERRA WIRELESS AND/OR ITS AFFILIATES
HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES OR THEY ARE FORESEEABLE OR FOR CLAIMS
BY ANY THIRD PARTY. NOTWITHSTANDING THE
FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL SIERRA WIRELESS
AND/OR ITS AFFILIATES’ AGGREGATE LIABILITY
ARISING UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SIERRA
WIRELESS PRODUCT, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF
EVENTS, OCCURRENCES OR CLAIMS GIVING RISE TO
LIABILITY, BE IN EXCESS OF THE PRICE PAID BY THE
PURCHASER FOR THE SIERRA WIRELESS PRODUCT.
Patents Portions of this product may be covered by some or all of the
following US patents:
5,515,013 5,629,960 5,682,602 5,845,216 5,847,553
5,878,234 5,890,057 5,929,815 6,169,884 6,191,741
6,199,168 6,339,405 6,359,591 6,400,336 6,643,501
6,516,204 6,561,851 6,653,979 6,697,030 6,785,830
6,845,249 6,847,830 6,876,697 6,879,585 D442,170
D459,303
and other patents pending.
This product includes
technology licensed from:
Licensed by QUALCOMM Incorporated under one or more of
the following United States patents and/or their counterparts
in other nations:
4,901,307 5,056,109 5,101,501 5,109,390 5,228,054
5,267,261 5,267,262 5,337,338 5,414,796 5,416,797
5,490,165 5,504,773 5,506,865 5,511,073 5,535,239
5,544,196 5,568,483 5,600,754 5,657,420 5,659,569
5,710,784 5,778,338
Manufactured or sold by Sierra Wireless or its licensees under
one or more patents licensed from InterDigital Group.
Copyright ©2005 Sierra Wireless. All rights reserved.
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 1
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
Trademarks AirCard
trademarks of Sierra Wireless.
Sierra Wireless, the Sierra Wireless logo, the red wave design,
the red-tipped antenna, and Watcher are trademarks of Sierra
Wireless.
Other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
All product specifications are subject to change without notice.
®
and Heart of the Wireless Machine® are registered
2 2130623
Table of Contents
Introducing the AirCard 800 Series Wireless Network Cards . . .5
AirCard 800 Series wireless network cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Supported operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The AirCard as a network card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS service support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Frequency band support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Your account and coverage area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
AirCard software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Before you can begin using the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The SIM Card and Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Inserting a SIM card into your AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Removing a SIM card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Attaching the antenna to your AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Software and Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installation on Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Setting Internet Explorer to use the AirCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Configuring Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Setting up a profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Care and Maintenance of Your Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Stopping and ejecting the AirCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 3
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
Watcher™ Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Launching Watcher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Watcher window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Icons and indicators on the main Watcher window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
View options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Status icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Power Down and Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Frequency band and network selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Frequency band selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Network selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Sending GSM commands to the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Regulatory and Safety
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Important notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Safety and hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Important safety/compliance information for North American users. . . . . . 34
Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
EU regulatory conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4 2130623
1: Introducing the AirCard 800 Series
Wireless Network Cards
• AirCard 800 Series
wireless network cards
• Your account and
coverage area
• AirCard software
• Before you can begin
using the AirCard
• Package contents
AirCard 800 Series wireless
network cards
The AirCard 800 Series 3G wireless network cards are acces-
sories for your PC that allow you to connect to the Internet,
send and receive e-mail, connect to a corporate network/VPN,
or view streaming video, without the need of a network cable
or phone line.
Caution: Do not insert your
AirCard into your PC Card slot
before installing the software.
The AirCard fits into the standard (Type II) PC Card slot
available on most notebook PCs.
Supported operating systems
The AirCard wireless network cards work in:
• Notebook PCs running Windows 98 SE, NT 4.0, 2000, Me,
and XP. (See Chapter 3 for more details.)
The AirCard as a network card
The AirCard 800 Series network cards can be configured to
provide the “always-on” data connection that an Ethernet card
or other wired LAN card provides. That is, you can set options
in Watcher™ (a program that comes with the AirCard) that
will cause the AirCard to establish a network connection
whenever you insert it, assuming GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS,
or HSDPA service is available. (See “HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE,
and GPRS service support” on page 6.) Otherwise, you can
configure Watcher to connect only when you select a button.
The AirCard connection provides access to the Internet. Once
the connection is established, you can open your browser and
connect to any web site available on the Internet, or access
other Internet services (such as e-mail).
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 5
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS service
support
GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSDPA are add-on data services to
GSM mobile phone networks. The maximum data speeds
when connected on these services are:
• GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)—56 kbps
• EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment)—216 kbps
• UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)—
384 kbps
• HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access)—up to
1.8 Mbps on the downlink (receive) with 500 to 800 kbps
typical
GPRS and EDGE are 2G (second generation) data services.
UMTS and HSDPA are 3G (third generation) data services.
When establishing a connection, your AirCard uses the fastest
available service. If, for example, you are using an AirCard in
an area that has GPRS and EDGE service but not UMTS or
HSDPA service, the AirCard connects using EDGE service.
These data connections are Internet connections. Once the
connection is established, you can connect to any web site
accessible through the Internet or use Internet services (such as
e-mail).
Frequency band support
Every GSM network operates on one of these radio frequency
bands, in providing 2G (GPRS or EDGE) service:
• 850 MHz band—(also called the cellular band) used by
some North American service providers
• 900 MHz band—used by some European service
providers
• 1800 MHz band—used by some European and Asian
service providers
• 1900 MHz band—(also called the PCS band) used by
many North American service providers
Every network that offers 3G UMTS/HSDPA service does so
on one of these bands:
• WCDMA 850—used by North American service providers
• WCDMA 1900—used by North American service
providers
• WCDMA 2100—used by European, Asian, and Australian
service providers
6 2130623
Introducing the AirCard 800 Series Wireless Network Cards
The AirCard 850 and AirCard 860 support all of the 2G bands.
The AirCard 850 supports the WCDMA 2100 3G band (for use
outside of North America). The AirCard 860 supports the
WCDMA 850 and WCDMA 1900 bands (for North American
use).
Your account and coverage area
Note: If you purchased the
AirCard from a GSM service
provider, you may already have
an account. Otherwise, your
retailer should be able to provide
you with the names of
companies that provide this
service.
Note: The fee for service is
usually higher when you are
“roaming” (connected to a
network other than the one
belonging to your service
provider).
Companies that operate GSM networks and provide access to
those networks are called service providers. You must have an
account with a GSM service provider that offers HSDPA or
UMTS service to use the AirCard’s 3G capability. (The AirCard
is backward compatible to 2G service.)
When you obtain your account, you are given a SIM card, also
called a “smart card” or “smart chip”. (Depending on how you
purchased your AirCard, you may already have an account,
and your SIM card may have been included in your package.)
The SIM card contains account information and must be
inserted in the AirCard anytime you use it.
Before you can use the AirCard, you must install the AirCard
software and ensure that your AirCard is configured to use
your account. Instructions on completing these steps are
provided in the chapters that follow.
Once installed and configured, you can connect to the Internet
with the AirCard in any area in which you can obtain GPRS,
EDGE, UMTS, or HSDPA service. Your ability to obtain service
depends on these factors:
• Proximity to a GSM network—You must be within the
coverage area of a GSM network in order to use the
AirCard.
• Service provider—If you are within the coverage area of a
network that is not operated by your own service
provider, you can only obtain service if there is a roaming
agreement between your service provider and the network
operator.
• Account provisions—Your account may restrict your
usage to certain networks or limit the amount of time you
can use the network.
• Frequency band—You cannot connect to networks
operating in bands not supported by your AirCard,
regardless of roaming agreements or account provisions.
Most service providers have coverage maps on their web sites.
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 7
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
AirCard software
The AirCard comes with this software (made by Sierra
Wireless):
• The Watcher program that you use to manage the AirCard
and monitor your connections
• The driver software that forms the interface between the
network card and your Windows operating system
• The Network Adapter Manager software that allows you
to switch between the AirCard and other network cards
Before you can begin using the
AirCard
Before you can use the AirCard for the first time you must:
1. Install the AirCard software: Watcher, the Network
Adapter Manager, and the AirCard driver.
2. Attach the antenna, insert the SIM into the AirCard and
insert the AirCard into your PC Card slot. (Do not insert
the AirCard before installing the software.)
3. Obtain a GSM account (if this wasn’t done when you
purchased the AirCard).
4. Configure the AirCard to use your account (unless it was
pre-configured.)
5. If your Internet browser is configured to use a dial-up
modem, you may need to set it to use a network card.
The next chapters guide you through this process.
Package contents
Your AirCard package contains the following:
• AirCard wireless network card
• Antenna
• Installation CD containing the AirCard software and this
installation guide
• Quick start guide
8 2130623
2: The SIM Card and Your Account
• Inserting a SIM card
into your AirCard
• Removing a SIM card
• Attaching the antenna
to your AirCard
You require a GSM account and a SIM (Subscriber Identity
Module) card to use the AirCard. The SIM card is a small chip
(about the size of a postage stamp) that you insert into the
AirCard. The SIM contains account information used by the
network to validate your access.
Note: Without a valid SIM card
and a valid account, your
AirCard will not work.
Note: Keep a written record, in a
secure place, of the account
information that your service
provider gives you. Instructions
on creating a profile are in the
section “Configuring Your
Account” on page 17.
Depending on how you purchased your AirCard, you may
already have an account. In this case, the SIM should be
included in your package. Otherwise, your retailer should
direct you to a local company that provides GSM service.
To activate an account, the service provider needs from you:
• Billing information (such as a credit card number) used to
collect payment for your network usage
• Possibly the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identity)—a number that identifies your device (AirCard
model) on the GSM network. This number is printed on
the AirCard box and on the AirCard label.
Your AirCard must be configured to use your account. If
purchased from a service provider, your AirCard may have
been pre-configured. Otherwise, you must set up a profile in
Watcher. Instructions on setting up a profile are described in
Chapter 4.
If you change GSM service providers (such as if you move to a
new city), you will need a new SIM card from your new
service provider. You will also need to set up a new profile.
Inserting a SIM card into your
AirCard
To install your SIM card into the AirCard network card, follow
these steps:
1. If your SIM is attached to a card, detach it and remove any
fragments of the card stuck to the SIM.
2. Hold the AirCard network card with the label on top and
the antenna closest to you.
3. Locate the thin SIM card slot on the left side of the AirCard
PC Card’s antenna end.
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 9
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
4. Orient the SIM card, as shown in the diagram on the
bottom side of the AirCard.
Note: To prevent the SIM from
becoming jammed in the AirCard
slot, ensure the edge of the SIM
is smooth before inserting it. Do
not attach labels to your SIM as
this may also cause it to become
jammed.
5. Insert the end of the SIM card into the slot, and gently
push it until it is fully inserted.
Figure 2-1: Inserting the SIM card Into the AirCard SIM card slot
Once the SIM card is properly inserted, it should not
extend beyond the end of the card.
Removing a SIM card
To remove the SIM card, you will need a narrow object, such
as a pen or a straightened paper clip, to push into the eject
hole.
1. Place the AirCard PC Card on a smooth, hard surface such
as a tabletop.
2. Position your pen or paper-clip above the eject hole, which
is on the top surface of the AirCard housing, just to the
right of the SIM card slot. (See Figure 2-2.)
3. Press down gently (without excessive force) on the eject
hole. The SIM card should pop out of its slot.
10 2130623
The SIM Card and Your Account
Figure 2-2: Ejecting the SIM card
4. Gently pull the SIM card from the slot until it slides free.
Attaching the antenna to your
AirCard
The antenna attaches to the gold-plated connector on the end
of the AirCard.
Figure 2-3: Attaching the antenna to the AirCard
Rev 3.1A Sep.05 11
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide
12 2130623
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