MMS Settings with Sierra Aircard 750

MMS Settings with Sierra Aircard 750 SearchSearch
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Hugo Rodger-Brown
New member
Username: Hugorodgerbrown

Post Number: 3
Registered: 01-2004
Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 11:13 pm:   

I've been having problems with MMS settings for my Vodafone Mobile COnnect card, so have got hold of a Sierra Aircard 750, which I've installed, and which works great using the Airwatcher software. Unfortunately I can't make a connection of any sort through DUN or NowSMS. I don't know if this is important, but I can't seem to use the aircard without the watcher software running, as it "powers down" the card when stopped?

Hugo Rodger-Brown

The mmswapdebug.log is shown below:

23:04:20:056 InitTAPI: Performing TAPI initialisation
23:04:24:783 GetCIDForAPN: Sierra Wireless AirCard GPRS Modem
23:04:24:783 GetCIDForAPN: wap.vodafone.co.uk
23:04:24:783 InitTAPI: Returning cached TAPI session information
23:04:24:813 OpenDevice: lineNegotiateAPIVersion failed error 80000042 (2147483714), device = 8
23:04:24:813 OpenDevice: lineNegotiateAPIVersion failed error 80000042 (2147483714), device = 9
23:04:27:086 GetCIDForAPN: AT+CGDCONT=?
23:04:27:156 GetCIDForAPN:
+CGDCONT: (1-10),"IP",,,(0,1),(0,1)

OK

23:04:27:156 GetCIDForAPN: minCID = 1, maxCID = 10
23:04:27:156 GetCIDForAPN: AT+CGDCONT?
23:04:27:226 GetCIDForAPN:
OK

23:04:27:226 GetCIDForAPN: AT+CGDCONT=10,"IP","wap.vodafone.co.uk"
23:04:27:296 GetCIDForAPN:
OK

23:04:27:296 WSPRasDial: Before RasDial NowSMS - Sierra Wireless AirCard GPRS Modem
23:04:32:494 WSPRasDial: Error 619 (26B) from RasDial
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1660
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 05:08 pm:   

Hugo,

So you were unable to get anywhere with the Vodafone Connect card? Even after changing the name of the modem driver, as referenced in our previous discussion:

http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/485/2157.html

The Sierra card is a little different from other cards.

I'll post more complete details on the Aircard 750 setup as a follow-up to this message shortly.

The quick answer is that in order to operate without Watcher, after you configure Watcher to not auto-load ... when you exit Watcher, it will power down the Aircard. However, if you then remove the Aircard, and re-insert it, then it will initialise itself without Watcher loaded.

Do make sure that before you do this, you have configured Watcher to auto-connect to the "wap.vodafone.co.uk" APN.

Also, instead of selecting the "Modem: Sierra Wireless Aircard GPRS Modem" driver, there should be one that says "Network: GPRS".

The Aircard auto-loads a network driver to handle the GPRS connection, so when that is loaded you cannot use dial-up to establish another GPRS connection, which is why you are seeing an error. (The good news is that it is actually better this way, as the Aircard keeps the GPRS connection open all of the time, whereas with other modems, NowSMS has to mode switch between SMS and GPRS access which is less efficient.)

I will follow-up with more detail on the Aircard setup in an hour or so.

-bn
Hugo Rodger-Brown
New member
Username: Hugorodgerbrown

Post Number: 4
Registered: 01-2004
Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 05:36 pm:   

Thanks Bryce. I did actually manage to rename the Vodafone modem to get rid of the "[" and "]", but to be honest I was having such problems just getting the modem to work normally it seemed easier to ditch it and use the spare Sierra card we had in the office. Unfortunately I need to return the aircard on friday :-(

BTW Patch 4 didn't change the outcome.

Thanks for your help on this.

Hugo
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1669
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 06:49 pm:   

Hugo,

I would have expected the MMSWAPDEBUG.LOG to be different with the update (or with the modem driver name changed). The problem before is that NowSMS creates a RAS profile name of "NowSMS - modem driver name". And while "[]" is valid in the name of a modem driver, it is not valid in a RAS Profile Name. Therefore, the connection would always fail.

I'm plugging in my Aircard 750 right now, so more on that in about 15 minutes.

-bn
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1670
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 07:18 pm:   

Hugo,

As I mentioned, the Aircard is a bit different from other GSM/GPRS modems, because it has its own network driver. This allows the modem to be simultaneously used for SMS and GPRS. (Normally, when NowSMS is using the GPRS capabilities of a GSM/GPRS modem, in order to send or receive MMS, SMS activity is suspended until the GPRS activity is complete. This is not the case with the Aircard.)

Here's how to get started with the Aircard 750:

1.) If you have a PIN configured for the SIM, remove it before putting the SIM into the Aircard. Although NowSMS has the ability to send the PIN, this only works for enabling SMS functionality, it will not work for GPRS functionality through the Aircard's GPRS network driver.

2.) Identify the version number of the Sierra Wireless software. This can be done from the Watcher startup screen, or from the Help/About option in Watcher.

If you are not running a v3.x release of the Aircard software, then I strongly suggest that you update. The update details are here:

http://www.sierrawireless.com/SupportDownload/SupportDownloadDocumentation/ac750 -choice.asp

3.) Next, go into Tools/Options within the Watcher menu.

Under "Profiles", Add a profile for your network operator, if you have not already. Otherwise, edit the existing profile. Specify the GPRS APN and the user name and password associated with it. Specify "Auto Connect". Make sure that "Default Profile" is checked for this profile. (Also note that the APN that you configure here is the APN that is used for MMS connections, and may differ from the APN that is used for internet connectivity through the Aircard.)

4.) Exit Watcher. Remove the PC card. Wait a couple of minutes. Re-insert the PC card. Confirm that it automatically re-establishes a GPRS connection.

5.) Back in Watcher, go to Tools/Options, and go to the "Display" menu. Uncheck "Auto-launch Watcher". I recommend this, as otherwise the SMS application built into Watcher can sometimes receive SMS messages before NowSMS does, which can present problems.

6.) Exit Watcher.

7.) Remove the card. Wait a few minutes. Re-insert the card.

8.) After a couple of minutes, the card should get a GPRS connection, and you should see an icon on the task bar that indicates this. The task bar icon can be inconsistent, you can also run IPCONFIG from a command window to see if the "GPRS Aircard" is listend as a network driver, and if it has been assigned an IP address (which would indicate that it is connected).

If you are not getting a GPRS connection, you may need to go back to Watcher for troubleshooting.

9.) The Aircard should now be setup. Go to the NowSMS configuration program.

10.) To route outbound MMS messages through the operator MMSC, go to the "MMSC Routing" page. Add a new route.

"Account name" and "Account Description" can be set to any value, as they are used only internal to NowSMS.

"Default Sender Address" should be blank.

"Allow Sender Address Override" should not be checked.

"Route Messages to this account for recipient phone number(s)" should be set to "*" if you are going to route all MMS messages out through this MMSC.

"Route messages via" should be set to "MM1".

"Server Address" is the MMS Server URL for the service. (Some common operator settings can be found at http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/485/491.html.)

"Login Name" and "Password" are usually left blank. (This is a login name and password for the MMSC, not for the GPRS APN. I am not aware of any service providers that require this setting as phones generally do not allow this to be configured.)

"Use specific network connection (GPRS Modem)" should be checked.

"Network Connection" should be "Network: GPRS Aircard" (or some similar text). By selecting a "Network:" entry instead of a "Modem:" entry, this indicates that the device has its own network driver, and that we will not be using dial-up networking.

"WAP Gateway IP Address" is the IP address of the operator WAP gateway (see the thread referenced above with settings). Note that NowSMS v5.0 has a bug and does not like leading 0's in the IP address. (For example, Vodafone in the UK's WAP gateway IP could be written as either 212.183.137.12 or 212.183.137.012. Specify 212.183.137.12, as otherwise the leading 0 could cause a problem.)

For "Modem Used", specify "(none)". (As a "Network:" driver is being used, technically, a modem is not being used. This means that NowSMS can continue to perform SMS functions against your modem, even while it is using GPRS.)

"GPRS APN" and the "Login Name" and "Password" settings below it are not used when a "Network:" driver is used. (These settings need to be configured in the network driver, which we did earlier using Watcher.)

Press "Test Connection" to verify that NowSMS can connect to the WAP gateway IP address via the specified "Network Connection".

11.) For receiving inbound MMS messages, similar settings need to be specified. These are defined under the "Properties" for a modem that has been defined on the "SMSC" list.

"Receive SMS Messages" and "Receive MMS Messages" must be enabled. The "MMS Settings" button links to a page where the settings are defined for connecting to the MMSC over GPRS, similar to the previous step.

Use "Test Connection" to verify that NowSMS can connect to the WAP gateway through the specified "Network Connection".

Options for how received MMS messages are processed are described at the following link:

http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/2_way_mms_support.htm

12.) That should complete the configuration.

==

More general info on the NowSMS side of the setup can be found here:

http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/mms_notifications_and_c ontent/Connecting_to_operator_MMSC.htm

The big difference with the Aircard is that you have to contend with Watcher. And that you have to configure the driver to automatically connect via GPRS instead of configuring everything in NowSMS. But while this is more difficult to configure, it is better because of the simultaneous SMS and GPRS support.

-bn
Hugo Rodger-Brown
New member
Username: Hugorodgerbrown

Post Number: 5
Registered: 01-2004
Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 11:59 pm:   

Hooray - I finally got it all working. The next problem is actually receiving the MMS messages correctly. I'm not getting anything in the MMS-IN directory (which doesn't exist yet), but I am getting SMS in, which look like hte following:

[SMS-IN]
ModemName=Sierra Wireless AirCard GPRS Modem
Sender=VodafoneMMS
PhoneNumber=+44799...
Data=You have a Vodafone MMS From:44798...
Please access http://www.mms.vodafone.co.uk:8080/m/c?url=m1;message-id=9128309
Binary=0

I assume this means that the SIM needs to be MMS enabled, though I thought from documentation that I saw elsewehere on the site (I can't find it now!), that that shouldn't be the case?

Hugo
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1680
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 04:13 pm:   

Hugo,

Yes, the SIM needs to be MMS enabled. (Actually, it's not an attribute of the physical SIM, it is an attribute in a database maintained by the operator.)

Usually you have to call the operator to get it enabled on your account. (Although I have experienced a few operators that automatically enable you the first time that you connect to their MMSC and send a message through the MMSC.)

-bn
Anonymous
 
Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 11:28 am:   

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Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 2445
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 03:01 am:   

An additional note on the Sierra Aircard 750 configuration.

When using NowSMS v5.50, under "Receive SMS" (highlight the modem entry in the "SMSC" list and press "Properties" to view this menu), we recommend setting "SMS Message Storage" to "Direct to Modem".
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 2550
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 02:12 pm:   

Moderator Note:

This discussion thread is for issues related to the Now SMS/MMS Gateway and the Sierra Wireless Aircard 750.

Please do not add unrelated questions to this discussion thread, or they will be deleted.
Mike Griggs
New member
Username: Magriggs

Post Number: 3
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - 09:15 pm:   

Bryce

I was following your instructions for the Aircard installation above. I exit the Watcher for the first time, then re-insert the card and watch it re-establish its connection. However, when I try and run the Watcher again, to disable the "auto-connect", I get the error "Device not available" from the Watcher software.

Any ideas?

Thanks
mike
Mike Griggs
New member
Username: Magriggs

Post Number: 4
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 01:12 am:   

Hi Bryce

As a follow-up, the Aircard is in a PCI to PCMCIA adapter card. I think that this is causing the problem, especially having seen this post here (http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/485/996.html).

mike
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 2627
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 03:02 am:   

Mike,

Yes, PCI to PCMCIA adapters seem to be sensitive. You might need to reboot.

Also, try loading Watcher with the card removed ... then insert the card and see if Watcher detects it when it is inserted. I've had some luck with this when making configuration changes in the past.

-bn
Mike Griggs
New member
Username: Magriggs

Post Number: 6
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 08:29 am:   

OK, more info coming through now...

1. I have managed to get rid of the Watcher problem. Not entirely sure how, although rebooting with the NowSMS services disabled helps. And then rebooting, and rebooting, and rebooting...

2. Try as I might, I can't get a default gateway to be assigned to that Aircard. It's on Windows 2000 Server, any known issues or problems with that Bryce?

3. I put the Aircard (with the adapter) into a clean XP install, and it works just fine and dandy.

So, either there's an issue with the hardware, etc., on Windows 2000 Server, or that particular install of it is broken.

I'll let you know what else I find out. After I've had about six coffees to wake me up.

:-)

mike
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 2639
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 06:32 pm:   

Mike,

Someone else who was encountering some similar problems to what you describe found the following link on the Sierra web site:

http://mycusthelp.com/sierrawireless/supportkbitem.asp?sSessionID=&Inc=778&sFilA =FAQ%20Category&sFilB=Products&sFilC=&FA=19&FB=11&FC=-1&KEY=Aircard%20750%20does n't%20work%20on%20PC%20running%20Windows%20XP%20with%20actiontec%20PCMCIA%20adap ter

The Aircard has a problem being installed on an IRQ greater than 15, and the above link has a patch for resolving this problem.

Arthur
Unregistered guest
Posted on Monday, July 12, 2004 - 05:48 pm:   

I've followed all the steps you list in this thread and the aircard seems to work, but then after a while the network connection disconnects on its own for some reason.

Is this a feature of the watcher to disconnect after a while if there is no traffic or something?

BTW, I'm using XP on a laptop with nowsms v5.50c

Thanks
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 3054
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 - 07:59 pm:   

Hi Arthur,

I notice on my own laptop that occasionally the GPRS connection will drop for no apparent reason, but then come back a few seconds later. I attribute this more to problems at the operator ... but it is always possible that it is an issue with the card.

I don't think there is any idle disconnect feature built in, as I notice that it connects back up again without any traffic being initiated.
Arthur
Unregistered guest
Posted on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 - 11:03 pm:   

Hmmm... Mine doesn't seem to connect again...

By the way, is there some reason you can't run the watcher and nowsms? Except for this disconnect issue, which seems to happen with and without the watcher, I don't see any problem running both watcher and nowsms...

Thanks
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 3076
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, July 16, 2004 - 08:10 pm:   

Hi Arthur,

The primary problem with running Watcher is that Watcher can sometimes grab SMS messages before NowSMS gets them.

If you're not worried about receiving any messages (sending only), then there is no problem running Watcher.

-bn