Question about X200 AT&T 3G simcard

If I buy a X200 with AT&T 3G WWAN, will the simcard be included with the machine in the box? Also, can I use that card for GPS, without activating the 3G data service?
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

The SimCard is included in the box. It goes in the battery bay.

I have not put too much effort into getting GPS to work on my x200 Tablet, but I believe it should work fine even without 3G service.

However, you should be aware that when WWAN is enabled, WLAN is automatically disabled. This means that if your GPS application depends on internet connectivity (e.g. Google Maps), then you are SOL without 3G service.

 

Thanks for the answer jon. Another question that I have is that how would I activate 3G service with the card. Do I go to a AT&T store and subscribe to their 3G service or something?

 

Yes, you would contact your preferred GSM provider (e.g. AT&T in the USA). I believe AT&T calls it Laptop connect, it costs $60/month plus taxes/fees, and comes with a 5GB monthly transfer cap.

You could go into a store, call them on the phone, or probably activate online.

Be aware, that you will probably be forced to sign a 2 year contract (although because you already have the hardware you might be able to talk them out of this).

 

If I pay on a monthly basis, and then all of a sudden I want to cancel, would I be allowed to do that?
If I don't pay for a month, would they just cancel it automatically?

 

If you are under contract and you choose to cancel you WILL be charged an Early Termination Fee ($100 < ETF < $200). However, if you are not under contract, you should be free to cancel.

I would not recommend simply not paying. AT&T would probably float you for a month or two, charge you a late fee, report you to a credit agency (for failure to pay), and eventually would close your account AND charge you an ETF (they might involve a collections agency at this point).

 

Sounds like something that AT&T will do honestly. Thanks for all your help. You have been most helpful. Rep+ from me
Thanks once again.

 

Your welcome.

 

WWAN is not the cheapest. I Tether my phone over bluetooth with verizon. Although you aren't "suppose" to do that since they would like to charge you a tethering fee .

 

Same goes with AT&T. If you have a 3G smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Blackbery Bold, etc.) you can tether or pull the SIM and place it directly in the x200.

This should work just fine, but if AT&T catches you (e.g. you are trafficking 100GB+ on bittorrent per month [not something an iPhone would/could do], they will probably cancel your contract AND charge you an ETF. But if you just use it occasionally for "normal" internet traffic (E-mail, web browsing, etc.) they probably won't notice and/or care.

 

Just got my x200 in today...

I've spent a few hours trying to figure out how to connect with my iPhone 3G SIM, but nothing seems to be working. Does anyone have any directions for doing this under Vista?

 

Did you use Access Connections and try and connect using the WWAN card?

You will need a Third Party connection tool (e.g. Access Connections) because Vista doesn't natively support WWAN.

 

Thanks for the response!

I tried to use AT&T's communication manager but get a PPP error. For some reason, whenever I try to access the WWAN card settings in Access Connections, the Ericsson card disappears entirely from my Fn+F5 screen, and Access Connections says that I don't have a mobile broadband card installed.

In general I'm having trouble even turning the WWAN card on, although AT&T's software made the LED light up and did seem to get a signal.

Do you recommend I simply move over to XP, or is there a chance that I can get this working in Vista?

 

It should definitely work in Vista. I have used Access Connections (on Vista) to connect with a Sprint EVDO ExpressCard, and can also get it to attempt to use the F3507G (however, my SIM isn't activated so it doesn't work).

Try using the GPS utility. This will also activate the WWAN card for GPS and should initiate a WWAN connection as well.

If that doesn't work, you can try uninstalling Access Connections, downloading the newest version, and installing it again. If that fails, try to restage the system to factory settings.

There is NO REASON why Vista shouldn't work.

 

Vista can connect to WWAN without third party connection tools. You don't haved to use Access Connections. It's just a layer on top of the existing Vista communications software and can be troublesome. I recommend uninstalling it.

For your WWAN connection, you should be able to set up a Vista dial-up connection to have the WWAN card dial AT&T at *99***1# (no username or password). I should note that I do not have an X200 with WWAN card, but this video shows the Ericsson f3507g working on a T400.

 

News to me, thanks for the tip.

 

I've tried this method connecting under the 3G network profile in Vista, but I come up with Error 734 PPP link terminated.

I don't have another SIM to test this out on, so I'm not sure if that's the root of the problem.

I've heard of people using username and passwords and something to do with APNs. Is there another method using these?

 

AT&T alledgedly stopped using usernames and passwords, but you could try the old Cingular WAP ones. Some have reported this initialization helps.

Unfortunately that's a fairly common error message...

 

I just installed an OEM XP on my system. My networking, in general, seems to behave a lot better - my WWAN actually turns on and off via Access Connections.

Unfortunately nothing I've read seems to be working for me. It does seem like it can see the network, but somehow it's just not connecting. Again, since I don't have a known, working SIM to test, I can't be sure that it's not my iPhone SIM that's the problem.

Thanks for all the help and comments. I'll have to revisit this topic once I can get my hands on a working SIM or simply sign up for data connect service.