aircard drivers + sierra watcher

I received an Aircard 860 today and it's installed at the moment in my CF-18 system that's running Xp.

I downloaded and installed the Sierra 'Wireless Watcher' software which tries to talk to the card but it keeps saying 'failed to communicate with device'.

I re-installed the device driver in case something had gone wrong, but it seems to be fine.

Who's tried out an 850 or 860 card and had it working with Wireless Watcher?

The software link is:

http://www.sierrawireless.com/en/si...ftware/watcher/Build2258/Watcher_Generic.ashx

on this page:

Sierra Wireless - AirCard® 860

Bit stumped as I'd expected no problems with the software talking to the hardware.

Craig.

 

Unless the card has been "unlocked" the Sierra AirCard 860 is "locked" to AT&T.

 

Craig, have you updated to the latest firmware on the card?
I have had no problems at all with both my aircards.
It would also be a way of seeing if the card is faulty, if the updating software can't find it, it could mean a faulty card.

Fraser

 

Craig, as yopu have probably gathered I've been trying to get an internal solution to my WWAN problems too, my most recent attempt is on it's way from here.
I'm hoping to remove the inbuilt antenna on the card and replace with a socket and run a cable to the internal antenna.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Fraser

 

I'm using Watcher version R3.1.0.34 build 2258 (I think the latest version) with a Sierra 850 on my Windows 7 CF-18 without any problems...... I tested XP too and it worked fine too..

 

Have you actually seen the antenna on this AirCard ?

 

Yup!
I'm hoping that it has a wire (internally)that connects to the retractable antennas, that I can connect to, so I can basically cut the end off the card.
It would be even nicer if the retractable antennas have a small wire that has a U.FL plug on it to connect to the board.
I think the door on the CF18 "might"just close with the antennas retracted, so I may get away with just removing the antennas.
I like a challenge!

The main challenge is just opening PCMCIA cards!!!

 

I can give u pics later today, how I had cutted down this card to fit behind the door.

 

Yes please!

 

It was sold as unlocked. I tried it both with and without my current mobile broadband SIM (Virgin - aka Singtel/Optus) in the card and the response was the same both times. So I don't think it's related to being carrier-locked (but that's something to keep in mind).

Might well be card firmware since all the device drivers for the card itself appeared to auto-locate and install without any hassles using the regular Xp tools for when new hardware is plugged in.

I'll try to work out how to check and update the card's firmware and see where that might lead.

Craig.

 

Click here
And see how it goes...
I've flashed mine heaps of times with no ill effects.
The firmware files downloaded from sierra can be extracted using winrar, and if you run the executable contained in there directly, it lets you choose which bin(firmware file) to flash to the card, so it's easy to go back to an older version too.
Just note the existing firmware version so you can change it back if you want.

Fraser

 

Here we are:

(...It's over 2 years ago...)
U will see the card normal and how the door will not close. On the last pic u can see the card cutted with an dremel. It's all a ground area. I grinded also the antenna connector, until the pcmcia door can be closed.

 

Doing a firmware update on the Aircard 860 did the trick - Sierra Watcher can now talk to the card and it sits there trying to find a network. I might see if the adaptor cable for an e169 will mate up with the socket on the card so I can try my outside-mounted 2.1 ghz antenna (seeing as the card is meant to work with it).

Craig.

 

I too have the AirCard 860 and it was unlocked and previously used on Cingular and when I updated the firmware the card is now locked. Go figure!! I presently don't have the card activated however I just find it funny that by updating the firmware the card is locked..

 

Which firmware did you use: AC8x0-FW-U1_2_40.exe or AC860_U1.2.56.exe ?

 

I used .AC860_U1_2_56 which I downloaded from Sierra Wireless - AirCard® 860 for AT&T. I just found it funny that the card with a Cingular Sim card would at least attempt to find the network but then after I updated the firmware now I just get a massage on the AirCard program advising me that the card is locked..

 

Since the 2.56 is for at&t it makes sense that it would "relock" the card back to Cingular/at&t.

How about trying the other firmware (which appears to be "generic") and see if it works and "re-unlocks" the card?

 

can i downgrade the firmware??

 

I have the original Cingular simm card in the card and like I said it would at least seek the network and show signal strength before I updated the firmware.

 

It will either work, or it won't.

 

If you download the older firmware then use winrar to extract it you will see a file called BinUpdater, all you need to do is run it, it then asks you to locate the firmware file (it is a file like AC88XC_DLEX_F1.2.3.15), just select it and it will then continue to load that file, weather its an update or downdate)

Fraser

 

Ok the aircard 860 works fine with the updated firmware and sierra watcher software. I still do have it verified as being able to connect to any wireless networks here where I live, perhaps because the signals are so poor and the card probably does not work with all the signal types that my service provider users.

I have purchased a newer aircard 881 (has an antenna 'bulge' on the end) to try out. Drivers for it installed automatically and sierra watcher picked it up straight away so no drama there and the firmware appears fine with that one (though I might check for an update anyway). Main problem is of course it's large bulgewhich prevents the PCMCIA door closing when the card is plugged in.

Going out in the country today to look at houses to rent (we're being kicked up here as owner wants to sell in 3 months) and will take the CF18 with the various aircards and my e169 as well to check out performance in various places.

Craig.

 

Craig, are you aware the 881 has a built in GPS?


Fraser

 

Are you sure about that?

The Sierra Wireless AirCard® 881 Data Card specs show it's GPRS capable, but I don't see anything about GPS.

BTW: the 881 is the card I was using in my Toshiba Tecra before I became "Toughbook Addicted."

 

U can activate the GPS. Read further here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/408117-installed-wwan-cf-19mki.html

 

First: the site mentioned: http://www.free0n.com/how-to-activat...card-881u-gps/ returns "Oops! Internet Explorer could not find www.free0n.com".

Second: there is a BIG difference between AirCard 881 (PC Card) and AirCard 881U (USB).

 

1. Sorry, but I'm not the webnaster of this page U could try a search for ' how to activate gps on aircard 881 '
2. I'm not sure, but what is the difference, except the formfactor?

 

From Sierra Wireless AirCard 881 7.2 (AT&T) Product Features comes: "Connectivity: GPS Not Available".

Apparently, GPS-capability.

All positive Google returns as to GPS-capability are for AirCard 881U.

However, I did find where the 881 can be used for " LOCATION BASED SERVICES", but it appears that this is based on triangulation from the terrestrial-based cell towers and not from the GPS satellites.

YMMV

 

Not everything, what they tell u has to be true. ;-)
Inside of the 881U is an mini-pci-express-card. I would say this is the same hardware-base, like in the 881, where the gps is disabled. There are a lot of umts like cards today, where the gps is disabled, because of the lack of space in the chassis or the (electronic-)laws of the country, where u can buy them. So I would wait until someone, who own an 881 had tried to enable the gps-possibility and can give as an response to clarify this out.

I would say it, this A-GPS will also work without the signal of an mobile network. I have not only one of them. They update the almanach for a fast fix over the network, but they work also without the net, where I live. The original antennas are bad, u will lost the signal on every cloud over u. But with my active geohelix it works very good.

What is 'YMMV'?

 

I have the 881 PCMCIA version, all I had to do was upgrade to a particular firmware version, and use the latest watcher. The watcher detects the GPS and gives you a button to turn it on.
You also end up with another comm port which is a nmea port that you can use with other GPS software.
It can also use the GPRS/GSM network for location finding (if your network supports it) it WILL work with NO network, as mine even works without a SIM card.
It is a "real" GPS.
If you have the external antenna from a 850/860 plugged into the 881, the gps gets a heaps better signal (mine locks on in our double-brick slate roofed house.
The first time I tried it it took a good 5 mins OUTSIDE to lock on.
Here is the page of the one I bought with links to the GPS firmware.

Cheers,
Fraser

 

Tried the 881 yesterday and it detected the network without a problem but would not connect citing an invalid profile, so I'll need to fix that up. The software detects the core Optus network and automatically adds a profile but the APN, etc. are not correct for the ISP I use (Virgin, who re-sells Optus 3G).

I'll try out the firmware upgrade suggestion to see if the card really does have some sort of GPS support. I wonder if the GPS hardware would be usable with an application like Visual GPS...

Anyway more focusing on getting the cards (860 and 881 so far) to work with the Optus network.

Craig.

 

Here's the answer:

"The Trick is to Use an UNLOCKED 881 & the Sierra Watcher Program Instead of the AT&T program provided on card."

Thanks for that link!

 

....Like I said before

 

It will work with any program that uses nmea data and a com port!

There's also a button as part of the app that you press, and it opens up google earth and shows you an arial shot of where you are...very cool!

Fraser

 

Anyone have any information on how to unlock the card????

 

'dc-unlocker' for example. u have to pay 10euro for one credit, which u need to unlock the card. don't forget to enable the nice voice-option of the card.

 

I was hoping that someone had information or a web page that they could direct me to. BTW I need to unlock a Sierra Wireless AirCard 860

 

Ok I'm in Darwin today and have tried out the 881 card with my Virgin broadband (aka Optus) 3G SIM. I can get the card to detect the network when I do a search but I cannot get a profile configured with the right network ID number.

By default the card creates an 'Optus Australia' profile with the network ID number shown up greyed out (I can't edit it) as '505002'. Virgin's network requires that number to be '50502'. I can edit the APN string without a problem, but when I do that, and click 'apply', the network ID number changes to all zeros and stays greyed out on the profile editing window in the watcher application.

When I was down in SA the other day with the card actually giving me a network to connect to, it was claiming 'invalid profile' so I think it's related to the inability (at present) to correctly set the network ID number as that will stop the SIM from being authenticated.

I'm going to try doing a firmware upgrade on the 881 card now and then try out the SIM in it again (currently it's back in my Huawei e169) to see what happens.

Craig.

 

Just for interest Craig, have you tried a "manual scan" of networks available to see what it comes up with?

Fraser

 

Yes. I had to open the metal venetian blind in the motel room to get enough signal for the card to detect the Optus network (it's getting the Telstra 2G and 3G networks already). I don't think it's getting enough signal though as it doesn't give me an indication in the main part of the watcher window for a network to connect to. With my e169 plus an external 5 dbi antenna Mwconn is showing about -101 dbm (roughly 20 percent) signal strength so the 881 probably needs an external antenna here as well (don't have the right patch lead).

Also with regard to the internal GPS, I fired up Visual GPS and located the NMEA data port for the 881 card (shows up as com 22 labelled as 'sierra wireless NMEA data port [umts]) however not much is happening. I found the 'display GPS' option in Watcher and that seems to enable the GPS. I'm not sure if Visual GPS is over-riding Watcher's own GPS monitor or if both applications can 'share' access to the NMEA data.

I don't have my SIM in the 881 at the moment, though I don't see any reason that SIM not being present affects what the GPS does. Having an external antenna for the card will probably help though.

Craig.

 

Craig, if you have the antenna for the 860, it fits the 881 too, and helps with a signal.
As for the GPS, the first time I used it, I had to click it on, let it search, then once it times out, do it again, and do it outdoors.

Yes you need the watcher gps app to be open, with the gps button pressed , then open your GPS software, the watcher app actually turns on the GPS. the next step is to get the baud rate correct on your application to match the baud rate of the com port, then somewhere in your application there should be a way to see the raw nmea data stream, this will let you confirm the baud rate is correct.

Do you ever come over to Melbourne?

Cheers,
Fraser

 

Ok,
I already have a 775 running in my 29, unlocked on tmobile sim &unlocked for voice too. running 3gwatcher installed from AC775_NB_ENU_R4.2.0_1070.msi (from a sierra archive server), ver 4.2.0.5. sms, voice, data (I've been burnin up that 5gb "unlimited" limit). But 220kbs is just a little too slow, and i'm paying for hspda anyway, so....

I got an 860, unlocked, with voice. Obviously the 3gw for the 775 doesn't work for it. But neither does he 3gw generic specified earlier in this thread. it locks up for about 60 seconds, finds the card and just looks for signal. I did set up the profile for the right server, but it doesn't even find network. I also tried another older version of 3gw, and that doesn't work either.
I also upgraded the firmware the the 8x0 specified earlier in this thread, and tried everything all over agian, wth no luck.
I will note that the light on the card simply blinks red, and nothing else.
Dead card?

Also, the 775 3gw shows the dialpad for the 775, but none of the other watchers I tried showed a phone dialer or the like for the 860, jsyk

BTW, the cingular software sucks horribly. Big and clumsy, and definantly not friendly for unlocked cards...

 

Ok,
after dealing with the seller from ebay (sunsunsun, pleasure to deal with btw) I'm online with the 860 (flashed the 860 firmware and used the most recent watcher(I was afraid if the 860 firmware 'locked' the card back, they wouldn't exchange it if necessary))

Anyway, they sent me this link which I believe requires a donation of whatever amount you want!

Cool.

I'm still having issues with the voice portion, and they are working with me on that (they want me to flash it with the 8x0 firmware)

Does anyone know if voice capability is required to fax with this modem (that's what I need it ultimately need it for)?

 

The main problem I'm having is that when using the 881 card with sierra watcher, it will not let me set the network number, even though I can set the actual APN string.

I can create new profiles, but any variation of the default APN string cause the network number to default to 0.

Craig.

 

My 881 card has the most recent firmware version (I've just done the update and realised I'd already done it!) yet I still cannot set the network code (the numeric ones - not the APN which I can change) in the profiles section of the Wireless Watcher software. Otherwise everything appears to be in order, though without being able to set the network code I can't create a valid profile to use with my network's SIM to set up a connection.

I have also updated the watcher (I noticed a build 2612 that was newer than what I was using) but it still will not allow the network number to be edited. It's possible that the SIM is configured to not allow it to be changed.

Has anyone else come across this issue and figured out a solution?

Craig.

 

a few posts ago, I threw out an address for unlocking sierra cards, based on voluntary donation

to unlock sierra cards