Sprint

Field Service Manual

Sprint Installation and programming of Sierra Wireless Aircards and Associated Routers.

Author:
Richard Steele
Data Communication Services
866-267-0245 x2

3569 Drennon
Campbellsburg, KY. 40011

Disclaimer:

The author is not an employee of Sprint, Kyocera, D-Link, Cyfre, or Linksys. All information and opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Data Communication Services. Data Communication Services, and the author, offer no guarantees or warrants any of the information to be free of defect or absolutely correct. Reader is advised to use any contained information at their own discretion.

This document is meant for field service and marketing personnel of Data Communication Services. It is not meant for general distribution. It contains information gleaned from personal experiences with cellular data services and serves as an aid in the initial programming of those services.

This document is very much in its infancy and the reader will note many areas where further testing and evaluation are required.

Please submit any corrections or modifications to the author for future inclusion.

Copyright 2007 by Data Communication Services. All rights reserved.

Description

This is a step by step procedure document outlining the steps to be followed to initially activate, program and install a Sierra Wireless Aircard into a supported router.

The document contains information on the following products.

Aircards

Sierra Wireless Aircard AC580 (PCMCIA or Cardbus)

Sierra Wireless Aircard AC595 (PCMCIA or CardBus)

Sierra Wireless Aircard 595U (USB)

Sierra Wireless Aircard 597E (Express)

Novatel S720 Aircard (PCMCIA or Cardbus)

Novatel U727 Ovation Aircard (USB)

Novatel EX720 (Express)

Routers

Cyfre MR 819 (CMR1)

D-Link DIR-450

Kyocera KR-1 router.

Linksys WRT54G3G-ST router

ZyXel ZyWALL2WG router

Please note. Sprint PCS network covers the 1850-1990MHz PCS band.

Please note. The Sierra Wireless Aircard AC595 will support Sprint’s Revision A network. All router OEM’s are working on firmware upgrades to their routers to support the AC595. Availability of such firmware is undetermined. The AC580 will not support Sprint’s Revision A network.

Please note: Preliminary testing finds that the AC580 AirCard is able to deliver 75% of the downlink and 50% of uplink of an AC595 AirCard. In practical terms the AC595 AirCard has seen a great improvement over uplink performance. We have measured the AC580 AirCard at several EV-DO sites and find its uplink at 70-100Kbps in the Kentucky region. Rule of thumb for normal browsing requires 20Kbps uplink. Surprisingly latency is marginally better on the AC580 Aircard than the AC595 AirCard. The added advantage of the AC595 AirCard would come in its ability to support additional file transmit capacity rather than increased active users. Interestingly we have also noted that bandwidth and latency is better at the urban rural boundary rather than internal to the totally urban environments in Louisville and Lexington.

Please note: The AC595 AirCard has been found to be an exceptional card for reception in fringe areas. The AC595U also has exceptional RF capabilities and can be used in areas of fringe Rev A coverage. Some of the smaller framed aircards such as AC597 and AC598 are suspect.

Please note: EV-DO sites in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio are either EV-DO Revision 0 or EV-DO Revision A as of this writing. Sprint plans to deploy EV-DO Revision A with target bandwidth of 3Mbps downlink by 1Mbps uplink starting in Ohio (Cincinnati/Columbus) spring of 2007 followed by Louisville, Indianapolis by summer 2007. They will also continue to roll out Revision 0 to the more rural cell sites in the same time frame with further upgrades to follow. No other cellular provider has such aggressive bandwidth plans in this region.

Please note: Use of external antennas and boosters can have only marginal signal improvements. They will not greatly increase one’s bandwidth. The cell tower controls the amount of bandwidth per user and active phones in use on a sector. Tower “breathing” occurs under loaded conditions. A cell site coverage is not fixed. As a cellular sector becomes loaded the tower will drop off the more remote, ie. weaker, cell phones/Aircards with the expectation that another tower sector will pick up the workload. The cell tower controller sends out transmit power commands to the cellular transmitting device: cell phone, AirCard, booster with the intent that all units transmitting to a tower will do so with the least amount of power required to allow communications above the noise threshold. Increasing RSSI will improve one’s Tx bandwidth as well as the Rx bandwidth. Only antenna height and clear line of site to tower improves RSSI.

Please note: It has been found that the selection of Internet Browser can affect latency, response times, and bandwidth. For instance, IE7 causes 2 times the latency of Mozilla Firefox and increases browsing times and decreases delivered bandwidth.

Target customers for the Sprint product offering fall into the following segments:

• Road warriors that travel to cities with unpredictable 802.11 coverage; and, into rural settings where no other broadband offerings are available other than cellular coverage. Such customers will able to use their laptops at broadband speeds across much of the continental United States.
• Residential users that are unable to acquire DSL or cable broadband services at the near fringes of metropolitan areas or located near Interstate freeways. Such a client base today is served by fixed wireless and satellite offerings. If the client is able to receive Sprint’s EV-DO revision 0 service then they are a prime candidate for a cellular product offering instead of satellite. If the client is able to receive Sprint’s EV-DO revision A service then they are a prime candidate for a cellular, or cellular plus router, product offering instead of satellite, microwave, DSL, or cable.
• Corporate users that are in an EV-DO Revision A footprint that have interest in our redundant bandwidth product offerings in conjunction with satellite or as a replacement for the satellite link.

For comparison testing use the following speed test site:
http://www.sprint.com/speedtest

Programming overview

After a customer order Field Services will pull from stock the necessary hardware products to meet the order requirements.

1. Record all product registration numbers on the Service Order.
2. Activate all cellular AirCards.
3. Program the AirCards using a service laptop with the latest Sprint dashboard software. (Use the appropriate dashboard offering with the appropriate card.)
4. Upgrade the firmware on all routers and program them for Sprint service.
a. Check Sprint.com/downloads for firmware for any AirCard – also the Linksys router firmware can be found here – but not the Kyocera.
5. Insert, test, and verify the AirCard functions in the router.

Key point: Router firmware upgrade and AirCard programming occur separately until all units are ready. Inserting an un-programmed AirCard into a router can cause the router PROM to be loaded with incorrect information requiring a POST reset procedure. Only marry the two products together once all programming and upgrades have been completed.

Key Point: Sprint dashboard product provided with the AC595 works also with the AC580. The newest Sprint Communications Manager does not support Rev 0 cards.

The AirCard 595 is supported on MacOS X v10.4. Go to SierraWireless.com > Support AC595 and download Watcher Lite. The disk image (.dmg) file will support Powerbook G4 systems with PCMCIA slots. (Novatel S620, 720, AC580, AC595, AC595U) are also supported. Refer to sprint.com/downloads and MacOS for further details.)

PCMCIA AirCard or USB AirCard

If using a USB product – the connection made to the computer will be through a USB connection rather than a PCMCIA slot. Also, most manufacturers do not recommend the use of USB hubs with their USB products. Any extension cable used should be an "active" USB cable.

1. Remove the CD-ROM from the provided Sprint AirCard product. (Never use the CD-ROM or any on board version for the connection manager. One should always go to sprint.com/downloads and download the SmartView connection manager from there.
2. Install the Sprint SmartView "dashboard" and drivers onto the target laptop.
3. Restart laptop.
4. Launch Sprint PCS Connection Manager (dashboard). Indication: No device…
5. Insert the AirCard into an open PCMCIA slot. Indication: Updating hardware…
   1. Dashboard is loading programming and service information into the AirCard.
   2. Several cycles may occur.
   3. Once complete the Sprint Activation Wizard will launch.
6. Enter activation (lock) code (MSL#).
   1. If provided lock code does not work try either 6285 or the last four digits of the provided phone number (MDN).
7. Enter phone number (MDN) with no dashes or punctuation. Also enter the MSID (IMSI_S).
   1. Dashboard will indicate: Updating user profile…
   2. AirCard is updated with authentication information.
   3. Dashboard will indicate: Resetting modem…
   4. Dashboard will indicate: Disconnected when completed.
8. From the dashboard press the GO button
   1. Dashboard will indicate: Authenticating…
   2. Dashboard will indicate: Connected when PCMCIA establishes cellular connection.
9. From the dashboard press sequence: Menu > Software Updates > Check Now
   1. Download updates and POST (Power On System Test) any hardware required.
10. From the dashboard press sequence: Menu > Device Info
    1. Review and record all service info on the Service Order.
    2. Record “Network device signal” and “Network Service” if work is performed at customer location.
11. From the dashboard press sequence: Menu > Settings > Sprint PCS Vision – Sierra Wireless.
12. Select from Roam Mode the Sprint radio button if able.
13. Launch testmy.net and perform dual test.
    1. Record bandwidth numbers on Service Order.
14. Launch PING –n 20 www.cpe-labs.com and record average latency on Service Order
15. From the dashboard press the STOP button
16. Exit dashboard.
17. Windows tray safely remove USB drivers for Aircard, bottom entry first.
    1. Note: A true USB product may or may not have drivers that require this step. One may be able to proceed to the next step.
18. Remove PCMCIA card.

Some additional notes of interest…
The Sierra Wireless cards support two modes of operation: RAS and NDIS. RAS stands for Remote Access Services and NDIS stands for Network Driver Interface Specification. It is not clear from the names of these two modes what the difference is. For laptop users the difference is in the way the laptop will recognize the AirCard. In RAS mode the laptop will act as if the AirCard is a dial up networking device. In NDIS mode the AirCard will perform in an “always on” mode and will come online after insertion without loading the Connection Manager. From operational usage it is unclear what benefit is derived from either operational mode. However, it seems to be a Windows issue and not a router issue. If your card seems to stall or loose connectivity try changing to NDIS mode via Tools>Settings…>Mobile and select the NDIS radial. The AirCard will have to be disconnected before this change can occur.

Some later versions of Smartview by default will not allow multiple connections. To allow the aircard and LAN to work together go to Tools > Settings > Hardware > select "Allow Simultaneous Connections".

Updating Aircard firmware

Smartview can not upgrade firmware on cards. Use Connection Manager to upgrade firmware and Smartview for PRL. This of course means that you have to install/uninstall the proper software application for the upgrade desired.
You should check for firmware updates monthly.

1. Mount the Aircard (PCMCIA, Express, USB) and launch Sprint SmartView – the dashboard application.
2. # Menu item> Tools> Check for Application Updates Now…
3. # If there are updates either automatic or custom methods can be used. May be best to select custom and review the updates.
4. If there is a PRL update then realize that it first has to be downloaded and then flashed into the Aircard PRAM before it will function.
5. Disconnect from the mobile broadband service.
6. Menu item> Tools> Update Data Profile (IOTA). (Will also load PRL into PRAM)
7. Close Sprint SmartView and restart the SmartView to make sure upgrades were successful.

Additional Firmware Support Notes:

1. Starting with Smartview releases beginning 2.22.xxxx will not recognize some of the older versions of the AC595 aircard, ie. firmware p1905001 and PRL 20224. You will get "No devices Available" or "No wireless Device Detected". To circumvent launch Sierra Wireless Connection Manager to read the card and use manual flash programs to update to latest RevA firmware. Then Smartview will recognize aircard.
2. If manual flash and get CCT ERROR 1603 this is because the aircard has an ESN of 12345678. This aircard has not been activated.

## Codes

The Sprint dashboard provides several “hidden” menu screens. All are accessible by hovering the cursor over the “GO” button and entering the following commands in all capital leters. (In some later versions of Smartview an ending "#" must be included to open the menus.)

• ##DATA (You will need the MSL lock code to enter this programming mode. Try 0000 if card has not been activated.) One can also reset card to factory defaults via the settings tab.
• ##DEBUG (all of the nitty-gritty details of your network connection including latitude/longitude and temperature at the tower.)
• ##PRL (you will need the MSL lock code to enter this programming mode.) Used to force the upload of a PRL file into Aircard eprom. Search your disk for all ".PRL" files before you launch this. The newest file will have the largest numbered name.

http://EVDOforums.com is an address you can go to for information on these menus.

Sierra Wireless Debug Log

In folder Program Files>Sprint>Sprint PCS Connection Manager
There is a DebugLog appliction file.

To start a debug log launch the debug log application before you launch the PC based Sprint Communications Manager (dashboard).
Launch Wordpad
Once the error is encountered Save the log file
Screen capture by using PrtScrn windows key
Paste the screen capture into Wordpad.
Then close everything down

Email the log file to MOC.TNIRPS|SGOLMC#MOC.TNIRPS|SGOLMC

Other upgrade logs

Look also in the directory C:\TEMP Sierra Wireless file name: CCT_ERROR…
Novatel file name: FLASHCDMALOG…

Kyocera KR-1 router

Kyocera support line: 888-351-5353 open 7x24
The KR-1 does not support the AC595 or AC595U. The only Rev A card supported is the Novatel S720.

1. Do not put card in router at this point.
2. Download the latest firmware version for the KR-1 from support.dlink.com
   1. http://support.dlink.com/products/view.asp?productid=KR%2D1
   2. Current recommendation is RK1008
   3. This will download as a .bix file
3. POST router.
4. Set up laptop for LAN address 192.168.0.2 255.255.255.0
5. Connect Cat5 patch cable between laptop and any router switch port.
6. Browse to http://192.168.0.1
7. Enter user name “admin” and no password.
8. Select Status
   1. In Device Information make sure Firmware is RK1006 and above. We have successfully tested with version RK1008.
9. Upgrade firmware to desired level.
   1. Tools > Firmware > Browse
   2. Select the proper .bix file.
   3. Press the Apply radio button.
10. Select Status.
    1. Confirm firmware version
    2. Note proper AirCard product identifier
11. Power down router.
12. Insert programmed AirCard done in earlier steps.
13. POST KR-1.
    1. Status light will be red during POST.
    2. Status light will go out during cellular authorization process.
    3. Status lights when ready will be solid green for Power, Status, WAN. Blinking green for WLAN.
14. Browse to http://192.168.0.1
    1. Check all final values
    2. Note Signal Strength
    3. If no IP address depress Connect button.
    4. Light indications should be solid green for Power. Blinking green for WLAN.
    5. Perform any post install tests.

Kyocera Reset Sequence.

1. Paperclip depress reset button for 10 seconds.
2. Hold reset button in for all of the following steps.
3. Pull power holding reset for 30 seconds to reset PROM.
4. POST with reset for 10 seconds.
5. Pull power with reset in
6. Release reset button
7. Wait 5 minutes
8. POST

Linksys WRT54G3G-ST router

Linksys support line: 800-546-5797 open 7x24

1. Do not put card in router at this point.
2. NOTE: Linksys has varying degrees of support denial dealing with this product offering. They OEM’ed the device for Sprint but expect Sprint to provide all support. This is not the best situation. March 2008: Support has improved over this earlier comment and situation. Linksys now has this router on their website. The link is www.linksys.com/sprint
   1. Download the latest firmware version for the WRTG54G3G-ST from sprint.com/downloads.
      1. Select your operating system from the pull down menu. Use Windows XP when in doubt and realize this may change in the future as the router does not fit this menu selection structure.
      2. Select the Firmware upgrade for the WRT65G3G-ST router by saving the .bin file to disk
      3. Extract the firmware from the .zip file if required.
3. POST router.
4. Set up laptop for LAN address 192.168.1.2 255.255.255.0
5. Connect Cat5 patch cable between laptop and any router switch port.
6. Browse to http://192.168.1.1
7. Enter blank user name and password “admin”.
8. Check the Firmware Version at the top bar. We have tested the following stipulations:
   1. Firmware Version 2.00.4 supports AirCard 595 but not AirCard 580
   2. An unknown firmware version prior to 2.00.4 supports the AirCard 580.
   3. Version 2.00.9 supports both AC580 and AC595.
   4. Version 2.01.13 is considered to be the base support level as it cleans up past problems in router firmware and is now base support for Sprint.
9. Select Administration tab and then Firmware Upgrade if an upgrade is required for the AirCard to be used.
   1. Browse to the .bin file of the firmware desired.
   2. Select the Upgrade button.
   3. Once complete the Upgrade is successful, rebooting… will be displayed
   4. Check the router top line for the proper firmware version.
10. Power down the router.
11. Insert programmed AirCard done in earlier steps.
12. POST WRT54G3G-ST.
    1. Power, Wireless, then WAN light will blink during POST.
    2. AirCard should light red then green or blue.
    3. When WAN light goes solid blue the AirCard is activated on the Sprint network and a WAN connection is established.
13. Browse to http://192.168.1.1
    1. Check all final values
    2. Perform any post install tests.

WRT54G3G-ST Reset Sequence.

1. Paperclip depress reset button for 30 seconds.

NOTE: The router must go through POST to detect model of AirCard inserted.

D-Link DIR-450 router

D-Link support line: 877-453-5465 open 6AM to 6PM Pacific Time.

1. Do not put card in router at this point.
2. POST router.
3. Set up laptop for LAN address 192.168.0.2 255.255.255.0
4. Connect Cat5 patch cable between laptop and any router switch port.
5. Browse to http://192.168.0.1
6. Enter user name “admin” and blank password.
7. Begin Aircard selection on router (If firmware upgrade needed go to next step.
   1. After log onto router from the Setup screen select Manual Configure.
   2. In the WWAN section pull down select the proper ISP Card. (Starting with Firmware version 1.03 the pull down menus do not function with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 specifically 7.0.5730.11. You will have to use Firefox to setup the router.)
   3. Save Settings
   4. Once menu “Settings Saved” displayed, power down router.
8. Check the Firmware Version at the top bar. We have tested the following variations:
   1. Hardware Version: A1 Firmware Version 1.01 supports AirCard 595 & 580 and Novatel S720.
   2. Firmware Version 1.02 has no reported problems and added PX-500
   3. Firmware Version 1.03 adds (3) pull down menus for country, ISP, aircard. This version does not support all internet browsers (see note above). Added Verizon PC5750 and AC595.
9. Select Tools tab and then Firmware if an upgrade is required for the AirCard to be used.
   1. Browse to the firmware file of the firmware desired.
   2. Select the Save Settings button.
   3. Once complete the Upgrade is successful, “The device is restarting…” will be displayed.
   4. After POST establish browser connection and check the router top line for the proper firmware version.
10. Power down the router.
11. Insert programmed AirCard done in earlier steps.
12. POST DIR-450.
    1. Power light will be tinted red during POST.
    2. AirCard should light red then green or blue.
    3. When Aircard WAN light goes solid blue the AirCard is activated on the Sprint network and a WAN connection is established.
13. Browse to http://192.168.0.1 to begin Aircard selection on router (If done previously go to sub step (e).)
    1. After log onto router from the Setup screen select Manual Configure.
    2. In the WWAN section pull down select the proper ISP Card.
    3. Save Settings
    4. It may be required to POST the router again.
    5. Check all final values
    6. Perform any post install tests.

DIR-450 Reset Sequence.

Warm Reset:

1. From a powered up router depress the reset button for 10 seconds until POST process begins. This should reset router to factory defaults.

Force Reset:
DANGER Do not use this procedure unless necessary - has been know to destroy ability of router to function.

1. Power down the DIR-450.
2. Paperclip depress reset button, holding down for 10 seconds during POST sequence.
3. Once released power light will alternate blue/red.
4. Browse to 192.168.0.1 and you should see the crash recovery page displaying only “Firmware Upgrade”. You may have to hit the browser refresh button several times to clear any in system version of the login page.
5. Browse select the firmware to load then Send.

Cyfre MR819 (CMR1) 3G router

Cyfre support line: 877-728-5653 by call back only. Support desk works 8-5 Pacific Time.

1. Place supported card in router - it will auto discover the type of card. There is no provision for the user to select the card type.
2. POST router.
3. Set up laptop for LAN address 192.168.123.2 255.255.255.0
4. Browse to router at address 192.168.123.254
5. The default password is "admin". No provision for userid is given.
6. Use the advanced setup to make modifications to the router set up.
7. There is a provision for a "keep alive" to keep the router constantly connected to the 3G network but we found that there was no need to do so as the wakeup connection was very fast and produced no noticeable difficulties.

Note: This router contains a USB cable that serves as an adapter for the PC Express card/34. This cable is unique in the industry and worth the price of the router. One wonders when a company will come up with a desktop stand for the express card to allow direct USB connection.
Note: This router has basic QOS capabilities by allowing one to prioritize traffic by port number.

The base firmware for this router is R7.0064. This firmware version supports all of the carriers and cards we normally support. To upgrade the firmware perform these steps:

1. Download the ZIP formatted firmware upgrade from the Cyfre web site.
2. Extract the .BIN file from the ZIP file.
3. from the advanced setup select the following tabs:
4. Toolbox > Firmware Upgrade > Browse (to file) > Upgrade

ZyXEL ZyWALL2WG 3G router

ZyXEL support line: ?. Support desk works 8-5 Pacific Time.
(SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

1. Place supported card in router - it will auto discover the type of card. There is no provision for the user to select the card type.
2. POST router.

Top Global MB6800 3G router

Top Global support line: ?. Support desk works 8-5 Pacific Time.
(SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

1. Place supported card in router - it will auto discover the type of card. There is no provision for the user to select the card type.
2. POST router.
3. By default the router is at ipaddr 172.16.0.1 with admin id public and password public.

This router supports USB aircards. If the aircard has a battery, such as the Sierra Wireless AC595U, the router will fail to power the aircard. It will work only as long as the battery maintains power. We can not support this router with any battery powered aircards.

This router is very strong with remote support and control. The router supports flashing of firmware and PRL updates.