AirCard® 800 Series Wireless Network Cards Installation Guide Includes: AirCard 880 Wireless Modem AirCard 881 Wireless Modem AirCard 880 Express Card Wireless Modem AirCard 881 Express Card Wireless Modem AirCard 875 Wireless Modem AirCard 860 Wireless Modem AirCard 850 Wireless Modem 2130623 Rev 3.
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.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Trademarks AirCard modem® and Heart of the Wireless Machine® are registered 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.
Table of Contents Introducing the AirCard 800 Series Wireless Network Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 AirCard 800 Series wireless network cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Services supported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Your account and coverage area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 AirCard modem software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Regulatory and Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Important notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Safety and hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Important safety/compliance information for North American users. . . . . . 24 Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . .
1: Introducing the AirCard 800 Series 1 Wireless Network Cards • AirCard 800 Series wireless network cards • Your account and coverage area • AirCard modem software AirCard 800 Series wireless network cards The AirCard 800 Series 3G wireless network cards are modems 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.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Your account and coverage area Note: If you purchased the AirCard modem 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. You must have an account with a GSM service provider to use the AirCard modem. To use the modem’s 3G capability, your account must be with a service provider who offers HSDPA or UMTS service.
AirCard modem software AirCard modem software The AirCard modem comes with this software (made by Sierra Wireless): • The Watcher program that you use to manage the AirCard modem and monitor your connections • The driver software that forms the interface between the network card and your Windows operating system Frequency band support The following table shows the frequency bands supported by the various AirCard products Table 1-1: Frequency band support Technology 2G 3G Bands Products Location 85
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2: AirCard Installation • System requirements • Install Watcher software • Setting Internet Explorer to use the AirCard modem 2 System requirements The AirCard modem is supported on: • Windows® Vista™ • Windows XP (Home and Professional versions) • Windows 2000 For information on using the AirCard modem with other operating systems, contact Sierra Wireless Technical Support (support@sierrawireless.com).
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide To activate an account, the service provider needs from you: 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 21. • Billing information (such as a credit card number) used to collect payment for your network usage • Possibly the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), depending on your service provider.
Install Watcher software Install Watcher software Note: Users of Windows 2000 must be logged in with administrative privileges. Users of Windows XP may require administrative privileges. Note: If you are running Windows 2000, Windows Installer Redistributable 2.0 must be installed. This is available on the Microsoft web site, www.microsoft.com. Note: You may require your Windows CD. Ensure you have the CD before proceeding. 1. If the AirCard modem CD is not already in your CD‐ROM drive, insert it.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Watcher should launch automatically when the AirCard modem is inserted. If your AirCard modem has not yet been configured to use your account, you are prompted to do so. See “Setting up a profile” on page 22. Setting Internet Explorer to use the AirCard modem If you are using Internet Explorer as your browser, and it is set to connect to the Internet through a dial‐up modem, you must set it to use a LAN (local area network) card.
Setting up a profile • IP (Internet Protocol) Address (if the address is not automatically assigned by the network) • Use of IP header compression • DNS (Domain Name Server) address or addresses Your service provider may give you only one APN in which case you require only one profile. Some service providers assign separate APNs for separate purposes. For example, some service providers supply one APN to use for Internet browsing and a different APN to use with a VPN.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide The AirCard modem as a network card The AirCard modem 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 modem) that causes the AirCard modem to establish a network connection whenever you insert it, assuming GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, or HSDPA service is available.
3: Watcher Basics • Launching Watcher • Frequency band selection Note: It takes up to 20 seconds for Watcher to become fully functional after launch. 3 Watcher is the program you use to manage and monitor your AirCard modem connections. Watcher allows you to: • Create an account profile.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Frequency band selection Watcher has two options that affect your ability to obtain GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, or HSDPA service in any given area. You can select: • The frequency band you want to use • The network you want to use, if you are within the coverage area of more than one network Every GSM network operates on one set of frequency bands. The AirCard modem is designed to change frequency bands automatically as required to obtain network service.
4: Care and Maintenance of Your Network Card 4 You can ensure reliable operation and long life of your AirCard modem by adhering to these guidelines in storage and use: Note: Do not insert the AirCard modem before installing the software. See “AirCard Installation” on page 11. Protect the card from liquids, dust, and excessive heat (see “Environmental specifications” on page 30 for details). • Do not apply adhesive labels to the AirCard modem or SIM.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Stopping and ejecting the AirCard modem To remove the AirCard modem: 1. Close Watcher if it is open. 2. Click the PC Card icon in the status area to display the option to stop the card. 3. Click the appropriate option, depending on your operating system and the model of AirCard modem. 4. If a dialog box appears notifying you that it is safe to remove the card, click OK.
Removing a SIM card Figure 4-2: Ejecting the SIM card 4. Gently pull the SIM card from the slot until it slides free. AirCard 875, 88x, and 88xE modems To remove the SIM/USIM card, you need a pen. 1. Place the AirCard modem on a smooth, hard surface such as a tabletop, or hold it face down. 2. Gently insert the pen into the end of the eject slot farthest from the SIM slot. Slide the pen towards the SIM slot. The SIM card pops out of its slot. Figure 4-3: Ejecting the SIM card 3. Rev 3.7B May.
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5: Regulatory and Safety Information • Important notice • Important safety/ compliance information for North American users • EU regulatory conformity 5 Important notice Because of the nature of wireless communications, trans‐ mission and reception of data can never be guaranteed. Data may be delayed, corrupted (that is, have errors) or be totally lost.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide cations. Failure to observe this instruction may lead to suspension or denial of cellular telephone services to the offender, or legal action or both. Some airlines may permit the use of cellular phones while the aircraft is on the ground and the door is open. The AirCard modem may be used normally at this time.
Regulatory and Safety Information Where appropriate, the use of the equipment is subject to the following conditions: WARNING (EMI) – United States FCC Information – This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in an appropriate installation.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide colocated with any other transmitter or antenna within a host device. 3. A user manual with the end product must clearly indicate the operating requirements and conditions that must be observed to ensure compliance with current FCC / IC RF exposure guidelines. 4.
Regulatory and Safety Information This equipment contains equipment certified under IC: 2417C‐AC875. • For an end product with an embedded AirCard 880 wireless network card: This device contains FCC ID: N7NAC880. • For an end product with an embedded AirCard 881 wireless network card: This device contains FCC ID: N7NAC881. This equipment contains equipment certified under IC: 2417C‐AC881.
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6: Technical Specifications 6 This chapter provides technical data for the AirCard modem. LEDs For a description of LED functionality, see the 3G Watcher online help.
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide Table 6-1: Radio frequency and electrical specifications for AirCard 850 / 860 /875/ 88x / 88xE modems (cont.) Frequency stability 0.
Index A IRQ (interrupt request) 11 account 8 always‐on data connection 16 antenna attaching 12, 13 APN 14 L C care and maintenance 19 channel raster 29 channel spacing 29 copyright information 3 coverage area 8 D DNS 14 driver 9 launching Watcher 17 LEDs 29 liability, limitation of 3 M maintenance 19 memory required 11 N network overview 8 notebook PC inserting AirCard modem 13 removing the AirCard modem 20 system requirements 11 E ejecting a SIM card 20, 21 ejecting the AirCard modem 20 electrical
AirCard 800 Series Installation Guide radio frequency 29 storage temperature 30 when not using card 19 system requirements, notebook PCs 11 V T Watcher introduction 17 launching 17 Windows 2000 as a supported operating system, service pack 11 inserting the card 13 Windows 98 as a supported operating system 11 inserting AirCard modem 13 Windows Me inserting the card 13 technical specifications 29–30 temperature 30 trademarks 4 transmit frequencies 29 U user name 14 32 vibration 30 W 2130623