Sierra Wireless AirCard 595 User manual

AirCard® 595 PC Card
User Guide
2130681
Rev 1.0

Preface
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 2
Important Notice Duetothenatureofwirelesscommunications,transmission
andreceptionofdatacanneverbeguaranteed.Datamaybe
delayed,corrupted(i.e.,haveerrors)orbetotallylost.
Althoughsignificantdelaysorlossesofdataarerarewhen
wirelessdevicessuchastheSierraWirelessmodemareusedin
anormalmannerwithawell‐constructednetwork,theSierra
Wirelessmodemshouldnotbeusedinsituationswherefailure
totransmitorreceivedatacouldresultindamageofanykind
totheuseroranyotherparty,includingbutnotlimitedto
personalinjury,death,orlossofproperty.SierraWireless
acceptsnoresponsibilityfordamagesofanykindresulting
fromdelaysorerrorsindatatransmittedorreceivedusingthe
SierraWirelessmodem,orforfailureoftheSierraWireless
modemtotransmitorreceivesuchdata.
Safety and Hazards DonotoperatetheSierraWirelessmodem:
•Inareaswhereblastingisinprogress
•Whereexplosiveatmospheresmaybepresent
•Nearmedicalequipment
•Nearlifesupportequipment,oranyequipmentthatmay
besusceptibletoanyformofradiointerference.Insuch
areas,theSierraWirelessmodemMUSTBEPOWERED
OFF.TheSierraWirelessmodemcantransmitsignalsthat
couldinterferewiththisequipment.
DonotoperatetheSierraWirelessmodeminanyaircraft,
whethertheaircraftisonthegroundorinflight.Inaircraft,the
SierraWirelessmodemMUSTBEPOWEREDOFF.When
operating,theSierraWirelessmodemcantransmitsignalsthat
couldinterferewithvariousonboardsystems.
Note: Some airlines may permit the use of cellular phones while the
aircraft is on the ground and the door is open. The Sierra Wireless
modem may be used at this time.
Thedriveroroperatorofanyvehicleshouldnotoperatethe
SierraWirelessmodemwhileincontrolofavehicle.Doingso
willdetractfromthedriveroroperatorʹscontrolandoperation
ofthatvehicle.Insomestatesandprovinces,operatingsuch
communicationsdeviceswhileincontrolofavehicleisan
offence.

Preface
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 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.SIERRAWIRELESSANDITSAFFILIATES
SPECIFICALLYDISCLAIMLIABILITYFORANYANDALL
DIRECT,INDIRECT,SPECIAL,GENERAL,INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL,PUNITIVEOREXEMPLARYDAMAGES
INCLUDING,BUTNOTLIMITEDTO,LOSSOFPROFITSOR
REVENUEORANTICIPATEDPROFITSORREVENUE
ARISINGOUTOFTHEUSEORINABILITYTOUSEANY
SIERRAWIRELESSPRODUCT,EVENIFSIERRAWIRELESS
AND/ORITSAFFILIATESHASBEENADVISEDOFTHE
POSSIBILITYOFSUCHDAMAGESORTHEYARE
FORESEEABLEORFORCLAIMSBYANYTHIRDPARTY.
Notwithstandingtheforegoing,innoeventshallSierra
Wirelessand/oritsaffiliatesaggregateliabilityarisingunderor
inconnectionwiththeSierraWirelessproduct,regardlessof
thenumberofevents,occurrences,orclaimsgivingriseto
liability,beinexcessofthepricepaidbythepurchaserforthe
SierraWirelessproduct.
Patents Portionsofthisproductmaybecoveredbysomeorallofthe
followingUSpatents:
5,515,013 5,629,960 5,845,216 5,847,553 5,878,234
5,890,057 5,929,815 6,169,884 6,191,741 6,199,168
6,339,405 6,359,591 6,400,336 6,516,204 6,561,851
6,643,501 6,653,979 6,697,030 6,785,830 6,845,249
6,847,830 6,876,697 6,879,585 6,886,049 6,968,171
6,985,757 7,023,878, 7,053,843 7,106,569 D442,170
D459,303
andotherpatentspending.
Thisproductincludes
technologylicensedfrom:
LicensedbyQUALCOMMIncorporatedunderoneormoreofthe
followingUnitedStatespatentsand/ortheircounterpartsinother
nations:
4,901,307 5,056,109 5,101,501 5,109,390 5,228,054
5,267,261 5,267,262 5,337,338 5,414,796 5,416,797
5,490,165 5,504,773 5,506,865 5,511,073 5,535,239
5,544,196 5,568,483 5,600,754 5,657,420 5,659,569
5,710,784 5,778,338
ManufacturedorsoldbySierraWirelessInc.oritsLicensees
underoneormorepatentslicensedfromInterDigitalGroup.
Copyright ©2007SierraWireless.Allrightsreserved.

Preface
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 4
Trademarks AirCardand“HeartoftheWirelessMachine”areregistered
trademarksofSierraWireless.
SierraWireless,theSierraWirelesslogo,theredwavedesign,
andWatcheraretrademarksofSierraWireless.
Windows®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.
MacOSisatrademarkofAppleComputer,Inc.,registeredin
theU.S.andothercountries.
QUALCOMM®isaregisteredtrademarkofQUALCOMM
Incorporated.
InstallShield®isaregisteredtrademarkofMacrovisionCorpo‐
rationintheUnitedStatesofAmericaand/orothercountries.
Othertrademarksarethepropertyoftherespectiveowners.
Comments
Additional
information and
updates
Forup‐to‐dateproductdescriptions,documentation,appli‐
cationnotes,firmwareupgrades,troubleshootingtips,and
pressreleases,visit.www.sierrawireless.com.
Sales Desk: Phone: [phone]
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time
E-mail: [email protected]
Post: Sierra Wireless
13811 Wireless Way
Richmond, BC
Canada V6V 3A4
Fax: [phone]
Web: www.sierrawireless.com

Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 5
Table of Contents
Introducing the AirCard® 595 PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Wireless PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CDMA 3G services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Additional AirCard PC Card features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The AirCard 595 PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The AirCard PC Card drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
The AirCard 595 software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
AirCard PC Card software installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PC Card insertion and removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Inserting the AirCard PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Removing the AirCard PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Contents
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 6
Automated activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Care and Maintenance of Your AirCard PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Watcher Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Always On Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Connection Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Call Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Indicator area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Minimized icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using an external antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Important safety/compliance information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 7
1
1: Introducing the AirCard® 595
PC Card
Note: This document applies to you, only if your wireless card is the
AirCard 595 PC Card from Sierra Wireless. This document does not
apply, if you are using a wireless card that is built into your computer.
•Welcome
•Feature summary
•Package contents
•System components Welcome
Note: Do not insert the AirCard
PC Card into your PC Card slot
prior to installing the software. It
is important to install the
software and drivers in the
correct order. For detailed proce-
dures, see page 15.
TheSierraWirelessAirCard 595PC Cardisadual‐band
wirelessPC CardforcellularandPCSnetworks.Itenhances
thefunctionalityofyourmobilecomputingdevicebyadding
2‐waymessagingandhigh‐speedmobiledatainextended
areas,comparedtowirelesslocalareanetworks.
ThisPC Cardallowsyoutodothefollowing(subjecttofeature
availability),withoutusingawirelinephoneornetwork:
•ConnecttotheInternet,VPNandcorporatenetworks
•Sendandreceivelargee‐mailmessages
•SendandreceiveSMSmessages
•Conductvideo‐conferencing
•Accessstreaming,real‐timemedia
•Playgamesonline
Note: You can view this guide online or print it to keep on hand. If
you're viewing it online, simply click a topic in the Table of Contents, or
a page number in the Index, or any page reference or section
reference. (Most text that is blue is a clickable link.) The PDF
automatically displays the appropriate page.

Introducing the AirCard® 595 PC Card
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 8
Feature summary
Note: For step-by-step instruc-
tions to access features of the
AirCard PC Card, consult the
online help available with
Watcher™(page 29).
TheAirCardPC Cardisdesignedtoprovideawiderangeof
capabilitiesusingCDMAnetworktechnology.Implementation
ofthesefeaturesdependsontheparticularserviceprovider
andaccountfeaturesyouhavechosen.
Somefeaturesdescribedinthismanualmaynotbesupported
byyourserviceproviderormaynotbeavailablewithyour
networkaccount.Fordetailsoftheservicesandaccounts
available,contactyourserviceprovider.
Wireless PC Card
Onceinstalledandconfigured,theAirCardPC Cardcan
connecttotheCDMAnetworkautomatically.Youjustinsert
theAirCardPC Card,allowWatchertoautolaunchand
authenticateyouraccountonthenetwork,thenlaunchyour
Internetbrowser(whichyoucanalsoconfigureinWatcherto
launchautomatically)—you’reonline!
Alternatively,youcanmakeahigh‐speeddataconnection
withoutrunningWatcher—simplybylaunchingwhatever
applicationyouwanttouse(suchasyourwebbrowseror
e‐mailapplication).Prerequisites:youmusthavepreviously
selected,inWatcher,“Always-on”forthehigh‐speedconnection
and(subjecttofeatureavailability)“Enable NIC for data
connections”.
TheAirCardPC Cardalsoallowsyoutodialupamodem
(suchasacorporateserver).
CDMA 3G services
TheAirCardPC Cardoperatesoveratypeofwirelessnetwork
calledCDMA (CodeDivisionMultipleAccess).
CDMA 3Gtechnologyprovidesavarietyofconnectivity
features,dependingonyourserviceproviderandaccount:
•1x‐EVDORev.AsupportsInternetconnectionswithdata
ratesupto3.1 Mbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and
1.8 Mbps(uplinktothenetwork).Averagedataratesare
450‐800 Kbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and
300‐400 Kbps(uplinktothenetwork).Actualspeed
dependsonthenetworkconditions.
•1x‐EVDORev.0supportsInternetconnectionswithdata
ratesupto2.4 Mbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and
153 Kbps(uplinktothenetwork).Averagedataratesare
400‐700 Kbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and

AirCard® 595 PC Card - User Guide
92130681
40‐80 Kbps(uplinktothenetwork).Actualspeeddepends
onthenetworkconditions.
•1XsupportsInternetconnectionswithdataratesupto
153 Kbps.Actualspeeddependsonthenetworkcondi‐
tions.
Oncetheconnectionisestablished,youcanopenyourbrowser
andconnecttoanywebsitethatisaccessiblethroughthe
Internet,oraccessotherInternetservices(suchase‐mail).
Theconnectionis“active”whendatatransmissionis
occurring.Ifdatatransmissionstopsforaperiodoftime
(determinedbythenetwork),theconnectionbecomes
“dormant”;seepage 27.
•Circuitswitched(dial‐up)data,usingtheearlierCDMA
IS‐95specification,supportsdataconnectionstoanydial‐
inserviceatratesupto14.4 Kbps.
•QNC (QuickNetConnect),providesasimplifiedwayto
dialintoanInternetconnection(usingcircuitswitched
data)where3G(1xEV‐DOor1X)high‐speedpacket
serviceisnotavailable.
•SMS (ShortMessageService),allowsyoutosendand
receiveshorttextmessagesusingtheAirCardPC Card.
Additional AirCard PC Card features
BeyondthefeaturesoftheCDMAnetwork,theAirCard
PC Cardprovidesadditionalsoftwarefeatures:
•PINsecuritycodetoprotectyourAirCardPC Cardand
accountfromunauthorizeduse.
•AnActivationWizard(page 19)toassistwithconfiguring
yourCDMAaccount.
•SoundoptionstocustomizeringtonesforSMSmessages.
•ACallLogtotrackoutgoingcallsanddeterminethe
amountofdatatransferred.

Introducing the AirCard® 595 PC Card
Document 2130681. Rev 1.0 Jan.07 10
Package contents
YourAirCardPC Cardpackagecontainsthefollowingcompo‐
nents:
•AirCard 595PC Card
•InstallationCDcontainingtheAirCardPC Cardsoftware,
thisuserguide,andwarrantyinformation
•QuickStartGuide
System components
YourAirCard 595PC Cardisjustonepartofasystem
designedtoprovideyouwithawiderangeofcommunication
features.Everycomponentofthesystemisneededtoenable
thesecapabilities.
Your host computing device
YournotebookhoststheAirCardPC Cardhardwareandruns
thecommunicationsoftware:yourwebbrowserore‐mail
application,andWatcher—theAirCardPC Cardenabling
software.
Youmayalsohaveothersoftwareonyourcomputerthatcan
beusedwirelesslywiththeAirCardPC Card,suchas:file
transferapplications(FTP),chatorinstantmessaging,aVPN
(VirtualPrivateNetwork)client,clientsoftwareforacorporate
serverapplication.
The AirCard 595 PC Card
TheAirCardPC Cardprovidesyourcomputerwitha
connectiontotheCDMAwirelessnetwork.
TheAirCardPC CardfitsintoastandardType IIPC Cardslot
availableonmostnotebookPCs.
EveryCDMAnetworkoperatesononeofthreeradio
frequencybands.Asadual‐bandproduct,theAirCard
PC Cardoperatesontwoofthesebands(seepage 32),
providingawidecoveragearea.