Sierra Wireless AIRCARD 595U User manual

AirCard® 595U USB modem
User Guide
2130750
Rev 1.0

Preface
Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 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.
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

Preface
Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 3
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 ©2006SierraWireless.Allrightsreserved.

Preface
Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 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 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 5
Table of Contents
Introducing the AirCard® 595U USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Wireless USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CDMA 3G services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Additional AirCard USB modem features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The AirCard 595 USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The AirCard USB modem drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
The AirCard 595U software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Inserting the removable battery into the modem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Charging the battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
AirCard USB modem software installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
USB modem insertion and removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Inserting the AirCard USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Removing the AirCard USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Contents
Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 6
Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Automated activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Care and Maintenance of Your AirCard USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Watcher Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Always On Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Connection Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Call Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Indicator area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Minimized icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using an external antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Important safety/compliance information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

AirCard® 595U USB modem - User Guide
72130750
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 8
1
1: Introducing the AirCard® 595U
USB modem
Note: This document applies to you, only if your wireless device is the
AirCard 595 USB modem from Sierra Wireless. This document does
not apply, if you are using an AirCard 595 PC Card or a wireless
device that is built into your computer.
•Welcome
•Feature summary
•Package contents Welcome
Note: Do not insert the AirCard
USB modem into your USB slot
prior to installing the software. It
is important to install the
software and driver in the correct
order. For detailed procedures,
see page 15.
TheSierraWirelessAirCard 595USBmodemisadual‐band
wirelessUSBmodemforcellularandPCSnetworks.It
enhancesthefunctionalityofyourmobilecomputingdevice
byaddingwirelessdataand2‐waymessaging.
ThisUSBmodem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e‐mail
•SendandreceiveSMSmessages
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.
Feature summary
Note: For step-by-step instruc-
tions to access features of the
AirCard USB modem, consult
the online help available with
Watcher™(page 30).
TheAirCardUSBmodemisdesignedtoprovideawiderange
ofcapabilitiesusingCDMAnetworktechnology.Implemen‐
tation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.

AirCard® 595U USB modem - User Guide
92130750
Wireless USB modem
Onceinstalledandconfigured,theAirCardUSBmodemcan
connecttotheCDMAnetworkautomatically.Youjustinsert
theAirCardUSBmodem,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USBmodemalsoallowsyoutodialupamodem
(suchasacorporateserver).
CDMA 3G services
TheAirCardUSBmodem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
roughly600–1300 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
roughly400‐700 Kbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and
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 28.

Introducing the AirCard® 595U USB modem
Document 2130750. Rev 1.0 Oct.06 10
•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USB
modem.
Additional AirCard USB modem features
BeyondthefeaturesoftheCDMAnetwork,theAirCardUSB
modemprovidesadditionalsoftwarefeatures:
•PINsecuritycodetoprotectyourAirCardUSBmodem
andaccountfromunauthorizeduse.
•AnActivationWizard(page 20)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.
Package contents
YourAirCardUSBmodempackagecontainsthefollowing
components:
•AirCard 595USBmodem
•Rechargeablebattery
•Dockingstationwithcable
•InstallationCDcontainingtheAirCardUSBmodem
software,andthisuserguide
•QuickStartGuide
•WarrantyCard
System components
YourAirCard 595USBmodem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.