Sierra Wireless Compass 597 User manual

Compass 597 USB modem
with
User Guide
2130948
Rev 1.0

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide
22130948
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 2130948. Rev 1.0 Jan.08 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 7,145,267
7,200,512 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 ©2008SierraWireless.Allrightsreserved.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide
42130948
Trademarks AirCardand“HeartoftheWirelessMachine”areregistered
trademarksofSierraWireless.WatcherisatrademarkofSierra
Wireless,registeredintheEuropeanCommunity.
SierraWireless,theSierraWirelesslogo,TRU‐Install,
TRU‐Locate,andtheredwavedesignaretrademarksofSierra
Wireless.
Windows®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.
MacOSisatrademarkofAppleInc.,registeredintheU.S.and
othercountries.
PCCardandExpressCardaretrademarksofPCMCIA.
microSDisatrademarkofSDCardAssociation.
QUALCOMM®isaregisteredtrademarkofQUALCOMM
Incorporated.gpsOneisa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.
Contact
Information
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 2130948. Rev 1.0 Jan.08 5
Table of Contents
Introducing the Compass 597 USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wireless USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
TRU-Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
TRU-Locate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CDMA 3G services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Additional Compass USB modem features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Compass 597 USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Compass USB modem drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The Compass 597 software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Compass USB modem installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
USB modem insertion and removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Inserting the Compass USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Removing the Compass USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide
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Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Automated activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Care and Maintenance of Your Compass USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Watcher Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Always On Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connection Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Call Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Indicator area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Minimized icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using an external antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Important safety/compliance information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Contents
Document 2130948. Rev 1.0 Jan.08 7
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide
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Document 2130948. Rev 1.0 Jan.08 9
1
1: Introducing the Compass 597
USB modem
Note: This document applies to you, only if your wireless device is the
Compass 597 USB modem from Sierra Wireless. This document does
not apply, if you are using an AirCard®595 PC Card, AirCard 595U
USB modem, AirCard 597E ExpressCard, or a wireless device that is
built into your computer.
•Welcome
•Feature summary
•Package contents
•System components
Welcome
TheSierraWirelessCompass597USBmodemisadual‐band
wirelessUSBmodemforcellularandPCSnetworks,andthe
GPSfrequencyband.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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largee‐mailmessages
•SendandreceiveSMSmessages
•Uselocation‐basedservices
•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.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide
10 2130948
Feature summary
Note: For step-by-step instruc-
tions to access features of the
Compass USB modem, consult
the online help available with
Watcher®(page 33).
TheCompass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.
Wireless USB modem
Onceinstalledandconfigured,theCompassUSBmodemcan
connecttotheCDMAnetworkautomatically.Youjustinsert
theCompass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,“Enable NIC for Data Connection”(subjectto
featureavailability).
TheCompassUSBmodemalsoallowsyoutodialupamodem
(suchasacorporateserver).
TRU-Install
TRU‐Install™isaSierraWirelessfeaturethatinstallsthe
necessarysoftwareanddriversthefirsttimeyouinsertthe
CompassUSBmodemintoyourWindowsorMaccomputer.
AninstallationCDisnotrequired.
TRU-Locate
WithTRU‐Locate™,youcanuselocation‐basedservicesto
query,forexample,thenetworkforinformationonpointsof
interestthatarenearyourcurrentlocation,ordisplaydriving
instructions.