Sierra Wireless MP 555 User manual

MP 555 GPS Rugged Wireless Modem
Vehicle Installation Guide
2130297
Rev 2.1

Preface
Rev 2.1 3
Important Notice
(
. When
i
Jan.05
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, Inc., 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.
If you have purchased this product under a United States
Government contract, it shall be subject to restrictions as set
forth in subparagraph (c) 1)(ii) of Defense Federal Acquisitions
Regulations (DFARs) Section 252.227-7013 for Department of
Defense contracts, and as set forth in Federal Acquisitions
Regulations (FARs) Section 52.227-19 for civilian agency
contracts or any successor regulations. If further government
regulations apply, it is your responsibility to ensure
compliance with such regulations.
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 which 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
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. Sierra Wreless
modems may be used at this time.
The driver or operator of any vehicle should not operate a
computer or any other device connected to the Sierra Wireless
modem while in control of a vehicle. Doing so will detract

MP 555 GPS Vehicle Installation Guide
from the driver or operator's control and operation of that
vehicle. In some states and provinces, operating such commu-
nications devices while in control of a vehicle is an offence.
Limitation of The information in this manual is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
Liability Sierra Wireless, Inc. SIERRA WIRELESS, INC. 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, INC.
PRODUCT, EVEN IF SIERRA WIRELESS, INC. 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, Inc. and/or its affiliates aggregate liability arising
under or in connection with the Sierra Wireless, Inc. 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, Inc. product.
Patents Portions of this product are covered by some or all of the
following US patents:
5,515,013 5,617,106 5,629,960 5,682,602 5,748,449
5,845,216 5,847,553 5,878,234 5,890,057 5,929,815
6,169,884 6,191,741 6,199,168 6,327,154 6,339,405
6,359,591 6,400,336 6,643,501 6,516,204 6,561,851
6,653,979 6,697,030 6,712,627, 6.785,830 D367,062
D372,248 D372,701 D416,857 D442,170 D452,495
D452,496 D453,733 D459,303 D496,642 D496,655
and other patents pending.
Manufactured or sold by Sierra Wireless or its licensees under
one or more patents licensed from InterDigital Group.
Licensed by QUALCOMM Incorporated under one or more of
the following United States Patents and/or their counterparts
in other nations:
21302974

Preface
Rev 2.1 5
Copyright
®
®
Contact
feedback to
www.sierrawireless.com
Jan.05
4,901,307 5,490,165 5,056,109 5,504,773
5,101,501 5,506,865 5,109,390 5,511,073
5,228,054 5,535,239 5,267,261 5,544,196
5,267,262 5,568,483 5,337,338 5,600,754
5,414,796 5,657,420 5,416,797 5,659,569
5,710,784 5,778,338
© 2005 Sierra Wireless, Inc. All rights reserved.
Trademarks “Heart of the Wireless Machine” is a registered trademarks of
Sierra Wireless, Inc.
Sierra Wireless, the Sierra Wireless logo, the red wave design,
and Watcher are trademarks of Sierra Wireless, Inc.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
CDMA2000 1X is a registered trademark of the Telecommu-
nications Industry Association (TIA-USA).
Other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
Information
Your comments and suggestions on improving this documen-
tation are welcome and appreciated. Please e-mail your
[email protected]. Thank you.
Consult our website for up-to-date product descriptions,
documentation, application notes, firmware upgrades, trouble-
shooting tips, and press releases:
Sales Desk: Phone: [phone]
Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm Pacific Time
e-mail: [email protected]
Post: Sierra Wireless, Inc.
13811 Wireless Way,
Richmond, BC
Canada V6V 3A4
Fax: [phone]
Web: www.sierrawireless.com

MP 555 GPS Vehicle Installation Guide
2130297 6

Rev 2.1 7
Supported Platforms
Selecting a Mounting Location
Mounting Procedure
Installing Antennas
Jan.05
Table of Contents
Introducing the MP 555 GPS modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Modem Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Installing the MP 555 GPS Modem in a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
GPS and I/O Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Modem Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connector Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Indicator Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Reset Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Required Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Mounting the Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Grounding the Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CDMA RF Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
GPS Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Antenna Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MP 555 GPS Vehicle Installation Guide
8
The Power Connector
Power Harness Grounding
Making Proper Power Connections
Powering On the Modem
GPS Performance
2130297
Power Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Power connector (Molex) pinouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ignition Sense On/Off Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ignition sense options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Correct wire splicing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using crimp terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Data Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cable Connection to the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Serial connector (DB9) pinouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting the serial or USB cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
I/O Port Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Panic button connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Analog sensor connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Completing the Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Indicator Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
RF and Electrical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Weight and Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
I/O Port Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Industry Canada Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
FCC Approval (U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Rev 2.1 Jan.05 9
1
•
•
1: Introducing the
MP 555 GPS modem
Package Contents
Warranty
The Sierra Wireless MP 555 GPS modem provides a wireless
network connection for portable computers installed in
vehicles. The modem has a rugged design that allows it to
withstand the vibration, shock, humidity, and extremes of
temperature experienced in the normal operation of police,
emergency, utility, and field service vehicles.
The network connection provided by the MP 555 GPS can be
used to access shared data, browse the Internet, and send and
receive e-mail and text messages. The modem also allows for
sensors, gauges, and alarms (such as panic buttons) to be
deployed in vehicles and remotely monitored from a central
location or dispatch. A built-in GPS module provides location
and heading data that can also be remotely monitored.

MP 555 GPS Vehicle Installation Guide
10
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connection):
•
•
• Microsoft® ®
•
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2130297
System Requirements
Supported Platforms
Note: Do not connect the
MP 555 GPS to a USB port on a
PC before installing the software.
Software installation instructions
are provided in the Software
Installation, Conf guration, and
Integration Guide (document
number 2130346) on the instal-
lation CD.
The MP 555 GPS wireless modem connects to a personal
computer with either a serial cable or USB cable. Your
computer must therefore have either an available serial port or
USB port and an appropriate cable.
The Watcher software supports notebook computers with
these operating systems (using either a serial or USB PC
Windows 2000 Professional (with Service Pack 4 or later)
Windows XP Professional
These operating systems are also supported but require a serial
connection between the modem and PC:
Windows 98 SE
Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 6a)
For detailed system requirements, see the MP 555 GPS Software
Installation, Configuration, and Integration Guide