Sierra Wireless USB 598 User manual

USB 598 Modem with
User Guide (Windows)
2131176
Rev 2

USB 598 modem - User Guide
22131176
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 2131176. Rev 2 Feb.11 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 Thisproductmaycontaintechnologydevelopedbyorfor
SierraWirelessInc.
Thisproductincludestechnologylicensedfrom
QUALCOMM® 3G.
ThisproductismanufacturedorsoldbySierraWirelessInc.or
itsaffiliatesunderoneormorepatentslicensedfromInter‐
DigitalGroup.
Copyright ©2011SierraWireless.Allrightsreserved.

USB 598 modem - User Guide
42131176
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‐Locate,andthe
redwavedesignaretrademarksofSierraWireless.
Windows®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.
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 2131176. Rev 2 Feb.11 5
Table of Contents
Introducing the USB 598 modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Wireless modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TRU-Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TRU-Locate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CDMA 3G services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Watcher auto-update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Additional features of the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The modem drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Care and maintenance of your modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The USB 598 software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Installing the modem and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Removing the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Using the USB extension cable and laptop clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

USB 598 modem - User Guide
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Using a microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Inserting the microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Removing the microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Watcher Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Minimized icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
GPS Monitor window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Important safety/compliance information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Document 2131176. Rev 2 Feb.11 7
1
1: Introducing the USB 598 modem
•Welcome
•Feature summary
•Package contents
•System components
•Care and maintenance
of your modem
Note: This document applies to you, only if your wireless device is the
USB 598 modem from Sierra Wireless.
Welcome
TheSierraWirelessUSB598modemisawirelessUSBmodem
forcellularandPCSnetworks,andtheGPSfrequencyband.
Themodem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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.

USB 598 modem - User Guide
82131176
Feature summary
Note: For step-by-step instruc-
tions to access features of the
modem, consult the online help
available with the Watcher®
software (page 34).
The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 modem
Onceinstalledandconfigured,themodemcanconnecttothe
CDMAnetworkautomatically.Youjustinsertthe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).Fordetails,seetheonlinehelptopic
“Autoconnectbehaviour”.
The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
modemintoyourcomputer.AninstallationCDisnot
required.
TRU-Locate
WithTRU‐Locate™,youcanuselocation‐basedservices(GPS)
toquery,forexample,thenetworkforinformationonpointsof
interest(POI)thatarenearyourcurrentlocation,ordisplay
drivinginstructions.
Note: TRU-Locate is subject to feature availability.

Introducing the USB 598 modem
Document 2131176. Rev 2 Feb.11 9
YourmodemrequiresanunobstructedviewofGPSsatellites
(inthesky),and,likeanyotherGPSdevice,mightnotperform
wellwithinforestedareasorneartallbuildings.
Dependingonyouraccount,youmaybechargedforeach
positionfixorafteryouhaveperformedacertainnumberof
fixes.Fordetails,contactyourserviceprovider.
Dependingonthemechanismthatthenetworkandyour
modemusetoobtainlocationinformation,GPSmaynotbe
supported:
•IfNetworkModeissetto“EVDOOnly”
•Ifyouʹreroaming
•Ifyoudonothavenetworkcoverage
•Duetootherreasons.
Ifyou’rehavingproblemsusingGPS,contactyourservice
provider.
CDMA 3G services
The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
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
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.

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•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modem.
Watcher auto-update
Theauto‐updatefeaturekeepsyourfirmware,driversand
Watchersoftwareup‐to‐date.Youcansetyourownprefer‐
encesforwhenupdatesaredownloaded.
Toconfiguretheauto‐updatefeature:
1. InWatcher,clicktheMenubuttonandselectOptions.
2. IntheUserOptionswindow,selecttheCheck for updates
field.
3. Fromthedrop‐downlist,selecthowoftenWatchershould
checkforupdates.
4. ClickOK.
Additional features of the modem
BeyondthefeaturesoftheCDMAnetwork,themodem
providesadditionalsoftwarefeatures:
•PINsecuritycodetoprotectyourmodemandaccount
fromunauthorizeduse.
•Awizardtoassistwithactivating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.
ThemodemhasamicroSD™slotthatcanbeused,witha
microSDcard(soldseparately),forfiletransferorstorage.For
moreinformation,see“UsingamicroSDcard”onpage 22.