Sierra Wireless AirCard 555 Wireless User manual

AirCard® 555 Wireless
Network Card
Installation Guide
2130163
Rev 4

Preface
Rev 4 Mar.11 1
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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.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
DIRECT,INDIRECT,SPECIAL,GENERAL,INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL,PUNITIVEOREXEMPLARYDAMAGES
INCLUDING,BUTNOTLIMITEDTO,LOSSOFPROFITSOR

Installation Guide
22130163
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.

Preface
Rev 4 Mar.11 3
Trademarks AirCardand“HeartoftheWirelessMachine”areregistered
trademarksofSierraWireless.
SierraWireless,theSierraWirelesslogo,theredwavedesign,
thered‐tippedantenna,andWatcheraretrademarksofSierra
Wireless.
Windows®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.
QUALCOMM®isaregisteredtrademarkofQUALCOMM
Incorporated.
InstallShield®isaregisteredtrademarkandservicemarkof
InstallShieldCorporation.
WinFax®PROisaregisteredtrademarkofSymantecCorpo‐
ration.
Othertrademarksarethepropertyoftherespectiveowners.
Comments
Yourcommentsandsuggestionsonimprovingthisdocumen‐
tationarewelcomeandappreciated.Pleasee‐mailyour
feedback,notingdocument2130163Rev4,to
[e-mail].Thankyou.
Consultourwebsiteforup‐to‐dateproductdescriptions,
documentation,applicationnotes,firmwareupgrades,trouble‐
shootingtips,andpressreleases:
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

Installation Guide
42130163

Rev 4 Mar.11 5
Table of Contents
Introducing the AirCard® 555 Wireless Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Network card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CDMA 1X services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Additional AirCard features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The AirCard 555 wireless network card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The AirCard drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
A CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The AirCard 555 software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Installation on Notebook PCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Windows 95 support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Installation Guide
62130163
AirCard software installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Windows 95 installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Preinstallation procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Verifying that the PC Card slots are enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Verifying that TCP/IP is installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Windows NT installation procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Windows NT driver installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Card insertion and removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Inserting the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Removing the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installation on Devices Running Windows CE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Determining your version of Windows CE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ActiveSync installation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Software installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Installing the software on the host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Downloading the software to the CE device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Inserting the AirCard into a Pocket PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Inserting the AirCard into a Handheld or Tablet PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Removing the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Ejecting the AirCard on a Pocket PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Ejecting the AirCard on a Handheld or Tablet PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Voice-assisted and automated activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Contents
Rev 4 Mar.11 7
Care and Maintenance of Your AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Watcher™ Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Notebooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Pocket PCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Handheld PCs and CE .NET devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Always On Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Connection Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Call Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Indicator area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Minimized Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Fax Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Fax support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
WinFax PRO configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Third-party software supported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Requirements before configuring WinFax PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Initial WinFax setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Receiving faxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Installation Guide
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Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Rev 4 Mar.11 9
1
1: Introducing the AirCard® 555
Wireless Network Card
•Welcome
•Feature summary
•Package contents
•System components Welcome
Note: Do not insert the AirCard
into your PC Card slot prior to
installing the software. It is
important to install the software
and driver in the correct order.
For detailed procedures, see
page 17 (notebook PCs) or
page 29 (Windows CE devices).
TheSierraWirelessAirCard 555wirelessnetworkcardisa
dual‐bandwirelessPC CardforcellularandNorthAmerican
PCSnetworks.Itenhancesthefunctionalityofyourmobile
computingdevicesbyaddingwirelessdata,voice,and2‐way
messaging.
TheAirCardfunctionsasawirelessnetworkcard(withLAN‐
likeconnectivity),amodem,andamobilephone.This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e‐mail
•SendandreceiveSMSmessages
•Connecttoadial‐upservice
•Makeandreceivephonecalls
ThesoftwareprovidedwiththeAirCardalsoallowsyouto
manageandmonitor(onnotebooksonly)connectionswitha
WiFinetworkadapter.
Feature summary
Note: For step-by-step instruc-
tions to access features of the
AirCard, consult the online help
available with Watcher.
TheAirCardisdesignedtoprovideawiderangeofcapabil‐
itiesusingCDMAnetworktechnology.Implementationof
thesefeatureswilldepend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.

Installation Guide
10 2130163
Network card
OnnotebookPCs,duringhigh‐speedpacketconnections,the
AirCardisatruenetworkcard,functioningjustlikethe
networkcardsfamiliartomostcorporatecomputerusers.
Onceinstalledandconfigured,theAirCardcanconnecttothe
CDMAnetworkautomatically.YoujustinserttheAirCard,
allowWatchertoautolaunch1andauthenticateyouraccount
onthenetwork,thenlaunchyourInternetbrowser—you’re
online!
Modem
Asamodem,theAirCardallowsyoutodialupanyother
modem(suchasacorporateserver),orsendandreceivefaxes.
Phone
Youcanconnectaheadset(soldseparately)totheAirCardand
useitasaphone.Makeandreceivecallsusingdigitalvoice
quality,andhavethesecurityofemergency911access.
ShortMessagingService (SMS)isalsoavailabletoexchange
brieftextmessageswithotherCDMAsubscribers.
CDMA 1X services
TheAirCardoperatesoveratypeofwirelessnetworkcalled
CDMA (CodeDivisionMultipleAccess).
CDMA 1Xtechnologyprovidesavarietyofconnectivity
features,dependingonyourserviceproviderandaccount:
•High‐speedpacketdata,sometimesknownas1X,
supportsInternetconnectionswithdataratesupto
153.6 kbps(downlinkfromthenetwork)and76.8 kbps
(uplinktothenetwork).Actualspeeddependsonthe
networkconditions.Withthistypeofconnection,the
AirCardfunctionsasanetworkcard.
Oncetheconnectionisestablished,youcanopenyour
browserandconnecttoanywebsitethatisaccessible
1. Autolaunch is supported on notebook PCs only.
Running Watcher is optional—a high-speed connection is initi-
ated upon insertion of the AirCard, provided:
a) you have enabled, in Watcher, “Always-on” for the high-
speed connection, and
b) WiFi coverage is either not available, or is available but no
WiFi profiles have been set to autoconnect.
However, to make use of other features of the AirCard, you
must run Watcher.

Introducing the AirCard® 555 Wireless Network Card
Rev 4 Mar.11 11
throughtheInternet,oraccessotherInternetservices(such
ase‐mail).
Theconnectionis“active”ina1Xconnectionwhendata
transmissionisoccurring.Ifdatatransmissionstopsfora
periodoftime(determinedbythenetwork),theconnec‐
tionbecomes“dormant”.Youcanplaceandreceivevoice
callswhilethedataconnectionisdormantbutnotwhenit
isactive.
Note: You may increase your
data transmission speed by
using compression software.
Contact your service provider for
details.
•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.Circuitswitcheddata
capabilityalsosupportsG3facsimile(FaxClass2.0),see
“FaxConfiguration”onpage 51.
•QNC (QuickNetConnect),providesasimplifiedwayto
dialintoanInternetconnection(usingcircuitswitched
data)where1Xhigh‐speedpacketserviceisnotavailable.
•SMS (ShortMessageService),allowsyoutosendand
receiveshorttextmessagesusingtheAirCard.
•Voicecalling,includingE911(Phase I)supportfor
emergencyservices.
Additional AirCard features
BeyondthefeaturesoftheCDMAnetwork,theAirCard
providesadditionalsoftwarefeatures:
•PINsecuritycodetoprotectyourAirCardandaccount
fromunauthorizeduse.
•AnActivationWizard(page 35)toassistwithconfiguring
yourCDMAaccounts.TheAirCardsupportstwo
accounts.
•APhoneBooktomanageyourcontactsonnotebooks.On
handhelds,WatcherhasdirectaccesstoyourWindows CE
Contactsapplication.
•Soundoptionstocustomizeringtonesforincomingcalls,
SMSmessages,andvoicemailalerts.
•AScratchPadtoenterquicknotesandphonenumbers.
•ACallLogtotrackincoming,outgoing,missedcallsand
determinetheamountofdatatransferred.
•AbilitytomanageandmonitorconnectionswithaWiFi
networkadapter(notebooksonly).

Installation Guide
12 2130163
Package contents
YourAirCardpackagecontainsthefollowingcomponents:
•AirCard 555wirelessnetworkcard
•Antenna
•InstallationCDcontainingtheAirCardsoftwareandthis
installationandtroubleshootingguide
•QuickStartGuide
•WarrantyCard
IfyouwanttousetheAirCardasaphone,aheadsetis
necessary.VisittheSierraWirelesswebsiteat
www.sierrawireless.com,foralistingofapprovedheadsetsthat
willworkwiththeAirCard.
System components
YourAirCard 555wirelessnetworkcardisjustonepartofa
systemdesignedtoprovideyouwithawiderangeofcommu‐
nicationfeatures.Everycomponentofthesystemisneededto
enablethesecapabilities.
Your host computing device
YournotebookorhandheldhoststheAirCardhardwareand
runsthecommunicationsoftware:yourwebbrowserand
e‐mailapplication,andWatcher—theAirCardenabling
software.
Youmayalsohaveothersoftwareonyourcomputerthatcan
beusedwirelesslywiththeAirCard,suchas:filetransfer
applications(FTP),chatorinstantmessaging,aVPN (Virtual
PrivateNetwork)client,clientsoftwareforacorporateserver
application,orafaxapplication.
The AirCard 555 wireless network card
Note: You may also acquire an
optional headset to use voice
services.
Alongwiththeantenna,thisequipsyourcomputerwitha
radiomodemandphone.
TheAirCardfitsintoastandardType IIPC Cardslotavailable
onmostnotebookandHandheld PCs,andonPocket PCswith
aPC Cardjacketaccessory.

Introducing the AirCard® 555 Wireless Network Card
Rev 4 Mar.11 13
EveryCDMAnetworkoperatesononeofthreeradio
frequencybands.Asadual‐bandproduct,theAirCard
operatesontwoofthesebands(seepage 56),providingawide
coveragearea.
TheAirCardprovidesalltheadvantagesof1Xwhereitis
availablewhileallowingyoutousetheolderCDMAIS‐95
standardwhere1Xhasnotyetbeenimplemented.Thebenefits
toyouarethatyoucanusetheAirCardinanyareathathas
coverage(assumingtherearenoaccountrestrictions)andyou
willbeabletotakeadvantageofthefastestpossibledatatrans‐
missionspeed.
The AirCard drivers and enabling
software
Requiredtocontrol,monitor,andmanageyourwireless
connections,thisincludestheSierraWirelessWatcher™appli‐
cation,andonnotebookcomputers,theNetworkAdapter
Managerforselectingyournetworkconnectioncard.The
devicedriversarethesoftwarethatenablestheAirCardto
workwithyourcomputer’soperatingsystem.
TheAirCardcomeswithaCDcontainingthissoftware:
•WatcherapplicationthatyouusetomanagetheAirCard
andmonitoryourconnections.Usetheapplication’sonline
helpforstep‐by‐stepinstructionstoaccessfeaturesof
Watcher.
•NetworkAdapterManagerapplication(fornotebookPCs
only)thatallowsyoutoswitchbetweentheAirCardand
othernetworkcards.Thisapplicationalsohandlesthe
autolaunchofWatcherwhenyouinserttheAirCard.
•Thedevicedriversoftwarethatprovidestheinterface
betweentheAirCardandyourWindows®operating
system.
Thedriverandapplicationsoftwaremustbeinstalledbefore
youinserttheAirCardforthefirsttime.Detailedinstructions
areprovidedinthefollowingchapters.
A CDMA service provider account
CompaniesthatoperateCDMAnetworksandprovideaccess
tothesenetworksarecalledserviceproviders.Youmusthavean
accountwithaCDMAserviceprovidertousetheAirCard.

Installation Guide
14 2130163
Note: You can use the Lock
Code feature to prevent others
from using your account should
your AirCard be stolen. For infor-
mation on this feature, see the
online help.
Eachserviceproviderhasitsownpricingoptions.Theremay
beflatrateaccounts,whichprovideyouamaximumnumber
ofminutesofnetworkusageforafixedmonthlyfee.There
maybeaccountsforwhichyouarechargedfornetworkusage
bytheminuteorbytheamountofdatatransmitted.
Youraccountmayincludeavarietyofotherservicessuchas
SMSmessagingandvoicemail.
EachAirCardhasbeenprovisionedatthefactoryforusewith
aparticularserviceprovider.ThissetstheAirCardtouse
particularradiochannelsandenablesservicesspecificforthat
provider.
Theprocessofsettingupyouraccountiscalledactivation.
Activationinvolvesactionbytheserviceproviderandconfigu‐
rationoftheAirCard.
Theproceduretoconfigure(activate)yourAirCardiscovered
in“Activation”onpage 35.
The CDMA wireless network
Note: More information about
CDMA networks is available on
the CDMA Development Group
web site, www.cdg.org.
Thisistheworldwideinfrastructureprovidingtheradio
coveragethatallowsyoutostayconnected.Madeupofradio
towers,andavarietyofnetworkswitches,routers,andservers,
thenetworkisaninterconnectionofmanyserviceprovider
companies.
Note: Most service providers
have coverage maps on their
web sites.
ThereareCDMAnetworksthatoperateinthefrequencybands
supportedbytheAirCardthroughoutNorthAmericaand
partsofLatinAmerica,Asia,NewZealand,andAustralia.
However,eachserviceprovideroperatesanetworkthatcovers
alimitedgeographicalareawithintheoverallCDMAcoverage
area.
Note: The fee for service is
usually higher when you are
roaming (connecting to a
network other than the one
belonging to your service
provider). The Call Guard feature
(subject to feature availability)
can warn you before making or
answering calls while roaming.
Mostserviceprovidershave“roaming”agreementswithother
serviceproviders,sothattheycanofferserviceoutsideofthe
coverageareaoftheirownnetworks.Forexample,assuming
youliveinVancouverandtravelfrequentlytoSeattle,youcan
obtainanaccountwithaVancouverserviceproviderthathasa
roamingagreementwithaserviceproviderinSeattle.You
wouldthenhavelocalserviceinVancouver,androaming
serviceinSeattle.(Mostserviceproviderschargemorefor
roamingservicethanlocalservice.)

Rev 4 Mar.11 15
2
2: Getting Started
•The AirCard 555
software
•Account activation and
configuration BeforeyoucanbeginusingtheAirCard,youmust:
1. InstalltheAirCardenablingsoftwareanddriver.
2. ActivateanaccountandconfiguretheAirCardtouseyour
account(unlesstheAirCardhasbeenpre‐activated).
Thissectionprovidesanoverviewofthisprocess.
The AirCard 555 software
TheAirCardcomeswiththissoftware:
•Watcher™applicationthatyouusetomanagetheAirCard
andmonitoryourconnections
•NetworkAdapterManagerapplicationthatallowsyouto
switchbetweentheAirCardandothernetworkcards(for
notebookPCsonly)
•Thedriversoftwarethatprovidestheinterfacebetween
theAirCardandyourWindowsoperatingsystem
TheWatchersoftware(andonnotebookPCs,theNetwork
AdapterManager)shouldbeinstalledbeforeyouinsertthe
AirCardforthefirsttime.Detailedinstructionsareprovidedin
“InstallationonNotebookPCs”onpage 17and“Installation
onDevicesRunningWindowsCE”onpage 29.
Account activation and
configuration
YoumusthaveanaccountwithaCDMAserviceproviderto
usetheAirCard.Theprocessofsettingupanaccountiscalled
activation.
IfyoupurchasedtheAirCarddirectlyfromaserviceprovider,
youmayalreadyhaveanaccount;yourAirCardmaybepre‐
activated.
UnlessyourAirCardhasbeenpre‐activated,Watcher
automaticallydetectsthatnoaccounthasbeenconfigured
whenyourunitforthefirsttime.Watcherthenrunsthe
ActivationWizardtoguideyouthroughtheactivationand
configurationprocess.

Installation Guide
16 2130163
ConfiguringtheAirCardinvolvessettingthephonenumber
assignedbyyourserviceproviderandmayinvolveentering
othernetworkparametersandsettingssuchasausername
andpasswordtoaccessservices.
Yourserviceproviderneedstoknow:
•Thebillinginformationtousetocollectpaymentforyour
networkusage.
•TheESN (ElectronicSerialNumber)assignedtoyour
modemduringthemanufacturingprocess.(TheESNis
printedonalabelontheAirCardandcanbedisplayedin
Watcher.)Thisnumberisusedtohelpauthenticateyour
accountwhenyouconnectforservice.
Yourequirefromyourserviceprovider:
•Anactivationcodethatgivesyouaccesstoconfigurethe
account.
•AphonenumberforyourAirCard.
•Additionalinformationspecifictoyourserviceprovider
suchas:
·AuserID(username)andpasswordtoauthenticate
yournetworkconnection.
·ASID(SystemIDentifier)thatidentifiesyourhome
networkareaandisusedinconjunctionwithyour
phonenumbertodetermineifyouare“home”or
“roaming”.

Rev 4 Mar.11 17
3
3: Installation on Notebook PCs
•System requirements
•Installation on
Windows 95, 98, Me,
2000 and XP
• Installation on
Windows NT
•Inserting the AirCard
•Removing the AirCard Thischapterguidesyouthroughthestepsnecessarytoinstall
theAirCardonanotebookPC.
Note: Do not insert the AirCard into your PC Card slot before
installing the software.
Thebasicstepsare:
1. InserttheAirCard 555installationCDintoyourCD‐ROM
driveandinstallWatcherandtheNetworkAdapterMan‐
ager.
2. InserttheAirCardintothePC Cardslot (refertopage 27)
toinstalltheAirCarddrivers.
3. IftheAirCardhasnotbeenpre‐activated,usethe
ActivationWizardtoconfiguretheAirCard(asdescribed
in“Activation”onpage 35).
Beforeyoubegintheinstallationprocess,ensureyourPCis
runningasupportedoperatingsystemandmeetsthe
hardwarerequirementsdescribedbelow.
System requirements
TheAirCardissupportedon:
•Windows95OSR2andhigher(see“Windows95support”
onpage 18)
•Windows98/98SE
•WindowsMe
•Windows NT4.0withServicePack6a
•Windows2000withServicePack1orlater(ServicePack4
isrecommended)
•Windows XP(HomeandProfessionalversions)

Installation Guide
18 2130163
Subjecttofeatureavailability,theAirCardsoftwaresupports
Outlookintegration,allowingyoutoreadandsendSMS
messagesfromOutlook,andphonepeopleinyourOutlook
Contacts.TouseOutlookintegration,yourequire:
•Windows2000orXP,and
•Outlook2000ornewer(OutlookExpressisnotsupported).
OnWindows2000andXP,theAirCardsoftwarealsoallows
youtomonitorconnectionswithaWiFinetworkadapter.
ToinstalltheAirCard,yourequirethesesystemresources:
Windows 95 support
Dial‐upNetworkingandWinsockarecomponentsofthe
WindowsoperatingsystemrequiredbytheAirCard.The
versionsofthesecomponentsoriginallyshippedwith
Windows 95 OSR2donotmeettheAirCardrequirements.If
youareusingWindows 95 OSR2andhavenotyetupgradedto
Winsock2andDial‐upNetworkingversion 1.2orlater,you
mustdosobeforeinstallingtheAirCard.Therequired
versionscanbedownloadedfromtheMicrosoftwebsite,
www.microsoft.com.
AirCard software installation
procedures
Thissectionprovidesdetailedinstallationinstructions.
Proceedtothesectionthatcorrespondstoyouroperating
system.
Table 3-1: System Resource Requirements
Card Slots 1 Type II PCMCIA (PC Card) Slot
Communications Ports 1 Available
Disk Drive CD-ROM (for installation only)
I/O Resources 1 IRQ, 40 bytes I/O Space
Memory 10 MB
Disk Space 2MB
Operating System Page
XP page 20
2000 page 20