Sierra Wireless AirCard 700 Series User manual

2130204CEFCC
Rev 2.1A
AirCard®700 Series
Wireless Network Card
Installation Guide

Preface
Rev 2.1A Jun.04 1
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 or its affiliates. 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
HAVE 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 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
D367,062 D372,248 D372,701 D416,857 D442,170
D452,495 D452,496 and other patents pending.
Manufactured or sold by Sierra Wireless or its licensees under
one or more patents licensed from InterDigital Group.
Copyright ©2004 Sierra Wireless. All rights reserved.
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.
Other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
All product specifications are subject to change without notice.

AirCard 700 Series Installation Guide
22130204CEFCC

Rev 2.1A Jun.04 3
Table of Contents
Introducing the AirCard®700 Series Wireless Network Cards . .7
AirCard 700 Series wireless network cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Supported operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The AirCard as a network card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The AirCard as a mobile phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Differences between the AirCard 750 and AirCard 775 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
GPRS and EDGE service support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Frequency band support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Your account and coverage area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
AirCard software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Before you can begin using the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The SIM Card and Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Inserting a SIM card into your AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Removing a SIM card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Attaching the antenna to your AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Installation on Notebook PCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Installation on Windows 98, 2000, and Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Installation on Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Installation on Windows NT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Inserting the AirCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Installing the network card driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Installing the modem driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Changing the interrupt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Setting Internet Explorer to use the AirCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Installation on Devices Running Windows CE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
ActiveSync installation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Flash card installation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Pocket PC and Handheld PC installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Windows CE .NET device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Extracting the CAB file to the host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
ActiveSync installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Flash card installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Inserting the AirCard into a Pocket PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Inserting the AirCard into a Handheld or Tablet PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Configuring Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Setting up a profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Care and Maintenance of Your Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Stopping and ejecting the AirCard on a notebook PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Ejecting the AirCard on a Pocket PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ejecting the AirCard on a Handheld or Tablet PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Watcher™ Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Launching Watcher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
The Watcher window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Icons and indicators on the main Watcher window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
View options (notebook PCs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Status Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power Down and Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Transmit power consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Table of Contents
Rev 2.1A Jun.04 5
Frequency band and network selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Frequency band selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Network selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Sending GSM commands to the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Regulatory and Safety
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Important notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Safety and hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Important safety/compliance information for North American users. . . . . . 58
Information pertaining to OEM customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
EU regulatory conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

AirCard 700 Series Installation Guide
62130204CEFCC

Rev 2.1A Jun.04 7
1: Introducing the AirCard®700
Series Wireless Network Cards
•AirCard 700 Series
wireless network cards
•Differences between
the AirCard 750 and
AirCard 775
•Your account and
coverage area
•AirCard software
•Before you can begin
using the AirCard
•Package contents
AirCard 700 Series wireless
network cards
The AirCard 700 Series wireless network cards are accessories
for your PC that allow you to connect to the Internet, send and
receive e-mail, and connect to a corporate network, without
the need of a network cable or phone line. Depending on your
AirCard configuration, you may also be able to use it as a
mobile phone.
Caution: Do not insert your
AirCard into your PC Card slot
before installing the software.
The AirCard fits into the standard (Type II) PC Card slot
available on most notebook PCs. The AirCard fits into the
standard (Type II) PC Card slot available on most notebook,
Handheld, and Tablet PCs. You can also use the AirCard with
a Pocket PC provided you have the PCMCIA jacket accessory.
Supported operating systems
The AirCard wireless network cards work in:
•Notebook PCs running Windows 98 SE, NT 4.0, 2000, Me,
and XP. (See Chapter 3 for more details.)
•Tablet, Handheld and Pocket PCs running Windows CE 3
or CE .NET (CE 4). (See Chapter 4 for more details.)
The AirCard as a network card
The AirCard 700 Series network cards can be configured to
provide the “always-on” data connection that an Ethernet card
or other wired LAN card provides. That is, you can set options
in Watcher™ (a program that comes with the AirCard) that

AirCard 700 Series Installation Guide
82130204CEFCC
will cause the AirCard to establish a network connection
whenever you insert it, assuming GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service) or EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) service
is available. Otherwise, you can configure Watcher to connect
only when you select a button.
The AirCard connection provides access to the Internet. Once
the connection is established, you can open your browser and
connect to any web site available on the Internet, or access
other Internet services (such as e-mail).
The AirCard as a mobile phone
If your AirCard is voice-enabled, you can use the AirCard as a
phone simply by connecting an approved headset. The keypad
for the phone is in the Watcher program.
If you want to use the AirCard as a phone, a headset is
necessary. You require a 4-wire headset with a 2.5 mm
connector. Approved headsets are listed on the Sierra Wireless
web site, www.sierrawireless.com.
Differences between the
AirCard 750 and AirCard 775
This manual is a complete guide to both the AirCard 750 and
AirCard 775 wireless network cards. Both are PC Cards that
operate on GSM (Global System for Mobile communications)
networks. The difference between these products is in the data
services and frequency bands they support.
GPRS and EDGE service support
GPRS and EDGE are add-on data services to GSM mobile
phone networks. GPRS provides a maximum data trans-
mission speed of 56 kbps while EDGE provides a maximum
data transmission speed of 216 kbps. The
AirCard 750 supports GPRS while the AirCard 775 supports
GPRS and EDGE service.
Frequency band support
Every GSM network operates on one of these radio frequency
bands:
•850 MHz band—used by some North American service
providers

Introducing the AirCard®700 Series Wireless Network Cards
Rev 2.1A Jun.04 9
•900 MHz band—used by some European service
providers
•1800 MHz band—used by some European and Asian
service providers
•1900 MHz band—(also called the PCS band) used by
many North American service providers
The AirCard 750 is a tri-band product operating on the 900,
1800, and 1900 MHz bands. The AirCard 775 is a quad-band
product operating on the 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz bands.
Your account and coverage area
Note: If you purchased the
AirCard from a GSM service
provider, you may already have
an account. Otherwise, your
retailer should be able to provide
you with the names of
companies that provide this
service.
Companies that operate GSM networks and provide access to
those networks are called service providers. You must have an
account with a GSM service provider to use the AirCard. If
you are using the AirCard 750, you should select a service
provider that offers GPRS service, and, if you are using the
AirCard 775, you should select a service provider that offers
EDGE service.
When you obtain your account, you will be given a SIM card,
otherwise called a “smart card” or “smart chip”. (Depending
on how you purchased your AirCard, you may already have
an account, and your SIM card may have been included in
your package.) The SIM card contains account information and
must be inserted in the AirCard anytime you use it.
Before you can use the AirCard, you must install the AirCard
software and ensure that your AirCard is configured to use
your account. Instructions on completing these steps are
provided in the chapters that follow.
Once installed and configured, you can connect to the Internet
with the AirCard in any area in which you can obtain GPRS or
EDGE service. Your ability to obtain service depends on these
factors:
Note: The fee for service is
usually higher when you are
“roaming” (connected to a
network other than the one
belonging to your service
provider).
•Proximity to an GSM/GPRS/EDGE network—You must
be within the coverage area of a GSM network on which
GPRS or EDGE has been implemented, in order to use the
AirCard.
•Service provider—If you are within the coverage area of a
network that is not operated by your own service
provider, you can only obtain service if there is a roaming
agreement between your service provider and the network
operator.

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10 2130204CEFCC
•Account provisions—Your account may restrict your
usage to certain networks or limit the amount of time you
can use the network.
•Frequency band—If you are using the AirCard 750, you
cannot connect to networks operating in the 850 MHz
band, regardless of roaming agreements or account provi-
sions.
Most service providers have coverage maps on their web sites.
AirCard software
The AirCard comes with this software (made by Sierra
Wireless):
•The Watcher program that you use to manage the AirCard
and monitor your connections
•The driver software that forms the interface between the
network card and your Windows operating system
•For notebook PCs only, the Network Adapter Manager
software that allows you to switch between the AirCard
and other network cards
•The Network Adapter Manager software that allows you
to switch between the AirCard and other network cards
Before you can begin using the
AirCard
Before you can use the AirCard for the first time you must:
1. Install the AirCard software: Watcher, the Network
Adapter Manager (notebooks only), and the AirCard
driver.
2. Attach the antenna, insert the SIM into the AirCard and
insert the AirCard into your PC Card slot. (Do not insert
the AirCard before installing the software.)
3. Obtain a GSM/GPRS/EDGE account (if this wasn’t done
when you purchased the AirCard).
4. Configure the AirCard to use your account (unless it was
pre-configured.)
5. If your Internet browser is configured to use a dial-up
modem, you may need to set it to use a network card.
The next chapters guide you through this process.

Introducing the AirCard®700 Series Wireless Network Cards
Rev 2.1A Jun.04 11
Package contents
Your AirCard package contains the following:
•AirCard wireless network card
•Antenna
•Installation CD containing the AirCard software and this
installation guide
•Quick reference card
•Warranty card

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12 2130204CEFCC

Rev 2.1A Jun.04 13
2: The SIM Card and Your Account
•Inserting a SIM card
into your AirCard
•Removing a SIM card
•Attaching the antenna
to your AirCard
You require a GPRS (AirCard 750) or EDGE (AirCard 775)
account and a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card to use
the AirCard. The SIM card is a small chip (about the size of a
postage stamp) that you insert into the AirCard. The SIM
contains account information used by the network to validate
your access.
Note: Without a valid SIM card
and a valid account, your
AirCard will not work.
Depending on how you purchased your AirCard, you may
already have an account. In this case, the SIM should be
included in your package. Otherwise, your retailer should
direct you to a local company that provides GSM service.
To activate an account, the service provider needs from you:
•Billing information (such as a credit card number) used to
collect payment for your network usage
•Possibly the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identity)—a number that identifies your device (AirCard
model) on the GSM network. This number is printed on
the AirCard box and on the AirCard label.
Note: Keep a written record, in a
secure place, of the account
information that your service
provider gives you. Instructions
on creating a profile are in the
section “Configuring Your
Account” on page 35.
Your AirCard must be configured to use your account. If
purchased from a service provider, your AirCard may have
been pre-configured. Otherwise, you must set up a profile in
Watcher. Instructions on setting up a profile are described in
Chapter 5.
If you change GSM service providers (such as if you move to a
new city), you will need a new SIM card from your new
service provider. You will also need to set up a new profile.
Inserting a SIM card into your
AirCard
To install your SIM card into the AirCard network card, follow
these steps:
1. If your SIM is attached to a card, detach it and remove any
fragments of the card stuck to the SIM.
2. Hold the AirCard network card with the label on top and
the antenna closest to you.
3. Locate the thin SIM card slot on the left side of the AirCard
PC Card’s antenna end.

AirCard 700 Series Installation Guide
14 2130204CEFCC
4. Orient the SIM card, as shown in the diagram on the
bottom side of the AirCard.
Note: To prevent the SIM from
becoming jammed in the AirCard
slot, ensure the edge of the SIM
is smooth before inserting it. Do
not attach labels to your SIM as
this may also cause it to become
jammed.
5. Insert the end of the SIM card into the slot, and gently
push it until it is fully inserted.
Figure 2-1: Inserting the SIM card Into the AirCard SIM card slot
Once the SIM card is properly inserted, it should not
extend beyond the end of the card. See Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2: A SIM card properly inserted
Removing a SIM card
To remove the SIM card, you will need a narrow object, such as
a pen or a straightened paper clip, to push into the eject hole.
1. Place the AirCard PC Card on a smooth, hard surface such
as a tabletop, as shown in Figure 2-3.
Figure 2-3: Positioning a pen to eject the SIM card

The SIM Card and Your Account
Rev 2.1A Jun.04 15
2. Position your pen or paper-clip above the eject hole, which
is on the top surface of the AirCard housing, just to the
right of the SIM card slot. (See the photo above.)
3. Press down gently (without excessive force) on the eject
hole. The SIM card should pop out of its slot.
Figure 2-4: Ejecting the SIM card
4. Gently pull the SIM card from the slot until it slides free.
Attaching the antenna to your
AirCard
The antenna attaches to the gold-plated connector on the end
of the AirCard.
Figure 2-5: Attaching the antenna to the AirCard

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Rev 2.1A Jun.04 17
3: Installation on Notebook PCs
•System requirements
•Installation on
Windows 98, 2000,
and Me
•Installation on
Windows XP
•Installation on
Windows NT
•Setting Internet
Explorer to use the
AirCard
This chapter guides you through the steps necessary to making
the AirCard operational on a notebook PC. The basic steps are:
1. Insert the AirCard CD into your CD-ROM drive and
install Watcher and the Network Adapter Manager.
2. Insert the AirCard into the PC card slot and install the
AirCard driver from the CD.
Note: Do not insert the
AirCard into your PC card slot
before installing the software.
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 wireless network card is supported on:
•Windows 98 SE
•Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4
•Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a and Networking
installed
•Windows Me
•Windows XP (Home and Professional versions) with
Service Pack 1
To install the AirCard, you require these system resources:
Table 3-1: System resource requirements
Card slots 1 Type II PCMCIA (PC Card) slot
Disk drive CD-ROM
I/O resources 1 IRQ, 40 bytes I/O space
Memory 32 MB

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Installation on Windows 98,
2000, and Me
Note: Users of Windows 2000
must be logged in with adminis-
trative privileges.
Note: You may require your Windows CD. Ensure you have the CD
before proceeding.
1. If the AirCard CD is not already in your CD-ROM drive,
insert it. The CD should autostart and display a menu.
·If the CD does not autostart, select Start > Run and enter
d:\launch.exe where dis the drive letter of your CD-ROM
drive.
2. From the CD start-up menu, select notebook installation and
documentation and then notebook software installation to
launch the installer.
3. Click Yes to accept the terms of the license agreement and
proceed with the installation. (If you do not agree to the
terms, click No to cancel the installation.)
Note: The installer runs twice—
once to install Watcher and once
to install the Network Adapter
Manager.
4. Use the Next and Back buttons to navigate through the
installer.
Using the default settings for the Destination Location and
Program Folder is recommended unless you have special
requirements and an advanced understanding of PC con-
figuration.
5. If you are using Windows 2000, the Digital Signature Not
Found window may appear. Click Yes each time the
window appears. (The warning can be safely ignored.)
6. When prompted to insert the AirCard, click OK. If the SIM
is not inserted, insert it. (See page 13.) If the antenna is not
attached, attach it. (See page 15.) With the label facing up,
insert the AirCard into your PC Card slot:
Note: Do not forcefully insert the
AirCard. This may damage
connector pins. If you have more
than one PC Card slot, you may
obtain better signal strength
using the top slot.
Figure 3-1: Inserting the AirCard