Hello there,
I purchased an AT&T prepaid SIM card to use with my Xirgo2060G tracker. AT&T is a GSM carrier, and the 3G SIM card should be compatible with the tracker. The tracker is a GSM 3G tracker that operates on the UMTS/HSDPA network. The user's manual for it is here.
I activated the SIM card with AT&T online and added a service plan that includes data and text messaging. I registered with the SIM card's IICID and the tracker's IMEI number. I received confirmation that the SIM card had been activated and AT&T assigned me a phone number for the device.
I followed instructions (page 4) for inserting the SIM card properly into the device such that the 45-degree notch is on the right side of the tracker when the white sticker on the tracker is facing up.
I also verified that the SIM card was pressed down into the SIM card slot, and was not loose.
When I plugged the tracker into the OBDii port of my vehicle, both GPS + Ignition lights blink as they are supposed to. The problem is that the Cell (Blue) light never connects to the cell network, and flashes every 0.5 seconds. According to this documentation, it should flash once every 3 seconds. I left it plugged in to my vehicle for 15 minutes with the car running, and it never was able to establish cell connectivity.
The expectation is that the card would connect to the network and allow me to configure it with SMS commands.
A simple command is the following. It establishes my phone number as the callback number:
+XT:1008,<my 10-digit phone number xxxxxxxxxx>
But when I try it, it returns no response from the device. According to the manual, I would receive a response if the cell connectivity was working.
Not sure how I can troubleshoot this issue. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Mari
Hi Mari,
I would start with cheching if SIM is activated and AT&T has coverage in that spot. You could use some unlocked phone or AT&T locked phone to try the SIM you plan to use for tracking. If you can use 3G data and place phone call, send SMS messages, you could troubleshoot further.
Chip
Thank you Chip! I took your advice and discovered that I had accidentally purchased a data-only service for my AT&T card. The SIM was not able to send or receive SMS. I upgraded the service to receive texts, and that did the trick! Thank you!
I am glad you sorted things out. I experimented with a ODB car tracker some time ago, but that was a 2G device. With cost optimization in my mind, I used Twillio to connect the unit to the network. Twillio uses T-Mobile as cellular service provider. That was a very inexpensive configuration that worked quite well.
Chip
Excellent! Thank you for the recommendation. I will look into it :)
Hello there,
I purchased an AT&T prepaid SIM card to use with my Xirgo2060G tracker. AT&T is a GSM carrier, and the 3G SIM card should be compatible with the tracker. The tracker is a GSM 3G tracker that operates on the UMTS/HSDPA network. The user's manual for it is here.
I activated the SIM card with AT&T online and added a service plan that includes data and text messaging. I registered with the SIM card's IICID and the tracker's IMEI number. I received confirmation that the SIM card had been activated and AT&T assigned me a phone number for the device.
I followed instructions (page 4) for inserting the SIM card properly into the device such that the 45-degree notch is on the right side of the tracker when the white sticker on the tracker is facing up.
I also verified that the SIM card was pressed down into the SIM card slot, and was not loose.
When I plugged the tracker into the OBDii port of my vehicle, both GPS + Ignition lights blink as they are supposed to. The problem is that the Cell (Blue) light never connects to the cell network, and flashes every 0.5 seconds. According to this documentation, it should flash once every 3 seconds. I left it plugged in to my vehicle for 15 minutes with the car running, and it never was able to establish cell connectivity.
The expectation is that the card would connect to the network and allow me to configure it with SMS commands.
A simple command is the following. It establishes my phone number as the callback number:
+XT:1008,<my 10-digit phone number xxxxxxxxxx>
But when I try it, it returns no response from the device. According to the manual, I would receive a response if the cell connectivity was working.
Not sure how I can troubleshoot this issue. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Mari