Sierra Wireless Compass 597 User manual

Compass 597 USB modem

with

User Guide

2130972

Rev 1.0

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

2 2130972

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POWE RE D

OFF.

TheSierraWirelessmodemcantransmitsignalsthat

couldinterferewiththisequipm ent.

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 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 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LIABILIT Y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 Portionsofthisproductmaybe coveredbysomeorallofthe

followingUSpatents:

5,515,013 5,629,960 5,845,216 5,847,553 5,878,234

5,890,057 5,929,815 6,169,884 6,191,741 6,199,168

6,339,405 6,359,591 6,400,336 6,516,204 6,561,851

6,643,501 6,653,979 6,697,030 6,785,830 6,845,249

6,847,830 6,876,697 6,879,585 6,886,049 6,968,171

6,985,757 7,023,878, 7,053,843 7,106,569 7,145,267

7,200,512 7,287,162 7,295,171 D442,170 D459,303

D559,256 D560,911

andotherpatentspending.

Thisproductincludes

technologylicensedfrom:

LicensedbyQUALCOMMIncorporatedunderoneormoreofthe

followingUnitedStatespatentsand/ortheircounterpartsinother

nations:

4,901,307 5,056,109 5,101,501 5,109,390 5,228,054

5,267,261 5,267,262 5,337,338 5,414,796 5,416,797

5,490,165 5,504,773 5,506,865 5,511,073 5,535,239

5,544,196 5,568,483 5,600,754 5,657,420 5,659,569

5,710,784 5,778,338

ManufacturedorsoldbySierraWirelessInc.oritsLicensees

underoneormorepatentslicensedfrom

InterDigitalGroup.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

4 2130972

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‐Install,

TRU‐Locate,andtheredwavedesignaretrademarksofSierra

Wireless.

Windows

®

isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.

MacOSisatradem ark ofAppleInc.,registeredintheU.S.and

othercountries.

PCCardandExpressCardaretrademarksofPCMCIA.

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: 1-604-232-1488

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: 1-604-231-1109

Web: www.sierrawireless.com

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 5

Table of Contents

Introducing the Compass 597 USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Feature summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Wireless modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

TRU-Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

TRU-Locate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

CDMA 3G services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Additional Compass USB modem features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Package contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Your host computing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

The Compass 597 USB modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

The modem drivers and enabling software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

CDMA service provider account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

The CDMA wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Care and maintenance of your modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

The Compass 597 software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Account activation and configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Mac requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Installing on a Windows computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Installing on a Mac computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

6 2130972

USB modem insertion and removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Inserting the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Removing the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Using the USB extension cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Using a microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Inserting the microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Removing the microSD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Using an external antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Account configuration procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Activating on a Windows computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Activation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Manual activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Activating on a Mac computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Activation Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Watcher Basics (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Starting and closing Watcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Components of the Watcher window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Window controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Always On Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Interpreting icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Connection Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Call Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Indicator area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Minimized icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

GPS Monitor window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Contents

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 7

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Watcher Lite Basics (Mac) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Starting and closing Watcher Lite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Watcher Lite window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Connection states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

No device detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Not activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Updating User Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Disconnected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Device is Locked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Determining the type of coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Watcher Lite menu options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Connecting to the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Viewing the amount of data transferred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Ending a connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Displaying your phone number and ESN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Initial lock code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Warning regarding the lock code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

When the modem is locked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Locking the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Unlocking the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Powering the modem off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Uninstalling the Watcher Lite software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

8 2130972

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

LED operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Radio frequency and electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Environmental specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Important safety/compliance information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 9

1

1: Introducing the Compass 597

USB modem

Note: This document applies to you, only if your wireless device is the

Compass™ 597 USB modem from Sierra Wireless. This document

does not apply, if you are using an AirCard

®

595 PC Card,

AirCard 595U USB modem, AirCard 597E ExpressCard, or a wireless

device that is built into your computer.

• Welcome

• Feature summary

• Package contents

• System components

• Care and maintenance

of your modem

Welcome

TheSierraWirelessCompass597USBmodemisadual‐band

wirelessUSBmodemforcellularandPCSnetworks,andthe 

GPSfrequencyband.It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(Windowsonly)

• Uselocation‐basedservices(Windowsonly)

• 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.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

10 2130972

Feature summary

Note: For step-by-step instruc-

tions to access features of the

modem, consult the online help

available with the Watcher

®

software for Windows (page 38).

TheCompass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

Windows

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).

Mac

Oncethemodemis

installedandconfigured,youcanuseitto

connecttotheCDMAnetwork.Youjustinsertthemodem,

startWatcherLiteandallowittoauthenticateyouraccounton

thenetwork,thenlaunchyourInternetbrowser—you’re

online!

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WindowsorMaccomputer.Aninstallation

CDisnotrequired.

Introducing the Compass 597 USB modem

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 11

TRU-Locate

WithTRU‐Locate™,youcanuselocation‐basedservices(GPS)

onyourWindowscomputer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 available on Windows only; subject to feature

availability.

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.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

12 2130972

• 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.

• 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(Windows

only).

Additional Compass USB modem

features

BeyondthefeaturesoftheCDMAnetwork,themodem

providesadditionalsoftwa re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

(Windowsonly).

• ACallLogtotrackoutgoingcalls

anddeterminethe

amountofdatatransferred(Windowsonly).

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 24.

Introducing the Compass 597 USB modem

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 13

Package contents

Yourpackagecontainsthefollowingcomponents:

• Compass597USBmodem

• QuickStartGuide

• Carryingpouch

• Lanyard

• 7‐inchUSBextensioncable

Note: Use only the supplied USB extension cable; other cables may

not work with the modem.

ToinstalltheCompassUSBmodemdriversandsoftware,you

donotneedaninstallationCD.YourmodemusestheSierra

WirelessTRU‐Installfeature.Thedriversandsoftwareare

installedwhenyouinsertthemodemintoyourcomputer.

System components

Yourmodemisjustonepartofasystemdesignedtoprovide

youwithawiderangeofcommunicationfeatures.Every

componentofthesystemisneededtoenablethesecapabilities.

Your host computing device

YournotebookordesktopcomputerhoststheUSBmodem

hardwareand runsthecommunicationsoftware:yourweb

browserore‐mailapplication,andWatcher(Windows)or

WatcherLite(Mac)—theenablingsoftwareforthemodem.

Youmayalsohaveothersoftwareonyourcomputerthatcan

beusedwirelesslywiththemodem,

suchas:filetransferappli‐

cations(FTP),chatorinstantmessaging,aVPN(Virtual 

PrivateNetwork)client,clientsoftwareforacorporat eserver

application.

The Compass 597 USB modem

Themodemprovidesyourcomputerwithaconnectiontothe

CDMAwirelessnetwork.

ThemodemfitsintoaUSBslotavailableonmostnotebook

anddesktopcomputers.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

14 2130972

EveryCDMAnetworkoperatesononeofthreeradio

frequencybands.Asadual‐bandproduct,themodem

operatesontwoofthesebands(seepage 50),providingawide

coveragearea.

The modem drivers and enabling

software

Themodemdriversandenablingsoftware(Watcher

[Windows]orWatcherLite[Mac])monitorandmanageyour

wirelessconnections.

YourmodemusestheSierraWirelessTRU‐Installfeature—the

driversand softwareareinstalledwhenyouinsertthemodem

intoyourcomputer.

Thedevicedriversoftwareenablesthemodemtoworkwith

yourcomputer’s

operatingsystem.

UsingtheWatcher(Windows)orWatcherLite(Mac)software,

youcanmanagethemodemandmonitoryourconnections.

Forstep‐by‐stepinstructionstoaccessfeaturesofWatcher

(Windows),usetheapplication’sonlinehelp.

CDMA service provider account

CompaniesthatoperateCDMAnetworksandprovideaccess

tothesenetworksarecalledserviceproviders.Tousethe

modem,youmusthaveanaccountwithaCDMAservice

provider.

Note: You can use the Lock

Modem feature to prevent others

from using your account, should

your modem be stolen.

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orlocation‐basedservices(Windowsonly).

Eachmodem hasbeenprovisionedatthefactoryforusewitha

particularserviceprovider.Thissetsthemodem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modem.

Theproceduretoconfigure(activate)yourmodemiscovered

in“Activation”onpage 27.

Introducing the Compass 597 USB modem

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 15

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providers.

Note: Most service providers

have coverage maps on their

web sites.

ThereareCDMAnetworksthatoperateinthefrequencybands

supportedbythemodemthroughoutNorthAmericaand

partsofLatinAmerica,Asia,andNewZealand.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).

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(Canada),andtravelfrequentlyto

Seattle(UnitedStates),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.

Care and maintenance of your

modem

Aswithanyelectronicdevice,themodemmustbehandled

withcaretoensurereliableoperation.Followtheseguidelines

inusingandstoringthemodem:

• ThemodemshouldfiteasilyintoyourUSBslot.Forcing

themodemintoaslotmaydamageconnectorpins.

• Wheninsertingorremovingthemodem,always

gripitby

thesidesratherthantheend.

• Protectthemodemfromliquids,dust,andexcessiveheat.

• Whennotinstalledinyourcomputer,storethemodemin

asafeplace.

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

16 2130972

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 17

2

2: Getting Started

• The Compass 597

software

• Account activation and

configuration

Beforeyoucan beginusingthemodem,youmust:

1. Insertthemodem,toinstalltheenablingsoftwareand

drivers.

2. Activateanaccountandconfigurethemodemtouseyour

account(unlessthemodemhasbeenpre‐activated).

Thissectionprovidesanoverviewofthisprocess.

The Compass 597 software

Themodemcomeswiththefollowingsoftware:

• Watcherapplicationthatyouusetomanagethemodem

andmonitoryourconnectionsonaWindowscomputer

• WatcherLiteapplicationthatyouusetomanagethe

modemandmonitoryourconnectionsonaMaccomputer

• Thedriversoftwarethatprovidestheinterfacebetween

the

modemandyourWindowsorMacoperatingsystem

Detailedinstructionsforinstallingthemodemanditssoftware

areprovidedin“Installation”onpage 19.

Account activation and

configuration

Tousethemodem,youmusthaveanaccountwithaCDMA

serviceprovider.Theprocessofsettingupanaccountiscalled

activation.

Ifyoupurchasedthemodemdirectlyfromaserviceprovider,

youmayalreadyhaveanaccount;yourmodemmaybepre‐

activated.

Otherwise,runtheWatcher(Windows)

orWatcherLite(Mac)

softwareandtheActivationWizard(Windows)orActivation

Assistant(Mac),whichguidesyouthroughtheactivationand

configurationprocess.(Dependingonyourconfiguration,the

softwareandtheactivationproceduremaystartautomati ‐

cally.)

Compass 597 USB modem - User Guide

18 2130972

Configuringthemodem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)orMEID(Mobile

EquipmentIdentifier)assignedtoyourmodemduringthe

manufacturingprocess.(TheESNorMEIDisprintedona

labelonthemodemandcanbedisplayedinthesoftware.)

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modem.

• 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togetherwithyourphone

numbertodetermineifyouare“home”or“roaming”.

Document 2130972. Rev 1.0 Apr.08 19

3

3: Installation

• System requirements

• Installation (Windows)

• Installation (Mac)

• Inserting the modem

• Removing the modem

• Using the USB

extension cable

• Using a microSD card

• Using an external

antenna

Thischapterguidesyouthroughthestepsnecessarytoinstall

themodemonanotebookordesktopcomputer.

Thebasicstepsare:

1. InsertthemodemintotheUSBslot (page 22)toinstallthe

modemdriversandsoftware.

2. Ifthemodemhasnotbeenpre‐activated,usethe

ActivationWizard(Windows)or

ActivationAssistant

(Mac)toconfigurethemodem(asdescribedin

“Activation”onpage 27).

Beforeyoubegin theinstallationprocess,ensureyour

computerisrunningasupportedoperatingsystemandmeets

thehardwarerequirementsdescribedbelow.

System requirements

TheUSBmodemissupportedonnotebookanddesktop

computersrunning:

• WindowsVista

• Windows XP(HomeandProfessionalversions)with

ServicePack 2orlater

• Windows2000withServicePack4andUpdateRollup1

• MacOSXversion10.4ornewer

Toinstallandusethemodem,yourequireoneUSBslot.

Installation

20 2130972

Mac requirements

TheUSBmodemissupportedontheseMaccomputers

runningMacOSXversion10.4ornewer:

• MacBook™

• MacBookAir™

• MacBookPro

• PowerBook®G4

• PowerMac®G5

• desktopiMac

TocheckyourversionofMa cOSX,fromtheApplemenu()

choose

About This Mac.Ifyourversionisearlierthan10.4,then

youmustupgradetoversion10.4ornewer.ContactanApple

reseller,anAppleretailstore,orvisit

www.apple.com/store.

Goto“InstallingonaMaccomputer”onpage 22.

Installing on a Windows

computer

Note: If you’re running Windows XP, you may require administrative

privileges, depending on the Windows XP installation.

If you’re running Windows Vista or Windows 2000, you must be

logged in with administrative privileges to install the modem software.

If you’re running Windows 2000, your computer might be restarted, as

part of the installation process; save any open documents.

ToinstallWatcherandthemodemdrivers:

Note: Do not forcefully insert the

modem. This may damage the

connector pins.

1. InsertthemodemintoyourUSBslot(asdescribedin

“Insertingthemodem”onpage 22).

2. Ifyou’ rerunningWindowsVista,intheAutoPlaywindow

click

Sierra Wireless Watcher Installation.

TheSoftwareInstallationWizardshouldstartautomati‐

cally.

3. Inthe“WelcometotheInstallShieldWizard”window,

select

InstalltolaunchtheInstallShield

®

Wizard.

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Sierra Wireless Compass 597 User manual

Sierra Wireless Compass 597 User manual

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