Configuring the SIM card
Guidance on SIM cards
RT LIVE v2 requires Micro SIM format - this is bigger than the Nano SIM and smaller then the Mini SIM. SIM cards are now supplied with break away spacers to suit all sizes.
The RT LIVE v2 ONLY needs to use a simple data service, and as such it only needs SIM card that has data services available. Its recommended to use a SIM card that is designed for a tablet, these only have data services available and normally work as soon as they are inserted.
The RT LIVE v2 is based on a 4G LTE module, so the SIM card needs to be able to access 4G LTE data services. The legacy CMDA services are not supported.
Sometimes data SIMs are advertised as Machine to Machine, or M2M cards. These are most often used in industrial or commercial applications, such as vending machines. There is nothing special about these cards, and they will work well in the RT LIVE v2. For applications where there are lots of unit in use, the advantage of M2M SIM cards is that they normally come with a web management interface so the user can check the charging, data usage, monthly invoicing etc.
If the card is designed to work in a phone and also has SMS and voice communication service available then that is not an issue at all, these additional services will not be used. However there is a subtle issue with these cards with regards there activation procedure. Often when they are first inserted the phone will get a SMS explaining how to activate the service, or could even need the customer to make a phone call to activate them. Since the RT LIVE v2 will not get this SMS, or following any activation service is recommended to insert the SIM card to a phone, get it fully activated and working, and then transfer it to the RT LIVE v2 unit.
To configure the SIM card: The APN or Access Point Name is the URL used for a connection to the gateway between your carrier's cellular network and the public Internet. The APN URL depends on the SIM card provider.
Race Technology cannot assist with these settings, that information has to come from the SIM card provider.
Another common question is how much data is needed. That depends on the application but its typically in the range of 2 to 10Mbytes per hour.
Note that occasionally its needed to get the IMEI of a device. If this is required then please contact Race Technology directly.
On RT LIVE v2 units with an accessible SIM card the Micro SIM can be changed.
Insert the Micro SIM in the orientation shown, push all the way in.
To remove the Micro SIM card push to eject.
Manual network operator selection
In most cases the network provider is identified from the SIM card and the unit will automatically use that network, no further user configuration is needed. However when using a multi-network SIM or a SIM is used in roaming mode there can be issues:
In this case the network provider code on the SIM will not match the available networks available, for example a UK supplied “three” card might be used in the USA where there is no “three” network infrastructure, and instead it needs to use an alternative network. In this situation there is no way for the unit to know which network to log onto, and the following situation can occur:
- Unit cannot find a network provider that matches the SIM card
- The unit will attempt to log onto any network operator (randomly)
- This network might reject the connection, or offer very limited low speed access, or a sporadic service
- After some time the unit will drop the connection and try to log onto the next available network
- This process can be very slow, when station it might take 15 minutes, if mobile then it can take far longer
- If the connection drops, then the process of searching for a usable network starts again
To solve this situation the user needs to specify a preferred network, that can be done in one of 2 places:
- It can be specified on the RT cloud web site, on the account tab. This is convenient but requires that the unit can connect to the web site in the first place to read the setting. If you change the RT Cloud settings, these are stored and the unit restarts to apply them.
- It can be specified in the PC configuration as an extension to the APN setting. Typically an APN is entered as “three.co.uk”, however you can add on the PLMN code separated by a # character, for example , “three.co.uk#23420”. Note there are no spaces in this.
Additional notes:
- The PLMN codes for all countries and networks is available from here https://www.mcc-mnc.net/
- If the preferred network is set on the PC, then this is used in preference to the RT Cloud site
- When the preferred network is set from the RT Cloud site, this is stored in internal flash, so it’s used for every subsequent start. To clear these settings either re-flash or configure the unit, this clears the preferred network setting.