# Quectel BG95-MX
The **Quectel BG95-M** series support LTE Cat M1 technology. The M3 and M5 also come with GSM/EDGE support. This tutorial highlights the [Quectel BG95-M3](https://www.quectel.com/product/lpwa-bg95-m3) which supports LTE Cat M1, NB-IoT2 and EGPRS and is compliant with 3GPP release 14.
### Prerequisites
* Monogoto SIM
* [BG95-M3](https://www.quectel.com/product/lpwa-bg95-m3)
* [UMTS & LTE EVB Kit](https://www.quectel.com/product/umts-lte-evb-kit)
### Quick Navigation
* [Set up UMTS & LTE EVB Kit (if applicable)](#set-up-umts-and-lte-evb-kit)
* [Connect BG95 to Monogoto](#connect-the-bg95-m3-to-monogoto)
* [Sending a PING](#test-the-connection-by-sending-a-ping)
* [Useful Links](#useful-links)
## Set up UMTS & LTE EVB Kit (if applicable)
#### Set up the EVB Kit
* Connect the **Quectel BG95-M3 modem** to the EVB kit.
* **Connect the LTE antenna** and (optionally) GPS antenna
* Insert the **Monogoto SIM**
#### **Connect you PC to the EVB Kit**
Use the USB to UART converter cable to connect your computer to the **COM1 MAIN** port of the EVB Kit
{% hint style="info" %}
When using Windows, install the driver using the disk or USB stick provided by Quectel.
{% endhint %}
Connect to the EVB kit using a **terminal program**. You can use PuTTY for Windows, or screen, minicom or miniterm for Mac or Linux.
**Power the EVB Kit** using the USB to micro USB cable and switch the **POWER** button to **ON**. The **POWER LED** will turn on **RED**.
Press and hold the **PWRKEY** button for 1 second, the **STATUS** light will light up on **GREEN**, the **NET\_STA** LED will start blinking **BLUE**.
Once the modem has started, it will report:
```
RDY
APP RDY
```
Enter `AT`, if the connection with the BG95 modem has been established, the board will answer with `OK`.
## Connect the BG95 to Monogoto
{% hint style="info" %}
Keep the **AT Commands manual** next to you for more details about the commands. [**Click** ](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Quectel_BG95BG77BG600L_Series_QCFG_AT_Commands_Manual_V2.0-1.pdf)**here** to download the latest version.
{% endhint %}
#### **Reset the modem** to its default configuration:
Reset non-volatile memory:
```
AT+QPRTPARA=1
```
Restore factory settings:
```
AT+QPRTPARA=3
```
Reboot module:
```bash
AT+CFUN=1,1
```
**Set the error reporting to** **verbose**, resulting in more descriptive error messages (optional):
```bash
AT+CMEE=2
```
Check the **status of the SIM card**. The correct response should be: `+CPIN: READY`
```
AT+CPIN?
```
{% hint style="warning" %}
If you receive an error, the SIM may not be inserted properly or the SIM is protected with a PIN. By default, Monogoto SIMs are not PIN protected.
{% endhint %}
### Query device information
Request the **product type, hardware** and **firmware** **version**:
```bash
ATI
```
Request the **IMSI** (International Mobile Subscriber Identity):
```
AT+CIMI
```
Request the **ICCID** (Integrated Circuit Card ID), which is the identification number of the SIM card
```bash
AT+CCID
```
### Network Configuration
It is possible to let the modem select the network automatically, or to manually define a network to connect with.
#### **Option 1: Automatic Network Selection**
To set the modem to **automatic network selection** enter the command:
```bash
AT+COPS=0
```
Check the **network and cellular technology the modem** is currently using:
```
AT+COPS?
```
Expected response: `+COPS: 0,0,"",X`. The last digit indicates the cellular technology:\
`0` indicates **GSM**\
`8` indicates **LTE Cat-M1** (also referred to as eMTC)\
`9` indicates **NB-IoT**
#### Option 2: Manual Network Selection
Start with searching for available networks:
```
AT+COPS=?
```
{% hint style="warning" %}
It may take several minutes before the modem responds.
{% endhint %}
The modem responds with the **names** and the **MCCMNC** codes of the available networks. It also shows the cellular technologies the networks support:
```
+COPS: (1,"vodafone NL","voda NL","20404",8),(1,"NL KPN","NL KPN","20408",0),(1,"vodafone NL","voda NL","20404",9),(1,"T-Mobile NL","TMO NL","20416",0),(1,"NL KPN","NL KPN","20408",8),(1,"vodafone NL","voda NL","20404",0),(1,"T-Mobile NL","TMO NL","20416",8),(1,"T-Mobile NL","TMO NL","20416",9),,(0,1,2,3,4),(0,1,2)
OK
```
To find which of the networks Monogoto has **roaming agreements** with, review the [**Coverage lists**](https://docs.monogoto.io/getting-started/global-public-coverage).
{% hint style="info" %}
To find the **profile** of your SIM, visit the [**Monogoto Console**](https://console.monogoto.io/), open the page **Things**  and select a specific **Thing**. Scroll down to **Mobile Identities** to find your profile in the column **Network Provider Name**.
{% endhint %}
Check the **network and cellular technology** the modem is currently using:
```
AT+COPS?
```
Expected response: `+COPS: 0,0,"",X`. The last digit indicates the cellular technology.
**Manually set the network and the cellular technology**:
```
AT+COPS=1,2,"XXXXX",8
```
Replace `XXXXX` with the **MCCMNC** code of your operator, for example`"20404"` for Vodafone NL. Use `8` for **LTE Cat-M1**.
**Check the radio signal strength and signal quality:**
```bash
AT+CSQ
```
{% hint style="info" %}
`+CSQ` returns 2 values separated by a comma. The first value represents the **signal strength** and provides a value between 0 and 31; higher numbers indicate better signal strength. The second value represents the **signal quality** indicated by a value between 0 and 7. If `AT+CSQ` returns `99,99`, the signal is undetectable or unknown.
{% endhint %}
#### Define the cellular band(s) (optional)
It is possible to **lock the modem to one or more specific bands**. This may result in a faster boot cycle as the modem does not need to scan for available bands at startup.
{% hint style="info" %}
Supported LTE-M bands for the BG95-M1, -M2, -M3, -M5 and -MF are: `1 2 3 4 5 8 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27 28 66 85`
The BG95-M4 supports in addition to the bands mentioned above: `31 72 73`
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="warning" %}
Although the modem may support many different bands, your local network operator may not. Have a look at the [**LTE Cat-M1 overview**](https://docs.monogoto.io/getting-started/general-device-configurations/iot-devices/broken-reference) to find the available band(s) in your region.
{% endhint %}
To lock the modem to a specific band, a hexadecimal value representing the band needs to be sent to the modem. To **lock the modem to LTE-M band 20**, send:
```
AT+QCFG="band",0,0x80000,0
```
{% hint style="info" %}
For information about setting specific LTE bands, see [**QCFG AT Commands Manual**](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Quectel_BG95BG77BG600L_Series_QCFG_AT_Commands_Manual_V2.0-1.pdf), chapter **3.1.1.4**.
{% endhint %}
To test if the band(s) is properly set, enter the command:
```
AT+QCFG="band"
```
Example response: `+QCFG: "band",0xf,0x80000,0x10004200000000090e189f`\
The first hex number represents the GSM bands, followed by the LTE-M bands and NB-IoT bands.
#### Query Network information
To information about the technology used, the network provider and cellular band, enter:
```
AT+QNWINFO
```
Example response: `+QNWINFO: "eMTC","20408","LTE BAND 20",6400`.
#### Configure Radio Access Technology (RAT)
Configure the modem to only use LTE Cat-M1, not NB-IoT:
```
AT+QCFG="iotopmode",0,1
```
The last variable: `1`, instructs the modem to process the command immediately. When using: `0`, the takes effect after a reboot.
Specify the modem search sequence starting with **LTE Cat-M1** (indicated with `02`) followed by **GSM** (indicated with `01`) and **NB-IoT** (`03`):
```
AT+QCFG="nwscanseq",020103,1
```
### Network Activation
**Set the APN to** `data.mono`:
```json
AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","data.mono"
```
Validate if the **APN** is set correctly:
```
AT+CGDCONT?
```
Expected response: `+CGDCONT: 1,"IP","data.mono","0.0.0.0",0,0,0,0,0,0`
**Activate the PDP (packet data protocol) context**:
```
AT+CGACT=1,1
```
**Test** if the PDP context is activated:
```
AT+CGACT?
```
Expected response: `+CGACT: 1,1`
#### Validate if your device received an **IP address**:
```bash
AT+CGPADDR
```
Expected response: `+CGPADDR: 1,XX.XXX.XX.XXX`
{% hint style="success" %}
Do you see an IP address? **Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected the Quectel modem to Monogoto 🎉**
{% endhint %}
## Test the connection by sending a PING
A PING test can be performed to test if the modem has an active data connection with a mobile network.
{% hint style="warning" %}
When cellular modems are idle for a long period of time, cell towers might drop the data connection to save resources. Sending regular PINGs is a good method for testing the data connection, as well as for keeping the connection alive because the operator registers your device as being actively used.
{% endhint %}
**Send 5 PINGs** to IP address `8.8.8.8`:
```
AT+QPING=1,"8.8.8.8",5
```
Example response:
```
+QPING: 0,"8.8.8.8",32,543,255
+QPING: 0,"8.8.8.8",32,396,255
+QPING: 0,"8.8.8.8",32,262,255
+QPING: 0,"8.8.8.8",32,299,255
+QPING: 0,4,4,0,262,543,375
```
## Test the connection by sending a UDP payload
A UDP payload test when the modem has an active data connection.
**Send UDP Payload** to the IP address `220.180.239.212`:
```
AT+QIOPEN=1,0,"TCP","220.180.239.212",8305,0,0
```
response:
```
OK
+QIOPEN: 0,0
```
**Send UDP Socket**
```
AT+QISEND=0,8 //Send 8 bytes
> 01234567 //8 Bytes of Data
```
response:
```
SEND OK
+QIURC: "recv",0
```
**Close UDP Socket**
```
AT+QICLOSE=0
```
response:
```
OK
+QIURC: "pdpdeact",1
```
{% hint style="success" %}
**Great work on connecting the Quectel BG95 to Monogoto!** Have a look at the **Things** logs in the [**Monogoto Console**](https://console.monogoto.io/) to find more details about the established connection.
{% endhint %}
## **Troubleshooting**
#### **Network reactivation**
When cellular modems are idle for a long period of time, cell towers might drop the data connection to save resources.
To test if the modes still have an active session, the command `AT+CSQ` can be sent. If no value or the value `99` is returned, the device lost its session with the cell tower and the modem needs to be re-initialized. This can be done by rebooting the modem using the command `AT+CFUN=1,1`
## Useful Links
* [Quectel BG95-M3 product page](https://www.quectel.com/product/lpwa-bg95-m3)
* [BG95 AT Commands Manual](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Quectel_BG95BG77BG600L_Series_QCFG_AT_Commands_Manual_V2.0-1.pdf)
* [BG95 AT Commands Manual](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Quectel_BG95BG77BG600L_Series_AT_Commands_Manual_V2.0-3.pdf) (Quectel specific commands)
* [BG95-M3 specifications](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfupload/Quectel_BG95_Series_LPWA_Specification_V1.5.pdf)
* [UMTS & LTE EVB User Guide](https://www.quectel.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfupload/Quectel_UMTS%20&%20LTE_EVB_User_Guide_V2.1.pdf)