Quectel BG96
The following guide contains AT commands guides for cellular modem Quectel BG96 working with Monogoto SIM card
The Quectel BG96 series support LTE Cat M1, NB-IoT and EGPRS.
Prerequisites
Monogoto SIM
Quick Navigation
Connect the BG96 to Monogoto
Keep the AT Commands manual next to you for more details about the commands. Click here to download the latest version, scroll down to Documentation and Resources to find the AT Commands Manual.
Reset the modem to its default configuration:
Reset non-volatile memory:
Restore factory settings:
Reboot module:
Set the error reporting to verbose, resulting in more descriptive error messages (optional):
Check the status of the SIM card. The correct response should be: +CPIN: READY
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.
Query device information
Request the product type, hardware and firmware version:
Request the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity):
Request the ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card ID), which is the identification number of the SIM card
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:
Check the network and cellular technology the modem is currently using:
Expected response: +COPS: 0,0,"<name of operator>",X. The last digit indicates the cellular technology:
0 indicates GSM
8 indicates LTE Cat-M1
9 indicates NB-IoT
Option 2: Manual Network Selection
Start with searching for available networks:
It may take several minutes before the modem responds.
The modem responds with the names and the MCCMNC codes of the available networks. It also shows the cellular technologies the networks support:
To find which of the networks Monogoto has roaming agreements with, review the Coverage lists.
Check the network and cellular technology the modem is currently using:
Expected response: +COPS: 0,0,"<name of operator>",X. The last digit indicates the cellular technology.
Manually set the network and the cellular technology:
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:
+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.
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.
Supported LTE-M bands for the BG96 are: 1 2 3 4 5 8 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 28 39
Although the modem may support many different bands, your local network operator may not. Have a look at the LTE Cat-M1 overview to find the available band(s) in your region.
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:
For information about setting specific LTE bands, see Quectel BG96 AT Commands Manual, chapter 4.2.5.
To test if the band(s) is properly set, enter the command:
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:
Example response: +QNWINFO: "eMTC","20408","LTE BAND 20",6400.
Network Activation
Set the APN to data.mono:
Validate if the APN is set correctly:
Expected response: +CGDCONT: 1,"IP","data.mono","0.0.0.0",0,0,0,0,0,0
Activate the PDP (packet data protocol) context:
Test if the PDP context is activated:
Expected response: +CGACT: 1,1
Setup roaming
Note that in older versions of the BG96 firmware this should be called after every de-registration of the unit. Fixed in version R02A07.16 of the BG96.
Validate if your device received an IP address:
Expected response: +CGPADDR: 1,XX.XXX.XX.XXX
Do you see an IP address? Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected the Quectel modem to Monogoto 🎉
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.
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.
Send 5 PINGs to IP address 8.8.8.8:
Example response:
Great work on connecting the Quectel BG96 to Monogoto! Have a look at the Things logs in the Monogoto Console to find more details about the established connection.
Useful Links
BG96 AT Commands Manual (scroll down to Documentation and Resources)
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