Sierra Wireless MC7700

Get started with the Sierra Wireless MC7700

The Sierra Wireless MC7700 is a mini PCIE modem designed for industrial M2M and mobile computing solutions. It supports LTE, DC-HSPA+, HSPA+, EDGE, GPRS, and GSM networks. It supports:

  • 4G/LTE bands 1, 4 and 17

  • 3G bands: 1, 2, 5, 6

  • 2G bands: 850, 900, 1800 and 1900

Prerequisites

  • Monogoto SIM

  • Sierra Wireless MC7700 mini PCIE

  • Adapter to connect to the MC7700, possibly a USB dongle or AirPrime MC Series Dev Kit

Quick Navigation

Getting Started

Start by connecting the LTE antenna

Add the Monogoto SIM

Power up the LTE modem

Connect your computer to the modem You may use a terminal program on your PC to configure the MC7700. You can use PuTTY for Windows, or screen, minicom or coolterm / miniterm for Mac or Linux.

For Windows users. You need to install a driver to start using the MC7700. You can download the driver here.

Connect the MC7700 to Monogoto

Keep the AT Commands manual next to you for more details about the commands. Click here to download the latest version.

Reset the modem to its default configuration:

AT+CFUN=1,1

Set the error reporting to verbose, resulting in more descriptive error messages (optional):

AT+CMEE=2

Check the status of the SIM card. The correct response should be: +CPIN: READY

AT+CPIN?

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:

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

AT+ICCID

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:

AT+COPS=0

Check the network and cellular technology the modem is currently using:

AT+COPS? 

Expected response: +COPS: 0,0,"<name of operator>",X. The last digit indicates the cellular technology: 0 indicates 2G 2 indicates 3G 7 indicates 4G

Option 2: Manual Network Selection

Start with searching for available networks:

AT+COPS=?

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:

+COPS: (1,"T-Mobile NL","TMO NL","20416",0),(1,"NL KPN","NL KPN","20408",0),(1,"vodafone NL","voda NL","20404",0),(2,"NL KPN","NL KPN","20408",7),(1,"vodafone NL","voda NL","20404",7),(1,"T-Mobile NL","TMO NL","20416",7),,(0,1,2,3,4),(0,)

OK

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:

AT+COPS? 

Expected response: +COPS: 0,0,"<name of operator>",X. The last digit indicates the cellular technology.

Manually set the network and the cellular technology:

AT+COPS=1,2,"XXXXX",7

Replace XXXXX with the MCCMNC code of your operator, for example"20404" for Vodafone NL. Use 7 for LTE. It is possible to leave the value for setting the cellular technology out, allowing the modem to select the RAT by itself.

Check the radio signal strength and signal quality:

AT+CSQ

+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 specific bands for specific technologies. This may result in a faster boot cycle as the modem does not need to scan for available bands at startup.

To read the available options, enter:

AT!BAND=?

Expected response:

Index, Name
00, All bands                     
01, Europe 3G                     
02, North America 3G              
03, Europe 2G                     
04, North America 2G              
05, GSM ALL                       
06, Europe                        
07, North America                 
08, WCDMA ALL                     
09, LTE ALL                       

To lock the modem to European bands, enter:

AT!BAND=06

Query Network information

Return the operational status, including the Radio Access Technology (RAT) and band used:

AT!GSTATUS?

Example response:

!GSTATUS: 
Current Time:  2224             Temperature: 25
Bootup Time:   1236             Mode:        ONLINE         
System mode:   LTE              PS state:    Attached     
LTE band:      B1               LTE bw:      20 MHz  
LTE Rx chan:   500              LTE Tx chan: 65535
EMM state:     Registered       Normal Service 
EMM connection:RRC Idle       

RSSI (dBm):    -66
RSRP (dBm):    -96              TAC:         F48B (62603)
RSRQ (dB):     -11              Cell ID:     0028E72B (2680619)
SINR (dB):      9.6

Network Activation

Set the APN to data.mono:

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:

AT+CGPADDR

Expected response: +CGPADDR: 1,XX.XXX.XX.XXX

Do you see an IP address? Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected the Sierra Wireless modem to Monogoto 🎉

Have a look at the Things logs in the Monogoto Console to find more details about the established connection.

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