XLINK 500/100 Operations & Maintenance Manual page # 109
Additional Cell Settings
The following settings are not available via LinkComm. One must use the Terminal to access
them. Changing these settings is not normally required. In fact, incorrect settings may result in
the Cell modem not working!
Cell APN
This is the service provider's APN (Access Point Name). If the station is not able to
get online, the APN may be incorrectly set. Please note that leaving this setting
blank will work with most providers.
Cell SIM PIN
Some SIM cards are locked with a PIN. This setting holds the value to give to the
SIM when turning the modem on. A locked SIM will not work without a PIN and the
station will report a Bad PIN error.
Cell Username
Cell Password
Some providers require that a user name and password be provided in order to
connect to the internet.
10.3.
Iridium Setup
XLink may be equipped with an Iridium modem. If such hardware is available, scheduled and
alarm transmissions via the Iridium modem are possible.
Additionally, the station can receive messages via the Iridium modem. These messages can be
used to check station status, change station setup, request re-transmissions of logged data, and
more. Iridium messages are limited in bandwidth and are time delayed. Email is generally used
to send commands to the station via Iridium. LinkComm cannot be used to send messages via
Iridium.
section for more details on Iridium.
Some of the Iridium settings are found on the Telemetry tab and are specific to a single telemetry
setup. Additional Iridium settings are found on the Other Setup tab of LinkComm; those are
global settings.
Iridium transmissions are delayed by a random time of up to 30 seconds. This delay is mean to
prevent on-air collisions from multiple transmitters.
10.3.1.
Iridium Global Settings
These settings are found on the Other Setup tab of LinkComm. Please read on for a list and
description of each setting.
Iridium Listening
If enabled,
Iridium Listening
will cause the station to keep the Iridium modem on all the time.
This results in messages sent to the station being received near immediately. This reduces the
data costs associated with connecting to the Iridium gateway in order to check messages. In this
mode, the station will reset the modem once a day for reliability, resulting in at least one
connection to the gateway daily.
The downside to enabling Listening is increased power draw.