Cellular Networks
In this article, you will find details on various supported cellular networks and the particular settings in various environments. The CHESTER platform supports LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular technologies.
The connectivity is enabled through the nRF9160 System-in-Package from Nordic Semiconductor.
In HARDWARIO, we do not restrict customers to use any SIM card provider of their preference (as long as the selected carrier offers one of the supported cellular technologies). On the other hand, for the SIM cards provided by HARDWARIO, we can provide an extended level of technical support.
As of now, we can deliver SIM cards for these three carriers:
- LTE-M connectivity: Onomondo
- NB-IoT connectivity: Vodafone
- NB-IoT connectivity: T-Mobile
For plastic SIM cards, we only support Nano-SIM form factor (4FF). Alternatively, HARDWARIO can provide a SIM chip variant (MFF2) for bulk orders.
Network Settings
This article provides settings reference for the tested networks:
The table below applies to the SIM cards provided by HARDWARIO. We cannot guarantee data validity if the SIM cards are sourced from anywhere else.
| Country | Technology | Carrier | PLMN ID | APN | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open list | LTE-M | Onomondo | - | onomondo | |
| Open list | NB-IoT | Onomondo | - | onomondo | |
| Australia | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 50503 | hardwario.com | |
| Austria | NB-IoT | T-Mobile | 23203 | nbiot.telekom.sk | |
| Czech Republic | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 23003 | hardwario.com | |
| Germany | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 26202 | hardwario.com | |
| Greece | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 20205 | hardwario.com | |
| Hungary | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 21670 | hardwario.com | |
| Ireland | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 27201 | hardwario.com | |
| Italy | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 22210 | hardwario.com | |
| Netherlands | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 20404 | hardwario.com | |
| New Zealand | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 53001 | hardwario.com | |
| Poland | NB-IoT | T-Mobile | 26002 | nbiot.telekom.sk | |
| Portugal | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 26801 | hardwario.com | |
| Romania | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 22601 | hardwario.com | |
| Slovakia | NB-IoT | T-Mobile | 23102 | nbiot.telekom.sk | |
| South Africa | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 65501 | hardwario.com | |
| Spain | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 21401 | hardwario.com | |
| United Kingdom | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 23415 | hardwario.com | |
| United States | NB-IoT | Vodafone | 310410 | hardwario.com | Roaming via AT&T |
Applying Settings
You can apply the settings using these commands:
lte config lte-m-mode false
lte config nb-iot-mode true
lte config autoconn false
lte config plmnid 50503
lte config apn hardwario.com
If you need to search for the network automatically, enable the autoconn parameter:
lte config autoconn true
Having this option enabled is the recommended setting for the LTE-M networks (e.g. Onomondo).
You must save the settings using this command:
config save
You can verify the settings using this command:
config show
Run this command to query the LTE registration state:
lte state
You can read the IMSI of the SIM card even when the CHESTER is not attached:
lte imsi
Onomondo Configuration
This is the reference LTE settings when using CHESTER with the Onomondo SIM card:
lte config lte-m-mode true
lte config nb-iot-mode false
lte config autoconn true
lte config apn onomondo
lte config addr 165.227.146.193
Vodafone Czech Republic NB-IoT Configuration
This is the reference LTE settings when using CHESTER with the Vodafone Czech Republic SIM card:
lte config lte-m-mode false
lte config nb-iot-mode true
lte config autoconn false
lte config apn hardwario.com
lte config plmnid 23003
lte config addr 192.168.168.1
Slovak Telekom NB-IoT Configuration
This is the reference LTE settings when using CHESTER with the Slovak Telekom SIM card:
lte config lte-m-mode false
lte config nb-iot-mode true
lte config autoconn false
lte config apn nbiot.telekom.sk
lte config plmnid 23102
lte config addr 165.227.146.193
Mobily (Saudi Arabia) NB-IoT Configuration
This is the reference LTE settings when using CHESTER with the Mobily SIM card:
lte config lte-m-mode false
lte config nb-iot-mode true
lte config autoconn false
lte config apn M2M-NB
lte config plmnid 42003
lte config addr 165.227.146.193
List Available Networks
You can use CHESTER to scan for networks it can see. This is mainly for troubleshooting purposes. you have to use J-Link RTT connection with HARDWARIO CLI, this doesn't work with a BLE connection.
Open HARDWARIO CLI console by typing hardwario chester app console
lte config test true
config save
lte test uart enable
lte test wakeup
lte test cmd at\%xsystemmode=1,1,0,0
lte test cmd at+cfun=1
lte test cmd at\%cops=?
<wait for %COPS response>
lte config test false
config save
Don't forget to disable modem test mode after you get the %COPS response so CHESTER can work properly again.
lte config test false
config save
Response will be in application log during several minutes (e.g. ~3 minutes with usual bandlock for Bands 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 20, 28) in the form like:
%COPS: (2,"","","26201",7),(1,"","","26202",7)
Output explanation:
%COPS: [(<stat>,long alphanumeric <oper>,short alphanumeric <oper>,numeric <oper>[,<AcT>])]
<stat>
- 0 – Unknown
- 1 – Available
- 2 – Current
- 3 – Forbidden
<oper>
- PLMNID of operator
<AcT>
- 7 – LTE-M
- 9 – NB-IoT