CS-GSM/GPRS Digital Transceiver Kits (including the COM110 modem)
Higher gain YAGI style antennas are available from Campbell Scientific to
special order. These can help with reception in remote areas or where reception is
poor due to obstacles, but can take some experimentation to find the best
orientation to get the optimum reception.
7. Configuring the COM110 modem
If bought as part of a CS-GSM/GPRS package the COM110 modem will be
preconfigured by Campbell Scientific to work out of the box so no configuration
is normally necessary for GSM dial-up use.
If the COM110 has been bought as a separate item, if it is going to be used for
GPRS or it needs to be reconfigured from another use this can easily be done
using the Mobile Data Assistant software package that will run on Windows PC
platforms.
To use this package you need a special cable to allow connection of the 15 way
connector on the modem and the serial port of a PC (or a serial-USB cable
connector to the PC). These are available from Campbell Scientific Ltd and called
a Wavecom/ COM110 programming cable.
If you do not have the Mobile Data Assistant package you can use a terminal
emulation program to communicate with the modem and manually send it some
basic setup and diagnostic commands, some of which are detailed in Appendix F.
When using the CR800, CR1000 or CR3000 dataloggers it is also possible to
`talk-through’ from one serial port to the modem connected on another. When the
modem is offline you can manually send configuration commands to the modem
via this route – see the datalogger manual for a description of terminal mode, and
refer to Appendix F of this manual. It is not possible to run the Mobile Data
Assistant package via this type of connection.
If the COM110 modem has been purchased with a cable for plugging into a
datalogger RS232 port, a null modem cable or adaptor will be required allow
correct connection to a PC serial port. Any terminal software used with this
combination should be set to “No hardware handshaking”. This type of connection
can be used to do some minor reconfiguration of the modem but cannot be used
with the Mobile Assistant program because the reset procedure does not work via
this cable combination.
Prior to attempting to setup a modem for GPRS communication you need to
decide whether you will use the TCP/IP stack built into the datalogger (possible
and generally advised with the CR800, CR1000 and CR3000) or use the TCP/IP
stack built into the modem itself. You also need to know whether the SIM card
you are using has a fixed IP address or a dynamic address requiring the logger to
call-back to a Loggernet server.
7.1 Using the Mobile Data Assistant Program for system
configuration
The Mobile Data Assistant program is available as a free download from
www.campbellsci.co.uk/downloads
Running the downloaded EXE file will start
the installation process. This program with run on Windows XP with Service
Pack 3, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 and equivalent server
versions.
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