Note: This guide only pertains to controllers equipped with a cell modem and multi-carrier SIM card. If you do not see the Cell Survey or Cell Network options, please see the FAQ at the bottom of this guide. The automatic carrier selection done by the cell modem will work in most locations. Running a cellular survey and selecting a specific carrier should only be done to improve frequent disconnects in challenging coverage areas.
Summary
This guide will take you through the steps to run a cell survey from a SubStation display, then select the best quality carrier based on the results.
Initiate a Cell Survey
- At the SubStation, press the System Setup button.
- Use the arrow buttons to navigate to Network Setup then press OK.
- Press OK to enter the Communication Setup menu.
- Use the arrow buttons to navigate to Cell Survey and press OK.
The SubStation displays Busy while the cell modem discovers the local cell signals. After the cell survey is complete, available signals in the area are ranked from best quality, to worst.
Choosing a Cell Network
After the best quality provider is identified, press BACK then use the arrow buttons to navigate to Cell Network. Press Plus or Minus to iterate through AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile options.
Choosing a preferred carrier triggers a cell disconnect and re-connect. This reconnect can take up to 30 minutes. After setting the Cell Network value, cell connection can be monitored in the Cell Modem Info menu or via the Status LED on the Cloud Network Module. The Status LED on the Cloud Network Module will flash red until a connection is re-established.
FAQ
Q: I don't have the Cell Survey or Cell Network options in the Communication Setup menu.
A: This indicates a firmware update is required or your cell modem may not support this functionality. In the Cell Modem Firmware menu (In the Communication Setup menu), verify the Modem Type is ME910G1-WW. ME910G1-NA does not support cell surveys or carrier selection. Verify Cloud Network Module is version 2.1 or higher and SubStation version is 2.6 or higher.
Q: I have the Cell Survey and Cell Network options but Cell Network says Fixed.
A: You have a fixed AT&T or Verizon SIM card in your cell modem. For more information about getting a multi-carrier SIM card, please reach out to your Baseline distributor or Baseline support.
Q: What happens if my selected carrier has an outage? Or my device cannot connect to my selected carrier?
A: The Cloud Network Module will continue attempting to connect to the selected carrier for up to ~25 minutes before ignoring the selected carrier setting and attempting to connect to any available cell signal. This enables the Cloud Network Module to remain connected as often as possible.