Unable to activate iBASIS SIM (I Think)

[patmolloy13]

I just received the Thingy 91 this morning. I've inserted the SIM have verified it on the nRF Connect for Cloud.

I cannot proceed to the next step, as the led continues to pulse blue - so I assume not connected to the network.

I am in the UK, South West London (SW15 6BF).

I assume there is no coverage here??

What are my options? If I need a different SIM, what am I looking for?

Thanks

[Øyvind]

Hello patmolloy13, 

I am in the UK, South West London (SW15 6BF).

 The Thingy:91 is shipped with LTE-M activated on the modem. According to GSMA Deployment Map, only NB-IoT is available in the UK. 

What are my options? If I need a different SIM, what am I looking for?

 Please try downloading the Thingy:91 Firmware pack from the download page. This file includes several pre-compiled versions of the Asset Tracker, with different network modes i.e. NB-IoT or LTE-M.

Package Contents:
│   CONTENTS.txt                                This file
│   mfwnrf9160101.zip                           Modem firmware, updated through nRF Connect for Desktop Programmer app
│
├───images_dfu                                  Application images, updated over USB
│       thingy91_at_client_v0.2.3.bin           Firmware for direct modem communication
│       thingy91_ltem_v0.2.2.bin                Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, LTE-M network mode
│       thingy91_nbiot_legacy_pco_v0.2.2.bin    Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, NB-IoT network mode, legacy PCO
│       thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin               Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, NB-IoT network mode
│
└───images_hex                                  Application images, updated over SWD (JLINK probe / development kit)
        thingy91_at_client_v0.2.3.hex           Firmware for direct modem communication
        thingy91_ltem_v0.2.2.hex                Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, LTE-M network mode
        thingy91_nbiot_legacy_pco_v0.2.2.hex    Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, NB-IoT network mode, legacy PCO
        thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.hex               Asset tracker firmware for nRF9160, NB-IoT network mode
        thingy91_nrf52_usb_v0.2.2.hex           USB-UART serial bridge firmware for nRF52840

Please try to program your Thingy:91 with thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.hex.

Kind regards,
Øyvind

[patmolloy13]

Thanks, Øyvind, I'll give that a go.

Pat

[Øyvind]

I oversaw one detail from your last post. You're trying to load the wrong image. If you have a jlink programmer, then you can use the .hex files to update. mcumgr uses the .bin files from images_bin.

[patmolloy13]

Hi Øyvind,

It's brand new out of the box. I just stuck the SIM in and hoped that it would magically work :) 

I am sure the path is not the problem, actually. I can use mcumgr from whatever folder I am in. It sounds like it the .hex file causing the grief with mcumgr. I'll try the bin version.

I am a complete novice as far as Nordic goes. Had the thingy:52, though. Excellent for demos.

I'll look into a jlink programmer.

Thanks for your help!

Pat

[patmolloy13]

Ok, I re-read your message and understand .. run the mcumgr command from the folder where the .bin file is located.

This has worked, I think .. I was not sure which com port but 30 works, and 29 does not.

C:\Users\patmo\Downloads\thingy91_fw_v0.2.3\images_dfu>mcumgr --conntype=serial --connstring=COM30 image upload thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin
294.77 KiB / 294.77 KiB [===================================================================] 100.00% 3.12 KiB/s 1m34s
Done

[Øyvind]

Hi Pat, 

patmolloy13 said:

It's brand new out of the box. I just stuck the SIM in and hoped that it would magically work :) 

Yes, usually they do magically work out of the box, but sometimes the conditions for the magician is not optimized ;) LTE-M and NB-IoT are two different types of technologies. 

patmolloy13 said:

I am a complete novice as far as Nordic goes. Had the thingy:52, though. Excellent for demos.

  Yes, and that's what we based the Thingy:91 on. We want it to be just as excellent for demos, however, the nRF9160 is a more advanced device compared to nRF52 devices.

patmolloy13 said:

I'll look into a jlink programmer.

Did you find one? Based on the following comment, it seems as though you have solved it. 

 

patmolloy13 said:

This has worked, I think .. I was not sure which com port but 30 works, and 29 does not.

C:\Users\patmo\Downloads\thingy91_fw_v0.2.3\images_dfu>mcumgr --conntype=serial --connstring=COM30 image upload thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin
294.77 KiB / 294.77 KiB [===================================================================] 100.00% 3.12 KiB/s 1m34s

 As I mentioned, one COM port is for the board controller (COM29 - does not work) and the other COM30 is for the nRF9160.

From the initial post: 

I cannot proceed to the next step, as the led continues to pulse blue - so I assume not connected to the network.

Are you getting any further? If not, you may need to try with another SIM from your local NB-IoT provider.

Let me know how it goes, and if you have any further questions, just ask :)

Cheers!

-Øyvind

[patmolloy13]

Ok, I have flashed thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin to the device. But I am still getting no connection. How do I debug this best? Has the act of flashing this image definitely flashed the modem?

1) Is there any way (via the USB port) to see any diagnostic data that might be being generated?

2) Is there any way to verify whether the iBASIS sim has roamed (or is capable of roaming) to NB-IoT in the UK ? (London)

Thanks

Pat

[Øyvind]

patmolloy13 said:

Has the act of flashing this image definitely flashed the modem?

The application has been loaded, but nothing on the modem itself. In the "Thingy:91 Firmware pack" you'll find mfwnrf9160101.zip = Modem firmware, updated through nRF Connect for Desktop Programmer app. But see point 1 below first.

patmolloy13 said:

1) Is there any way (via the USB port) to see any diagnostic data that might be being generated?

 Yes, you can load the AT Client (thingy91_at_client_v0.2.3.bin) which will more information about the modem and network. 

patmolloy13 said:

2) Is there any way to verify whether the iBASIS sim has roamed (or is capable of roaming) to NB-IoT in the UK ? (London)

 iBasis does, unfortunately, not have NB-IoT support in the UK, and only limited support for LTE-M. Ref. iBasis coverage.

  

[patmolloy13]

Thanks again for all of your help Øyvind. I really appreciate it!

To get this working in the UK is spiralling a bit beyond my capabilities! I just wanted it to work

So .. to get this working in the UK, compared with the out-of-the-box delivery, I need to ..

1) Find an NB-IoT provider in the UK and get a working SIM (may or may not be possible!)

2) Flash the thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin code (I have done this) .. but this is only the app, not the modem firmware.

3) Install Firmware from  mfwnrf9160101.zip = Modem firmware, updated through nRF Connect for Desktop, which will allow the modem to talk NB-IoT

To get NRF Connect for Desktop working, do I need additional hardware/cables or is this all done via the MicroUSB port?

Sorry for all this :-O 

I work here https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/projects/future-networks-lab/ and am trying to find a nice demonstrator for NB-IoT !

Pat

[Øyvind]

patmolloy13 said:

1) Find an NB-IoT provider in the UK and get a working SIM (may or may not be possible!)

 According to GSMA, Vodafone is your provider of NB-IoT

patmolloy13 said:

2) Flash the thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin code (I have done this) .. but this is only the app, not the modem firmware.

Correct, this is the application that enables NB-IoT on your board. It is configured with CONFIG_LTE_NETWORK_MODE_NBIOT=y, which selects network mode and configures the modem for this. 

patmolloy13 said:

3) Install Firmware from  mfwnrf9160101.zip = Modem firmware, updated through nRF Connect for Desktop, which will allow the modem to talk NB-IoT

You need to ensure that you have the latest modem FW in order for the modem to talk to NB-IoT or LTE-M networks.

Loading the AT Client will print the current modem FW on your modem when issuing "AT+CFUN?" from the LTE Link Monitor. If you have the same version as included in the Thingy:91 Firmware pack, then you do not need to do anything. Remember to load the "thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin" afterward.

nRF Connect for Desktop is a software where you can download both the Programmer app (updating modem) and the LTE Link Monitor (issuing AT Commands and printing information). As long as you are able to load the .bin files from the Thingy:91 Firmware pack, you won't need any other external HW. 

patmolloy13 said:

Sorry for all this :-O 

 Nothing to feel sorry about, this is why we are here

The next step for you is to acquire a Vodafone NB-IoT SIM and get your Thingy:91 connected. Then go to nRFCloud.com to demonstrate the NB-IoT. 

Let me know how it goes!

[patmolloy13]

Øyvind said:

If you have the same version as included in the Thingy:91 Firmware pack, then you do not need to do anything. Remember to load the "thingy91_nbiot_v0.2.2.bin" afterward.

Is this the version that shipped with the Thingy:91?

[Øyvind]

No, the shipped version is for LTE-M, while you'll need to load NB-IoT. In the sentence above, I am referring to the modem FW.