nRF9160 connection to Telenet network

[Gwen Stouthuysen]

I fail to connect an nRF9160DK (and thingy) to the Telenet network.

I know that telenet does not support LTE-M everywhere, NB-IOT is the general supported network.

This requires the network mode to be altered in the KConfig files.

The board/modem identifies the Telenet network as being available, but does not establishes a connection.

The Proximus network is directly recognised and connected to.

[Sigurd Hellesvik]

Hi,

Can you capture a Modem Trace and upload it here as a .binary file using Insert -> Image/video/file?

Also include modem firmware version.

Regards,
Sigurd Hellesvik

[Gwen Stouthuysen]

trace-2023-03-07T09-10-44.049Z.bin

Modem firmware 1.3.4

[Sigurd Hellesvik]

I asked around a bit, and found that Telenet has a bit older NBIoT system, and you therefore have to set the APN name manually.

Our Asset Tracker v2 shows how this can be done. Here are some configurations that I know have been used before with the Asset Tracker to connect to Telenet:

CONFIG_PDN=y
CONFIG_PDN_SYS_INIT=y
CONFIG_PDN_DEFAULTS_OVERRIDE=y

CONFIG_PDN_DEFAULT_APN="iot.telenet.be"

You should also send a AT command from your application before starting the connection:  at_cmd_write("AT%XEPCO=0", NULL, 0, NULL);

https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/index.jsp?topic=%2Fref_at_commands%2FREF%2Fat_commands%2Fpacket_domain%2Fxepco.html

Did this help?

Regards,
Sigurd Hellesvik

[Gwen Stouthuysen]

Sigurd,

I can confirm that the PND indeed requires to be configured.

These two settings did it for me:

CONFIG_PDN=y

CONFIG_PDN_LEGACY_PCO=y

And making sure the modem uses NB-IOT.

I got it working now.

The main reason for my issues is VS code, and how KConfig is handled.

Somehow VS Code resets settings you make in the KConfig menu at build.

So each time something in the code changed, the system reverted back to the standard where NB-IOT is not used, only LTE. Telenet deployed NB-IOT nationwide, not LTE.

I have it working using the new MQTT application, on a recent board.

As time allows I will go through the functionality of other applications and older boards

Any advice how we can create a new setting set, overriding the standards, that is kept over a pristine build?

[Sigurd Hellesvik]

Good job fixing this!

Gwen Stouthuysen said:

Any advice how we can create a new setting set, overriding the standards, that is kept over a pristine build?

I suggest putting your configurations into prj.conf, or using a configuration overlay. For the latter, see OVERLAY_CONFIG and this sample for some examples of how that can look.

Regards,
Sigurd Hellesvik