AT&T Wireless Setup Information

  1. Cost

    1. Each agency is responsible for the monthly cost per unit from AT&T. The current government unlimited rate is $59 per month, with a 25% discount, which equals $44.99 per month. To setup an account, contact AT&T sales.

    2. Law Enforcement/Message Switch customers require the use a dedicated frame-relay circuit. The frame-relay circuit allows us to connect to the AT&T wireless network. The current frame-relay cost is $490.00 per month.This cost is included in the overall Message Switch budget. There is no additional cost.

    3. Non Law Enforcement customers (i.e. Fire Agencies) do not require a dedicated frame-relay circuit but require the use of the Fire Net 6 NetMotion server. Fire Net 6 charges $25 per month per device.

  1. Install & Setup Modem

    1. Follow the installation instructions for the modem to be installed.

      • AirCard 860 Specific Information (Replacement for the AirCard 750 and 775)
        • No information yet available

      • AirCard 750 Specific Information (This card has been discontinued and replace by the AirCard 860)

      • AirCard 775 Specific Information (This card has been discontinued and replace by the AirCard 860)
        • No information yet available

      • MP 750 (GPRS modem) Specific Information(This modem has been discontinued and replace by the MP 775)
        • Don't install the AT&T Connection Manager software that is provided. It is recommended to install the Sierra Wireless Watcher software.
        • Instructions to Download the and install the current MP 750 software.
        • Read the notes from the above web page about upgrading the modem firmware.
        • Read the notes from the above web page to set up the Connection Watchdog feature available in this latest firmware.
        • AT commands:
          • AT!MPPDDELAY? Query modem power off tim
          • AT!MPPDDELAY=minutes Modem power off time
        • It is recommended to connect the modem to the laptop using USB rather than RS232 when using Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The USB connection emulates a ethernet adapter where RS232 emulates a dial-up connection.

      • MP 775 (GPRS/EDGE modem) Specific Information

      • Sony Ericsson GC82 Card
        • Don't install the AT&T Connection Manager software that is provided. It is recommended to install the Sony Ericsson modem manager software. (The version should be at least 1.1.0.939)
        • Ensure the GC82 firmware is R2A3 or later. If not, download the firmware updater.

      • Panasonic CF-18 w/Siemans MC75 PCI EDGE/GPRS modem
        • The Cingular Communications Manager software provided with the CF-18 does not have the option of manual APN configuration. Because of this limitation, when the SIM card order is placed with Cingular, you must specificy, "BLUE LEGACY SIM with the APN pre-programmed".
        • Because of the above APN configuration limitation, this configuration is not supported and not recommended to use. Not having the ability to change the APN on the fly for troubleshooting is a severe limitation.

      • Using a web browser, ensure that you are able to view web sites on the Internet. www.firedispatch.com and www.microsoft.com are good sites to try.

  2. APN Configuration

    1. APN (Access Point Name) setup - The APN Network Identifier, which defines the external network to which the gateway GPRS/EDGE support node (GGSN) is connected and, optionally, the service requested by the mobile. The APN is translated into a public or private Internet Protocol (IP) address at the GGSN.

    2. From the Watcher software, click TOOLS and select the Profiles tab.

    3. Select the default profile (actually, there should only be one profile to select) and click EDIT

    4. The UserName and Password fields must be left blank. Write down what the current APN is set to, in case we need to restore this option at a later time. Enter smc911dispatch.org into the APN field. Select the Auto Connect option. Click OK, APPLY, and OK to leave the tools menu.

    5. If the modem is currently connected to the network, disconnect and reconnect. This will ensure the new APN information is obtained by the Watcher software.
      • If you are not able to re-connect (but have been successful in connecting prior to setting the APN), this may indicate that the SIM (subscriber identify module) card in the modem has not been authorized to use our APN.
      • To ensure the APN is the problem, you should change the APN back to what it was originally. You did remember to write this down, didn't you?
      • If you are able to reconnect with the original APN, you will need to have your SIM authorized to access the APN. You can call your sales account contact person or contact AT&T Technical Support. Make sure you have the phone number of the SIM card ready before you call. The phone number can be obtained from the Watcher software (tools, options, my numbers tab). Ask to have APN smc911dispatch.org authorized on your SIM. You may need to tell the technician the "code" to assist them in looking up the proper settings for the APN. The code is E643. Once you have confirmation that your SIM has been authorized, follow the above steps to re-add the custom APN.

    6. Ping IP address 166.212.253.221 which is Lawnet GPRS/EDGE border router. If you are unable to ping this IP address, check to make sure you entered the APN (access point name) properly in the settings for the modem. The APN smc911dispatch.org must be setup properly to be able to ping the GPRS/EDGE border router.

  3. Install NetMotion Mobility XE Client Software

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  4. CAD Software Installation

    1. If you will be accessing the County CAD system using PCMSS software, click here to download the most current software (executable and configuration files).
      • Remember that any changes must be coordinated with Robert Bustichi due to the changes required on the CAD (IP address and port numbers).

    2. For non County CAD system users (i.e. Cerulean, RiMS, etc.), you will need to obtain the software and configuration settings from your agency technical person.

  5. Miscellaneous

    1. Any and all critical updates should be applied to the computer using a high speed internet connection. The GPRS/EDGE wireless system is not yet capable of downloading these sometimes very large updates in a reasonable time.

    2. Auto-updating anti-virus scanning software is a must (i.e. McAfee, Symantec, etc). With the high number of Internet virus/worms making the rounds, anti-virus software is cheap protection against infection. It is highly recommended that the anti-virus software auto-update feature be enabled and set to check for updates at least every 4 days.

    3. Disable the Windows Automatic Update feature. Or at a very minimum, change the Automatic Update settings to "Notify me before downloading any updates". Due to the size and frequency of Windows Update, it is not advisable to allow updates to download automatically. During testing, allowing updates to download in the background severely impacted wireless performance.

    4. There is a free utility that you can download to measure wireless network latency. You can download the freeware version of Ping Plotter 1.10 from www.PingPlotter.com. Once installed, you can use the address 166.212.253.221 to trace to (GPRS/EDGE border router). Please don't trace to any 172.31.0.0 IP addresses (most will not work as ICMP is disabled at numerous points within Lawnet). Recommended settings 10 seconds for the trace delay and 1,000 samples to include. You can also change the warning colors (edit, options) and set the yellow speed to 1000 and the red speed 2000. In testing, average wireless network latency was about 1.3 seconds.

    5. Message from Kathy Carlson 7/27/2006 - We actually just changed our rate for unlimited to $59.99 and you get a 25% discount on this making your net 44.99 per line on unlimited.

  6. Q.A.

    1. Are we limited to only using GPRS technology? No, as GPRS and EDGE, 3G and 4G modems will work.

  7. Contact Information

    8. San Mateo County Public Safety Communications Systems Management Unit Help Desk
          systems@smc911dispatch.org
          650-363-7868

    San Mateo County CAD/Message Switch
          Robert Bustichi, Systems Management Supervisor
          rsb@smc911dispatch.org
          650-363-4342

    San Mateo County CAD/Message Switch
          Alex Buencamino, Senior IT Technician
          fab@smc911dispatch.org
          650-599-1090

    AT&T Account Support
          Eric Lynn, Government Account Executive
          eric.lynn@att.com
          707.287.1382

          Kathy Carlson, Global Account Manager
          kathy.carlson@attws.com
          415-999-2325

          National Business Services 1-800-999-5445

          Enterprise Data Helpdesk 1-888-334-3787 + EDHD PIN #

Revision Thursday, 20-Dec-2012 10:16:25 PST