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LTEBee on Verizon?

Home Forums Mayfly Data Logger LTEBee on Verizon?

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    • #16113
      Matt Barney
      Participant

        Wondering whether anyone’s used the new LTEBee modem with a Verizon SIM. If so, what APN did you use? So far, I’ve tried “-” and “vzwinternet”, which worked with this SIM in a Digi XBee3 modem, but not the EnviroDIY LTEBee.

        Thanks,
        Matt

      • #16116
        Matt Barney
        Participant

          Hmm, so maybe no one has tried Verizon with the new modem yet. SIMCom claims that chip supports Verizon, but (suspiciously?) they don’t have a Verizon Certification document available for download, as they do for other carriers. And they list all their supposedly supported carriers under a heading labeled “Certifications(plan)”, which makes me wonder if it’s not been certified by Verizon yet.

          We have 4 stations in the field running via Verizon on the Digi modem, so I hope this gets resolved soon. It’s nice to have options for multiple carriers when you operate stations across the country.

        • #16117
          Shannon Hicks
          Moderator

            These modules are new enough that I think everyone who has bought one so far is using the same Hologram SIM cards that we use in all of ours.  I’ve deployed over 50 of them in the past couple months with Hologram cards, and according to our dashboard page that shows connection information, they are active on all the major carriers including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.  I haven’t used a specific Verizon SIM card, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work.

          • #16119
            Matt Barney
            Participant

              Ok, that’s very interesting. It sounds like the LTEBee with a Hologram SIM has been using what it sees as the ‘best’ carrier for a given connection. The Digi modems would never do that for us in areas where Verizon was the only viable option, so we had to get Verizon-branded SIMs for those cases.

            • #16130
              Matt Barney
              Participant

                FWIW, I asked SIMCom about their Verizon certification, and this is their reply:

                We are in the process of getting the certification.  All testing has been completed and we are just needing to schedule and official drive test with Verizon.  After this we expect to have certification shortly after.  I am estimating we will have it completed late December or January.

                Matt

              • #17278
                Matt Barney
                Participant

                  The SIMCom 7080G modem chip upon which the EnviroDIY LTE Bee is built did not have Verizon certification until early August. Once they notified me, I asked SIMCom support what APN setting to use for Verizon, and this was their response:

                  Set you APN as follows:

                  at+cgdcont=1,”ipv4v6”,””
                  at+cgdcont=2,”ipv4v6”,”vzwadmin”
                  at+cgdcont=3,”ipv4v6”,”vzwinternet”

                  We were able to get an EnviroDIY LTE Bee to connect to Verizon, using ModularSensors, by setting the apn to an empty string, e.g.:

                  Hopefully this helps anyone else who needs Verizon coverage with these newer modems.
                  Best,
                  Matt

                • #17280
                  neilh20
                  Participant

                    @mbarney, thanks for the settings.   What was the sim supplier that you used – a Verizon direct, or an MNVO like REVX.

                    I did get an email earlier this week from SimCom that there 7080G was now certified by Verizon, so good to know it works 🙂

                     

                  • #17285
                    Matt Barney
                    Participant

                      Hi @neilh20, I believe the SIM we used was a RevX.

                    • #17287
                      James B
                      Participant

                        @mbarney, do you know if the REVX plan/sim card you had success with is the CATM version (50mb for $5) or the 4G version (10 mb for &12)? With the new modems I have not been able to register on the network (cereg 0,3) using the 4G plan and sim that worked for a couple years with the old xbee modem.


                        @shicks
                        ,  RevX systems technical support has indicated that the IMEIs associated with the new LTEBee modems are not Verizon certified.

                        Looking at this line, the current IMEI is not appearing as Verizon End Certified. Verizon rejects registration of device’s that are not Certified through the upload process to the Verizon Device Management Database (DMD). This is typically done by the manufacturer unless you have an Open Development application completed with Verizon.

                        If you believe this device to be certified, please contact the manufacturer and request that they re-upload the device IMEI’s to Verizon as they are not valid at this time.

                        From what I understand, SimCom has received certification for the module itself on Verizon, but once integrated into a device (like the LTEBee) the entire device must be certified a second time before Verizon will allow it to register on their network. Do the new LTEBee modems have this end certification with Verizon, and can their IMEIs be “uploaded” to Verizon?

                      • #17288
                        Shannon Hicks
                        Moderator

                          End device certification for an open source DIY project like this is nearly impossible, since there’s an infinite number of combinations that users can configure their station with various equipment, accessories, antennas, not to mention all the ways they can change the actual code running on the main processor board.  That’s why we try to use modular telemetry devices that are certified by most carriers, however Verizon has always been picky about allowing DIY devices on their networks.  I’m unfamiliar with REVX, but I know other people have had success using other non-certified (and non-EnviroDIY) devices with Verizon networks with other sim card providers.

                          • #17540
                            dan@wachusett
                            Participant

                              @shicks, has anyone from Stroud contacted Verizon about this? I am also hitting a wall with adding the LTEBee modem to our Verizon account. The rep from Verizon that we work with is willing to speak with the device manufacturer to get them added to the Device Management Database. How do the LTEBee modems differ from the Digi modems such that Verizon would accept Digi and not the EnviroDIY LTEBee? It would really be great to use the LTEBee modems that we purchased since many of our Digi modems have failed after a year or two and do not perform consistently (which other users have noted).

                              Please let me know if anyone at EnviroDIY is willing to speak with the Verizon rep and I can provide contact information.

                              Thanks,
                              Dan

                          • #17291
                            Matt Barney
                            Participant

                              @jamesbailey I’ll check with my colleague to find out exactly which SIM he used for the test; he’s in the field for a few days. My test code is based on https://github.com/EnviroDIY/ModularSensors/blob/master/examples/DRWI_SIM7080LTE/DRWI_SIM7080LTE.ino, and the only modem-related code change I made was to the APN.

                              -Matt

                            • #17303
                              Matt Barney
                              Participant

                                @jamesbailey @neilh20

                                I’ve confirmed that the Verizon SIM we used was this one, from NimbeLink:
                                https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nimbelink-llc/NL-SIM-VER-M1/7101751

                              • #17883
                                neilh20
                                Participant

                                  Hello @mbarney,  or @dan-wachusett  I’m looking to try the LTE BEE – just wondering if you have used the RevX Verizon CAT-M sims.

                                  I have been using it with the Dig XB3-C-A2 and have a few spare. Seems like it should work at this stage, but many ships have foundered on unseen shoals.!

                                  • #17894
                                    dan@wachusett
                                    Participant

                                      Hi Neil,

                                      I ordered my Verizon SIMs through a company called Simetry and have used them successfully with the Digi XBee modem (XB3-C-A2). Unfortunately, I have had these modems fail as well, but for unknown reasons. I have a bunch of the LTE Bee modems, but I can’t use them with our Verizon account because of the end-level certification issue. As far as I know, the Dig XB3-C-A2 modem is the only option available that will work with a Verizon data plan.

                                      If you find another option that will work on Verizon please let us know.

                                      -Dan

                                      • #17899
                                        neilh20
                                        Participant

                                          Hello Dan, thanks for the info. I’m using RevX from Digikey “,”1998-251-ND”,”VERIZON SIM TRIPLE FF CAT-M” with XB3-CA-2/XB3M1

                                          For the Enviro LTE Bee, RevX supports suggests ATT may be more flexible, so fairly low rish ~ 1998-1011-ND RevX Systems Corp. TRI SIM 2FF/3FF/4FF SIM AT&T
                                          I’ve got a query out to Digikey about an M5Stack Variant of the SIM7080G for which networks it works on. https://forum.digikey.com/t/m5stack-u128-which-cellular-networks/31823/2
                                          Seems like Digikey should have that as part of supplying the devices, though its not a XBee format.

                                          I’d be interested in any perceptions/timeline on how long you found the XB3-C-A2 worked for you before failing. I’ve got a number that I’ve used, and doing some focused testing in Jan/Feb this year and some more I’m deploying. I have made some adaptions to TinyGSM to handle some issues in the way it connects, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

                                    • #17884
                                      neilh20
                                      Participant

                                        I think I found the answer by emailing support@rexV, since I got it from amazon.com Mar.2022 it wasn’t certified for Verizon.

                                        This can be checked https://opendevelopment.verizonwireless.com/activation-troubleshooting

                                        support@RexV said “RevX does not certify devices for use on M2M/IoT rate plans, rather the manufacturer registers the IMEI with the carrier for end certification”

                                        I guess I can try the one I have on another network and see if it works.


                                        @mbarney
                                        , I was wondering where did you get your latest ones that work with Verizon. Many thanks

                                         

                                        I was wondering, @shicks do you have a date for when the current stock of EnviroDIY LTE Bee SIM7080G parts was placed on Amazon.

                                        amazon.com/gp/product/B09W3N37LL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AUR1TC3X771V3&psc=1

                                        many thanks

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