DigiKey offers IoT SIMs and data plans for cellular modules, modems and gateways. The cellular product selected will determine which SIMs and data plans are applicable for that particular device. This post covers activating a Digi International XB3-C-A1-UT-001 LTE Cat-1 modem with a DigiKey SIM and data plan.
The XB3-C-A1-UT-001 is an LTE Cat-1 modem that is carrier end-device certified for AT&T and uses a type 4FF SIM card. Since the modem currently only supports AT&T you will need to select an AT&T data plan and SIM. The type 4FF AT&T SIM is DigiKey part# 1998-1002-ND and AT&T 4G LTE data plans offered are “US Anywhere” and “North America”. To subscribe to a data plan you will need to set up an account as shown in https://dataplans.digikey.com/. Activation will require the cellular device identifier IMEI# and the SIM ICCID#.
The IMEI# is a 15 digit device identifier number located on the SIM socket of the XB3 modem and the ICCID# is a 20 digit SIM identification number printed on both the full size carrier card and the 4FF SIM itself as shown.
To activate your cellular device you will need to login to your account, select the carrier plan, enter the device IMEI# and SIM ICCID# and click activate. Activation typically takes a few minutes but can take up to 24 hours. For help and questions on cellular data plans, account set up and related issues check out FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
An easy way to verify the modem has been activated and can communicate over the cellular network is to insert the SIM, plug it into Digi’s XBIB-U-DEV development board and check modem status parameters using Digi’s XCTU tool.
Guidelines for connecting the XB3 to the XBIB-U-DEV board can be found in the Digi XBee3 Cellular LTE Cat 1 Smart Modem User Guide
Once you have connected to the XB3 with the XCTU tool an important parameter to check is “AI”.
AI is the “Association Indication” parameter and a value of 0 (0x00) indicates association is successful and has connected to the internet. Below is full list of status codes.
There are additional tests documented in the XBee3 Cellular LTE Cat 1 Smart Modem User Guide to check the internet connection.