New WG1608 and EM160R-GL, no Signal

[averrslowly]

I took the sim card from a Mobile Citizen Coolpad Surf and followed the configuration documentation at the Of Modems and Men site, using the latest firmware. According to Modem > Network Status the EM160R-GL is recognized, and the sim IMEI can be read, but there is no signal. I'm in an urban area, and antennas and reception are not an issue. I have no idea what to do next. Can anyone help?

NetworkStatus.PNG

[RockyinNM]

I have the same router/modem---new to me (rig)
trying to get up with a Verizon tablet plan-post paid, that I know works in another router--no love.
I got this info over on the FB site, and it worked for me. run each command and wait for an (ok) on last command, wait--it should reboot on it's own--and then good to go--your mileage may vary--and remember-you are solely responsible---use at your own risk-

AT+QMBNCFG="AutoSel",0
AT+QMBNCFG="Deactivate"
AT+CFUN=1,1

[MattB29]

You are not showing that the sim is recognized. Your modem IMEI is but no sim ICCID number is being displayed. Could be it is not inserted properly.

[BDF1234]

Agree with MattB29, this looks like a SIM issue, for now. Check that you have it properly inserted. If you are using an adapter, like the Noosy, make sure you have it properly aligned in the adapter and very carefully insert it. They are prone to get loose in the adapter as you insert into the modem.

You can run the AT command "AT+CIMI" (don't type the quotes) to check the SIM ID, which will show an error if there is no readable sim card.

You can also run "AT+CREG?" (don't type the quotes) to check your registration status on the network, once the sim is fixed and you still don't have service. If the second digit is a 3 then registration on the network was denied. This is what happens to me when I try to get my EM160 to work on Verizon. I have tried a hotspot plan and a phone plan. I am now using it on an AT&T plan, which works just fine.

[BDF1234]

I have the same router/modem---new to me (rig)
trying to get up with a Verizon tablet plan-post paid, that I know works in another router--no love.
I got this info over on the FB site, and it worked for me. run each command and wait for an (ok) on last command, wait--it should reboot on it's own--and then good to go--your mileage may vary--and remember-you are solely responsible---use at your own risk-

AT+QMBNCFG="AutoSel",0
AT+QMBNCFG="Deactivate"
AT+CFUN=1,1

Thanks for the tip. I may give this a try.

[averrslowly]

Agree with MattB29, this looks like a SIM issue, for now. Check that you have it properly inserted. If you are using an adapter, like the Noosy, make sure you have it properly aligned in the adapter and very carefully insert it. They are prone to get loose in the adapter as you insert into the modem.

I am using a Noosy adapter (the sim card is a nano) and I did insert the assembly carefully, turning the router upside down to do it, but I have half-suspected that the loose construction of the Noosy might be preventing electrical contact on the card. I'll give it another go and see if I can be even more deliberate about inserting the adapter. I'll look to see if better adapters are available, too. Thanks much!

[averrslowly]

I'll give it another go and see if I can be even more deliberate about inserting the adapter.

Misalignment of the sim card or adapter is not the issue. With the card and adapter in the card drawer, I carefully slid the drawer in and out again, and everything was perfectly in place. Still, the card could not be read. So I took the drawer out and opened the router, then physically held the sim card to the contacts and rebooted - the card still couldn't be read.

I do PC troubleshooting over at r/buildapc (though home-rolled networking is not my area of expertise), and my troubleshooting instincts are telling me that unless someone else has a better idea of what to do next, at this stage something is going to have to be swapped out to get more information about the problem.

Essentially, the problem is either the card reader hardware, or the card. The card works perfectly in my Coolpad Surf, so it's not faulty. And others have reported no problem using Mobile Citizen sim cards with Rooter firmware and generic routers. Still, I can't help but wonder if the card is the problem.

Other opinions?

[user232]

about to be getting a wg1608 em12-g tomorrow or next day with noosy adapter. I also have Coolpad Surf (connectall) will report back on how my sim situation goes in case it helps at all. Monitoring this thread in the mean time.

[BDF1234]

Could you pull the Sim from your phone and see if the EM160 will read it? Just to help with the process of elimination.

[user232]

Just updating, wg1608/em12: installed mobcitizen coolpad's nano sim via noosy into wg1608, no problems.
I agree with BDF, put another SIM in it, I could be wrong but an unactivated one would probably show the SIM # too.
If you can't exchange it then i'd check the solder on the SIM card receptacle. If you have multimeter you could test for cont between the pins to next location, if that returned good then I would imagine one of the components connected to it is either faulty or improperly soldered.

[averrslowly]

Just updating, wg1608/em12: installed mobcitizen coolpad's nano sim via noosy into wg1608, no problems.
I agree with BDF, put another SIM in it, I could be wrong but an unactivated one would probably show the SIM # too.
If you can't exchange it then i'd check the solder on the SIM card receptacle. If you have multimeter you could test for cont between the pins to next location, if that returned good then I would imagine one of the components connected to it is either faulty or improperly soldered.

Thanks for the update. I don't have a sim card in my phone - it's Google Fi and uses e-sim. I do have a multimeter, though it has a blown fuse. So I can see about getting a replacement fuse or a sim card somehow. Frankly this whole thing has long since seemed to me to be a big waste of money and time, but I'll try to motivate myself to taking a positive step instead of simply throwing the hardware away, which I am tempted to do.

[mtl26637]

Even though it seems simple enough, you might verify that the sim card is inserted properly into the sim card slot. I've had various routers and adapters and i've seen where the sim card needs to be inserted upside down / backwards and such. I personally don't have the wg1608 so not sure if it is one with funky slot so maybe someone can chime in on which direction the sim is inserted? It should show the ICCID when it is communicating properly.

[averrslowly]

I've scrutinized the sim card reader mechanism, and know where the contacts are and how the card must be positioned. I also took great pains to scrutinize the card drawer and ensure the card alignment was correct, and also removed the drawer and held the card to the contacts manually through a power reset and fresh attempt to read the card.

Reading the sim card is not the issue, I can assure you. The problem is either the card itself - which works in another router - or the router hardware. Or possibly there is some corruption in the firmware.