GSM iPack has stopped sending files

Don’t panic. The Symphonie’s MMC will store up to 668 days of data – logging is completely independent of call function of the iPack.

Although the Symphonie system was designed to be as robust and simple as possible, it does rely on cellular service and the internet to perform its functions. From time to time, things do not go as smoothly as anticipated.

It is really important to read the Symphonie manual section on office testing to avoid communication problems.

Here is a list of things to check regarding the phone and ISP service before and after visiting the site:

Phone Service - before site troubleshooting visit
Request a copy of the installation crew field notes.
What did the antenna test results show?
Obtain a copy of the .ipk file that was programmed into the iPack.
Call your GSM cell provider and make sure that the account is active. Is the SIM active? Have you tried the SIM in another phone?
Has the SIMM been properly activated for data transfer, and has the SIMM been installed into the iPack?
Get the cell account records and check the duration and frequency of the activity. Do you see cellular activity around the time a scheduled call is supposed to occur? Do you see retries every 10 minutes (up to six total)?
Give the cell provider the exact coordinates of where the logger is installed AND the ISP phone number it is dialing. Ask them if the number is being dialed correctly.

ISP Service - before site troubleshooting visit
Get the ISP account records and check the duration and frequency of the activity. Do you see activity around the time a scheduled call is supposed to occur? Do you see retries every 10 minutes (up to six total)?
No records? Try dialing the ISP phone number from your office. Does a modem answer?
Load the ISP settings that are in the .ipk file into Windows dial-up networking and see if you can log onto the ISP account. If you are unable to login to the ISP from a computer, you will need to review all the ISP settings with your provider. NRG has seen ISPs that have unexpectedly changed the user name on an account. If you are having a particularly difficult time, you may send the .ipk file to NRG as an email attachment . We may be able to check (but not necessarily test) the settings for you from NRG.

Phone Service - at the site
Perform an antenna test and record the result.
Try dialing the ISP phone number from a personal handheld cellphone at the site. You should hear modem tones on the other end. If you hear a "fast busy", there may be compatibility issues between the cell system and the ISP modem bank it is dialing into. Contact your ISP provider and ask if there are any restrictions or problems associated with cellular phones calling into the modem bank. At that point, it may also be worth obtaining and trying an alternate ISP phone number.
Perform the "call now" function on the logger and note the resulting message. If the message "internet error" appears, record the error number.
Is the SIM active? Have you tried the SIM in another phone?
Has the SIM been properly activated for data transfer, and has the SIM been installed into the iPack?

When a GSM phone is powered, it registers with the system, and when it powers down, it de-registers with the system. The GSM iPack follows this protocol closely. Using GSM in marginal signal areas can cause registration problems. The iPack de-registers when powering down. However, if signal is lost, the de-register is never seen by the cell. The next time the GSM phone in the iPack is powered up, it will try to register with the system and gets blocked out because the system thinks it is already registered. The only solution is to have the central GSM office perform a de-reg and then bring the account back up. We learned this information by talking with Vodafone and a customer in Europe who encountered this issue.