Does Shutting Down 3G Network Affect the Functionality of MOBITK Q24 and MOBITEK S80 SMS Modem (GSM Modem)

Question: Malaysia TELCO phasing out 3G soon, may we know if MOBITEK S80 (3G) and MOBITEK Q24 (2G) SMS Modem will be affected (not able to send out SMS)?

 

Answer no. 1: please refer to

3G Shut Down: Millions of Maxis & Celcom 4G customers may need 2G to make Calls

“Malaysia is among a limited countries around the world that have decided to shut down its 3G networks while maintaining 2G.“

“As a safety net, 2G network will still be maintained to ensure customers are able to make calls and SMS seamlessly, whenever 4G is inaccessible,”

 

Answer no. 2: please refer to

Digi begins shutting down its 3G network, here’s the full schedule

Digi CTO Kesavan Sivabalan said: “Our priority remains in ensuring high availability and consistency of our 4G network services, and to do so effectively, it is necessary that we retire the 3G network, freeing up crucial spectrum and resources that would now be channelled towards increasing capacity of the 4G network to support higher usage.”  Users with 3G devices can still stay connected to 2G after the 3G shutdown. While 2G is sufficient for basic voice calls and SMS, it is barely usable for internet services in this day and age.

 

Answer no. 3: please refer to

Malaysia has not fully shut down its 3G networks, over 440,000 users have not switched to 4G phones

Malaysia was supposed to shut down all 3G networks by the end of 2021 but it turns out that some 3G sites are still operational. This was revealed during the recent JENDELA update for the final quarter of 2021.

3G users can still use their existing phones after the 3G shutdown but their devices will connect to the slower 2G connection, which can be used for basic voice calls and SMS.

Therefore, as long as 2G network is maintained, MOBITEK S80 (3G) and MOBITEK Q24 (2G) SMS Modem can still send and receive SMS.

How to Solve VCOM Hang or Crash

Applies to:-

  1. MOBITEK MobiGATE SMS Gateway model SG-B series and MOBITEK Q24 STK Modem Hub; and
  2. Windows OS with VMWare installed.

 

Problem: VCOM crashes when running the “Search” function on Windows 10 Professional x64 with VM previously installed on the same machine.

 

Solution:  disabling Virtual Network Adapter created by Virtual Machine.

  1. Open Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center, click on “Change adapter settings”.
  2. In “Network Connections”, select the VM Network Adapter, in this case the VM Network Adapter labeled with “VMNet1” and “VMNet8”, then click on “Disable this network device”.
  3. Open the VCOM and try running the “Search” function again.

Control Panel for SMS Engine — Enterprise Edition version 2.7 is Released

List of  Fixes in Version 2.7

  • Added tab no. 3 to support modem no. 17 until 24, total 3 units of MobiGATE can be configured in Control Panel;
  • Added validation procedure for each Modem ID and COM Port number in all 3 modem tabs (1 to 24) is needed so as to prevent user from entering duplicate ID and COM Port number;
  • Added a new feature — automatic populate the values for “Modem ID” and “COM Port” and increase the value by 1; the “automatic and incremental” code will only execute when user enter values for “ID” and Port” for “Modem 1”, the code will not execute if user change / edit modem 2, 3, 4 and the rest;
  • Engine will NOT start when the “config.xml” file is not loaded/read into Control Panel;
  • Revise the error messages and warning messages;
  • All message boxes contain version number, e.g. “Control Panel v. 2.6”.

 

Download

Existing customers of MobiGATE with valid warranty period or with valid annual support programme could download version 2.7 from here … (www.mobitek.my/download/MOBITEK SMS ENGINE — ENTERPRISE EDITION/Setup v.2.7.1.exe.zip)

If you wish to subscribe to annual support programme for your MobiGATE, please contact us.

 

More Information

Change Date Format to YYYY-MM-DD Before Importing into MySQL Database

Problem: when importing from csv or ods file, the date imported into MySQL Database Server is messed up, e.g. DD-MM-YYYY in csv or ods file when imported into does not show correctly as dd-mm-yy.

 

Cause: MySQL Database Server only accepts date format as YYYY-MM-DD, it will not convert DD-MM-YY to YYYY-MM-DD . Refer to https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/datetime.html

 

Solution: a quick solution is to format the date in as csv or ods file as YYYY-MM-DD before import.

 

COM Port Number of MOBITEK E20 Modem Will Change If USB Port is Changed

Conclusion: COM Port number will change if MOBITEK E20 4G Modem connects to different USB port.

TEST OBJECTIVE TESTING METHODOLOGY TEST RESULT
To test if the COM port number of MOBITEK E20 4G Modem will change if USB port is changed.
  1. Connect MOBITEK E20 4G Modem to all 4 USB ports in Dell-E6410.
  2. For each USB port connected, check the Device Manager to see whether the COM port is change or not.
  1. USB port right bottom -> COM19
  2. USB port right top -> COM27
  3. USB port left bottom -> COM47
  4. USB port left top -> COM43

“Device driver software was not successfully installed” Warning Message

Applies to: MOBITEK S80 Modem

The warning “Device driver software was not successfully installed” can be ignored as long as there are 4 COM ports appeared when you plug in MOBITEK S80 Modem with PC.

 

The 4 COM ports are:-

  • Sierra Wireless AT Command Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless CNS Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless DM Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless NMEA Port (UMTS)

Comparison Between MOBITEK S80 SMS Modem in VMWare and VirtualBox

  VMware VirtualBox
Installing USB Driver (USBDriverInstaller_SL80XX_V11.5.0.0.exe) Easy to install without the needs of other pre-installation software.
  • Require installation of “Extension Pack in VirtualBox”
  • Require configuration in “USB Settings”

(source: https://www.wintips.org/how-to-setup-usb-on-virtualbox-guest-oracle/)
MOBITEK S80 appearance in Device Manager Can detect the MOBITEK S80 after USB Driver installed without COM port disappearing It cannot detect MOBITEK S80 Modem vis USB port, refer to

The work around is to use serial port in VirtualBox by linking/mapping USB port (host) to serial port (VM), refer to https://mobitek-system.com/blog/2017/11/how-to-set-up-mobitek-s80-modem-in-virtualbox/
Hyper Terminal test Able to run Hyper Terminal test on connected MOBITEK S80 MOBITEK S80 Modem will not response in hyper terminal if connected via USB port in virtual machine, refer to https://mobitek-system.com/blog/2020/06/fail-to-get-mobitek-s80-to-work-in-usb-port-in-virtualbox/

How to Install VMWare Tools that Enables Copy and Paste Between Host Machine and Virtual Machine

One of the important features that VMware Tools has is the ability to copy data from the virtual machine to the host operating system or vice-versa. Here are the steps of how to install VMware Tools

(source: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/11/08/how-to-install-vmware-tools-if-the-option-is-grayed-out/):

  1. Start the Virtual Machine. Click on “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Install VMware Tools…”.
  2. If the “Install VMware Tools…” is greyed out, power off the Virtual Machine.
  3. Go to “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Virtual Machine Settings…”
  4. Highlight “CD/DVD (SATA)”, then click “Remove”.
  5. Do the same for “Floppy” Drive.
  6. After that click “Add” button and select “CD/DVD Drive”. Click “Finish”.
  7. The right pane of new added “CD/DVD Drive” should now have the option “Use physical drive > Auto detect” enabled. Click “OK” to close the window.
  8. Now start the Virtual Machine again. After it has booted up to the desktop, go to “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Instal VMware Tools…”. The option should no longer be greyed out. Click on it to install the VMware Tools.