Sierra Wireless manual Introducing the AirCard 555 Network Card

1: Introducing the AirCard® 555 Network Card

• A Network Card, a
Modem, and a Phone	The AirCard® 555 wireless network card fits into a standard
• Package Contents	Type II PC Card slot (available on most notebook PCs) and
• About this Guide	functions as a wireless network card, a modem, and a mobile
	phone. This card allows you to connect to the Internet, send
	and receive e-mail, connect to a corporate network, and make
	phone calls, without the need of a network cable or phone line.
	The AirCard 555 functions in notebook PCs with these
Note: Do not insert the AirCard
into your PC Card slot prior to	Windows® operating systems: 95, 98, NT, 2000, Me, and XP.
installing the software. It is	The AirCard 555 also functions in Handheld and Pocket PCs
important to install the software	with the Windows CE 3.0 operating system.
and driver in the correct order.	The AirCard 555 operates over a type of wireless network
See Chapter 3 (notebook PCs)
	called CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). This network
or Chapter 10 (Handheld and
	technology has many features beyond providing a wireless
Pocket PCs) for detailed proce-
	link, including:
dures.
	• SMS (Short Message Service), which allows you to send
	and receive short messages using the AirCard
	• Quick 2 Net, which provides a direct Internet connection
	Use of the AirCard 555 requires that you have an account that
	gives you access to a CDMA network.
	Every CDMA network operates on one of three radio
	frequency bands. As a dual band product, the AirCard 555
	operates on two of these bands, providing a wide coverage
	area.
	The AirCard operates on the original CDMA network (IS-95A)
Note: The Venturi compression
software that allows for dial-up	that provides data transmission speeds of up to 14.4 kbps
data transmission speeds of	(kilobits per second) or 56 kbps where Venturi compression is
56 kbps is available for notebook	in use. The AirCard also runs on the newer 1xRTT network
PCs running Windows 95, 98,	technology that provides data transmission speeds up to
NT, 2000, and Me only.	144 kbps. The AirCard 555 provides all the advantages of
	1xRTT where it is available while allowing you to use the older
	CDMA IS-95A standard where 1xRTT has not yet been imple-
	mented. The benefits to you are that you can use the AirCard
	in any area that has coverage (assuming there are no account
	restrictions) and you will be able to take advantage of the
	fastest possible data transmission speed.

AirCard 555 Basics

Rev 3.3 May.02 15