Kona Gateway Cellular Backhaul FAQ

#1 How do I install a SIM into my Kona Gateway?

1. Kona Gateways labelled Gen1 support 3FF SIM cards only.

2. Kona Gateways labelled Gen1.5, Gen2, and Kona Enterprise support 4FF SIM cards only.

3. Kona Mega Gen1 supports 3FF SIM cards only, whereas the Mega Gen1.5 supports two 4FF SIM cards only. However, it is not possible for the customer to install SIM cards on the Kona Mega, as it requires you to open the gateway. Opening the gateway in any case voids any existing warranty. To install a SIM, please contact your sales representative to arrange SIM installation for your Kona Megas.

4. Whenever a SIM is installed, please reboot the gateway.

Kona Micro Gen1

The Kona Micro Gen1 supports  3FF SIM cards. It can be found by removing the cover and battery on the back of the gateway.

When inserting the SIM,  point the conductive part towards the front logo of the gateway.

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Kona Micro Gen2

The Kona Micro Gen2 uses a  SIM tray that  ONLY supports 4FF SIMs. The tray will require a tool to open the tray, but a paper clip or similar will open the tray as well.

When inserting the SIM tray, flip the gateway on its back as pictured and place the SIM onto the tray with the conductive part facing downwards towards the front logo of the gateway. Then, insert the tray into the gateway.

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Kona Macro Gen1

The Kona Macro Gen1 supports  3FF SIM cards. The SIM holder can be found by unscrewing the plastic cover for the LED. It is on  top of the PCB.

When inserting the SIM, point the conductive part towards the metal bottom of the gateway.

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Kona Macro Gen1.5

The Kona Macro Gen1.5 supports  4FF SIMs only. It can be found  behind the plastic cover for the LED and below the USB port.

When inserting the SIM,  face the conductive part towards the front logo on top of the gateway.

Please exercise caution when inserting and removing the SIM, as it is possible to lose the SIM card inside of the case if mishandled.

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Kona Enterprise

The Kona Enterprise features a  SIM tray that supports 4FF SIMs ONLY. To remove the SIM tray, use a tool or paper clip.

When inserting the SIM, face the conductive part  towards the bottom of the gateway as pictured. Then insert the tray in the orientation as pictured.

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#2 I installed a SIM but it's not being detected?

1. Using SSH to connect to the gateway and the command konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at+ccid' returns ERROR: SIM FAILURE
2. Using KonaFT to connect to the gateway and the Wireless Modem tab has SIM STATUS as ABSENT.

#3 How do I set an APN on the gateway?

KonaFT

1. In the top row of tabs, select  "Wireless Modem".

2. In the row of tabs just below, select  "Manage PDP Profiles".

3. Select  Read Profiles to see the list of existing APN

4. Insert a new APN with 2 methods:

1. Double click the empty space under APN to edit the APN for the first profile. Once finished, select "Update Selected" beside "Set Selected as Active".
2. Use the box in the top left to insert a new APN. You only need to enter an APN name. Once finalized, click Insert New Profile.

NOTE: We recommend the first method of editing the APN of the first profile. While Kona gateways can function with a blank APN, it can cause unexpected behaviour when a working APN is entered alongside it.

5. Click on the newly created APN and click "Set Selected as Active".

If the APN turns green as pictured below, the gateway has accepted the APN and you are connected to cellular backhaul!

NOTE: If it does not turn green, it is likely that you have inputted the wrong APN. Please double-check that the APN is inputted correctly.  If the SIM card is readable on the gateway, we may not be able to assist you with any APN issues.

SSH (Advanced users only)

1. To insert an APN please enter the following command: konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at+cgdcont=1,"IP","<APN_OF_SIM_U_R_USING>","0.0.0.0",0,0'
2. The  "1" in the command indicates the profile index. To set the 2nd profile, replace it with a 2.
3. To remove an APN, simply re-enter the command, but leave the APN empty like so:  konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at+cgdcont=1,"IP","","0.0.0.0",0,0'
4. To check the list of APN profiles on the gateway, please enter the following command:  konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at+cgdcont?';

#4 How do the fallback mechanisms work for cellular backhaul?

#5 Do Kona Gateways require any extra configuration for using Verizon/AT&T SIM cards for cellular backhaul?

#6 How can I tell the signal strength of my cellular modem?

1. Through KonaFT
2. Through TEKTELIC CORE Network Server / OA&M
3. Through SSH (ADVANCED USERS ONLY)

The steps below will assume that you have already connected to your gateway.

In the top row of tabs, select Wireless Modem and you will find the signal strength under RF Information.

1. On TEKTELIC CORE Network Server, simply select Gateways from the left navigation page and then click on your desired gateway.
2. On TEKTELIC OA&M, select Gateway Groups from the left navigation page. From there, select your Gateway Group, then select Manage Gateways. Then select your desired gateway.

To determine the signal strength of the wireless modem using SSH, follow the below steps:

1.  SSH into the gateway IP.

2. Enter the following command:  konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at!gstatus?';

The gateway IP can be found by matching the IP to the gateway's MAC address. All Kona gateways will have a MAC address beginning with 64:7F:DA

Below is an example output:

1. root@kona-micro:~# konaLTEmodem.py -c 'at!gstatus?';
   at!gstatus?
   !GSTATUS: 
   Current Time:  2240             Temperature: 45
   Reset Counter: 31               Mode:        ONLINE         
   System mode:   LTE              PS state:    Attached     
   LTE band:      B7               LTE bw:      10 MHz  
   LTE Rx chan:   2800             LTE Tx chan: 20800
   LTE CA state:  NOT ASSIGNED
   EMM state:     Registered       Normal Service 
   RRC state:     RRC Connected  
   IMS reg state: No Srv  
   
   PCC RxM RSSI:  -84              RSRP (dBm):  -109
   PCC RxD RSSI:  -82              RSRP (dBm):  -105
   Tx Power:      --               TAC:         DACF (56015)
   RSRQ (dB):     -7.0             Cell ID:     087A035D (142213981)
   SINR (dB):     13.6
   
   
   OK

The PCC RxM RSSI and PCC RxD RSSI must be similar. If there is a large delta between RSSI,  please raise a ticket on the support portal.

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#7 How do I reduce Cellular Bandwidth?

There are 3 main ways of reducing cellular bandwidth. This section will assume that you are an advanced user capable of accessing and navigating the gateway through command line and SSH.

1. Modifying or removing the MQTT Bridge.

2. Disabling TCS on Kona gateways.

3. Reducing ping test frequency on Network Monitor.

MQTT Bridge

This section will cover two scenarios:

1. You are NOT USING the MQTT Bridge and have no plans on using TEKTELIC CORE/OAM servers. In this case, the MQTT Bridge can safely be removed.

2. You are USING the MQTT Bridge to connect to TEKTELIC CORE/OAM. In this case, the MQTT Bridge will need to be modified.

Removing MQTT Bridge

To remove the MQTT bridge, simply SSH into the gateway and enter the following command: opkg remove mqtt-bridge

 

Modifying MQTT Bridge

The MQTT Bridge regularly sends updates to TEKTELIC CORE or OAM. 

1. To update the interval, download or directly modify the following file: /etc/default/tektelic-bridge.toml

2. Ensure the following line DOES NOT have a "#" in front of it and modify the value to your preference: gw_events_interval

3. Reinsert the file if you chose to download the file to edit it.

NOTE: This setting is only available on certain BSPs and onwards.

1. Micro - v3.3.6 onwards
2. Macro/Mega - v4.3.X onwards.
3. Enterprise/Photon - all versions contains the setting.

Disabling TCS

Kona gateways contact the TEKTELIC Commissioning Server for further hands-off configuration. However, this feature has not been implemented yet.

To disable TCS, simply SSH into the gateway and enter the commands in the order:

1.  touch /var/lib/tcs/commissioning_complete

2. reboot

 

Reducing Ping Test Frequency

As part of Network Monitoring, Kona gateways will attempt to ping 8.8.8.8 to determine internet connectivity health.

Kona gateways will ping 8.8.8.8 with the frequencies:

1. Preferred interface - every 10 seconds.

2. Fallback interface - every 30 seconds.

You may edit the ping test frequencies, however this will cause the gateway to react slower to connectivity health.

To edit the frequencies, there are two methods:

1. KonaFT

2. SSH

SSH

1. SSH into the gateway.

2. Edit the following file: vi /opt/network-monitor-db/network-monitor.conf

3. Modify the following value as desired:  frequency_of_fallback_interface_ping_test=XX (where XX is time in seconds)

KonaFT

1. Connect to the gateway.
2. In the top row of tabs, select Board Details, then in the row of tabs below, select Misc. Then select Network Monitor Configuration to modify the settings.
3. Modify the below settings as required, where ## is a number in seconds.
• frequency_of_preferred_interface_ping_test=##
  
• frequency_of_fallback_interface_ping_test=##
4. Finalize by clicking Save. If need be, click Reload to verify the changes made.