I have a Pepwave MAX BR1 (HW2) using both AT&T and Verizon sims. The Verizon sim works fine with no issues. The AT&T sim sometimes has problems connecting. Even with a strong signal, it sometimes hangs up with the never-ending message “Obtaining IP Address”. Right now, I’m parked in Death Valley. I have a strong AT&T (3G) signal. The Pepwave is stuck “Obtaining IP Address” and simply will not connect. I’ve tried various iterations of connection settings: Network mode Auto or AT&T only; LTE/3G Auto or 3G only (since I currently have only a 3G source); Operator setting Auto or Custom → broadband. I’ve tried rebooting and factory router reset. I’ve also upgraded to firmware 7.0.0. Nothing seems to work.
The funny thing is that AT&T works fine in many, if not most places. The same AT&T sim also works fine here in my iPhone. Is there something that I am missing? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Wink,
this was a “hail Mary” play that worked once in the Caribbean for a yacht captain client of mine. force the BR! to that SIM Only and choose a completely different carrier, i.e. sprint for at&t something to make the BR1 look for signal on a different frequency.
like I said this was a long shot at the end of a very long session of TS
hope this helps
Hi Scott,
I gave the Hail Mary a try but no success. I tried locking onto Sprint and Verizon as well. Still no success. At least you gave me some ideas of a few more permutations of settings to try nonetheless. Thanks for your input.
Wink
My apologies for the delayed response. I was also in communication with 3G Store regarding this problem. They also contacted Peplink. I believe my problem is solved now.
My BR1 was running old cellular firmware (05.05.16.02; current version is 05.05.63.01). The cellular firmware is different from the ver 7.0.0 system firmware. The cellular firmware can be checked/upgraded via the Support > Information page which can be accessed via:
http://“LAN IP”/cgi-bin/MANGA/support.cgi
Under “Cellular module firmware update” —> Click “Check for update”.
Ensure that the BR1 is connected to another WAN (wired or Wifi WAN) during the update as the Cellular WAN is disabled during the upgrade. Since I am full-timing in an RV, a wired WAN connection is not so easy for me. I therefore upgraded the cellular firmware while connected to a Wifi WAN (Verizon hotspot). Worked great for following the progress of the update.
As I mentioned above, I believe my BR1 is working fine now. However, I moved away from Death Valley before I upgraded so I wasn’t able to test the AT&T signal there that wouldn’t connect earlier. In any case, I’ve had no problem so far connecting to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon since the update. In fact, it seems to usually connect faster now.
Best regards,
Wink
I have only one SIM that is AT&T. It connects OK, but when I lose the cell signal by driving my RV away from civilization, it fails to reconnect when I return and have a strong signal. It shows “Obtaining IP Address” forever.
I have tried to reset the WAN (I can’t remember how). I also pulled the SIM and reinserted, but no luck.
If I reboot the pepwave, it boots and connects OK.
