Sierra Wireless AirCard 555 - Manual (Page 19)

Rev 3.0 Dec.01 19
Air
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Basics
2: Getting Started
• The AirCard 555
Software
• Account Activation and
Configuration
• Care and Maintenance
Before you can begin using the AirCard 555 wireless network
card, you must:
1. Install the AirCard 555 software.
2. Activate an account and configure the AirCard to use your
account, unless the AirCard has been pre-activated.
This section provides an overview of this process.
The AirCard 555 Software
The AirCard comes with this software:
• An application called Watcher that you use to manage the
AirCard and monitor your connections
• An application called the Network Adapter Manager that
allows you to switch between the AirCard 555 and other
network cards (for notebook PCs only)
• The driver software that forms the interface between the
network card and your Windows operating system
• Venturi compression software that increases data
throughput, effectively increasing the data transmission
speed (for notebook PCs only)
Note: When you have the
Venturi software installed and
enabled, the compression will
automatically be used where it is
available on the network. In
areas where the Venturi server is
implemented, you should notice
an increase in the speed of your
dial-up data connections. The Watcher software (and on notebook PCs, the Network
Adapter Manager) should be installed before you insert the
AirCard 555 for the first time. The Venturi software should
only be installed after the driver is installed. Detailed instruc-
tions are provided in Chapter 3.
Account Activation and
Configuration
Companies that operate CDMA networks and provide access
to these networks are called service providers. You must have an
account with a CDMA service provider to use the AirCard 555.
The process of setting up an account is called activation.