Cellular & SIM
The RC500 uses a Quectel cellular modem with dual SIM support for reliable mobile connectivity.
SIM Card Setup
Section titled “SIM Card Setup”Physical Installation
Section titled “Physical Installation”The RC500 has two nano-SIM slots:
- SIM 1 (Primary) — Default active SIM
- SIM 2 (Failover) — Activated on primary SIM failure
SIM Selection
Section titled “SIM Selection”Navigate to Network → Cellular to select the active SIM:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| SIM 1 Only | Always use SIM slot 1 |
| SIM 2 Only | Always use SIM slot 2 |
| Auto (Failover) | Use SIM 1, switch to SIM 2 on failure |
APN Configuration
Section titled “APN Configuration”Automatic APN
Section titled “Automatic APN”Most carriers are detected automatically. The modem queries the SIM’s IMSI to determine the correct APN.
Manual APN
Section titled “Manual APN”If automatic detection fails, configure manually:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| APN | Access Point Name | internet |
| Username | (Optional) Authentication user | — |
| Password | (Optional) Authentication pass | — |
| Auth Type | None, PAP, or CHAP | None |
| PDP Type | IPv4, IPv6, or IPv4v6 | IPv4 |
Signal Monitoring
Section titled “Signal Monitoring”The cellular status page displays real-time modem metrics:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| RSSI | Received Signal Strength Indicator (dBm) |
| RSRP | Reference Signal Received Power (dBm) |
| RSRQ | Reference Signal Received Quality (dB) |
| SINR | Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (dB) |
| Band | Active LTE/NR band |
| Technology | 4G LTE / 5G NR |
| Cell ID | Current serving cell |
| IMEI | Modem hardware identifier |
| IMSI | SIM subscriber identity |
| ICCID | SIM card serial number |
Signal Quality Reference
Section titled “Signal Quality Reference”| RSRP (dBm) | Quality |
|---|---|
| > -80 | Excellent |
| -80 to -90 | Good |
| -90 to -100 | Fair |
| -100 to -110 | Poor |
| < -110 | Very poor / No service |
SIM Failover
Section titled “SIM Failover”When configured for auto-failover:
- Device monitors primary SIM connection health
- If registration fails or data session drops for > 60 seconds
- Modem switches to secondary SIM
- Attempts to re-register on the network
- Reports failover event to MDM platform
- Periodically checks if primary SIM is recoverable
Failover Triggers
Section titled “Failover Triggers”- SIM registration failure
- Data session disconnect (no recovery after retry)
- Signal below minimum threshold for extended period
- SIM card error/not detected
Modem Management
Section titled “Modem Management”Modem Restart
Section titled “Modem Restart”If the cellular connection becomes unresponsive:
- Navigate to Network → Cellular
- Click Restart Modem
- Wait 30-60 seconds for re-registration
Modem Firmware
Section titled “Modem Firmware”The modem has its own firmware separate from the router firmware:
- View current modem firmware version in Network → Cellular → Status
- Modem firmware updates are managed via the MDM platform
- Updates use the Quectel QFirehose protocol
MDM Telemetry
Section titled “MDM Telemetry”The MDM agent reports cellular metrics to the cloud:
- Signal strength (RSRP, RSRQ, SINR) at configurable intervals
- Connection type and band
- Failover events with timestamps
- Data session state changes
- SIM switch events
These metrics appear in the MDM dashboard under the device’s telemetry view.