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Alpha Micro GPRS Modem Functional Overview

Alpha Micro GPRS Modem Functional Overview

History

Traditionally when remote embedded applications needed to communicate with their

parent (or host) system, they would use a standard analogue telephone connection. The
application would request the modem to dial the server using a simple Hayes™ “ATD”
command, wait for the connection to be established, send and receive all data necessary, and
then close the connection using the Hayes™ “ATH” command. Numerous application and
firmware routines use exactly this method, and hence any replacement should be aware of the
installed software base before attempting to change the control system needed to establish a
modem connection.

Alpha Micro have taken the approach that customers who wish to move from dial-up
designs to GPRS connections should need to make only minimal changes to any existing (and
usually well-tested) driver code. Consequently, once initialised, the Alpha Micro GPRS modem
has the same “look and feel” as a normal dial-up unit, responding to similar (if not identical) ”AT”
commands, and returning standard responses.

Comparison of PSTN and GPRS data connections

HOST

Telephone
Fixed
Line
Terminal PSTN TRUNK PSTN Server
(BT exchange) (BT exchange) Firewall Application

fig 1: Traditional PSTN circuit switch connection diagram

Fig 1 illustrates a modem call on a standard PSTN dial-up line. The exchange blocks
indicate there is a physical switched connection between the embedded modem itself and the
host server. Or at least that’s how it used to be! The majority of modern day PSTN networks
run on a packet switched, rather than circuit switched, system. However due to the high speed
SDH backplanes used, the resulting operation appears very much like a circuit switch. The
more modern circuit switch connection looks more like fig 2.

HOST

Telephone
Fixed PSTN
Line PSTN (BT exchange)
Terminal (BT exchange)
TRUNK Server
Firewall Application

fig 2: Modern Packet switched equivalent of a PSTN switch

The overall connection from one end point to the other appears exactly the same to the
application which is blissfully unaware of the different signal routing mechanism employed by
the exchanges. The fact that the telco has replaced the circuit switch with a packet switch is
hidden from the user as the interface ports and signals remain unchanged.

In a similar way, the firmware in the Alpha Micro GPRS modem module attempts to mimic
the actions of a standard dial-up modem. For example, prior to dialling, checks are made to
ensure that the GPRS network is available, and if not a standard “NO DIALTONE” message is
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returned to the user’s application. When the modem successfully manages to open a socket
into the destination host server it simply returns the message “CONNECT” so that data transfer
can begin. The aim of this system is to make any change over to GPRS technology as
seamless as possible. There are obviously a few registers that need to be initialised so that the
modem knows the IP address (or domain) into which it is expected to connect, or which portal it
is expected to take for entering and leaving the GPRS packet switching network, but once
initialised (as normally done at start-up) these setting may largely be ignored and the modem
can use simple Hayes™ commands to make and drop connections.

The GPRS connection method

Mobile Terminal HOST

Radio Link

Server
Firewall Application

GPRS Internet

APN

fig 3: GPRS Packet switched connection via the internet

Fig 3, shows an example of a signal connection across the GPRS network and then the
public internet. Notice that the “Fixed Terminal” in fig 1 and fig 2 has now become a mobile
terminal which is no longer tied to a fixed land-line connection and is free to wander
unrestricted. From the applications point of view, following a successful connection, the terminal
simply sends data as if it is connected directly to the host and data returned from the host
appears at the terminal without having to change any driver code.

The only real issue that needs to be addressed in any existing firmware are the potential
delays that will be experienced when sending data across the GPRS system, and more
especially, across the internet itself. Typically, across a point to point PSTN circuit, network any
delay generated within the network itself is negligible, and the only times that need considering
within the embedded firmware are those that are generated at the server itself in formatting
responses to received data. Delays generated within the GPRS network, based on the level of
service provided of purchased, are well documented and are therefore quite straight forward to
work around, however the one unknown delay in fig 3 is the internet cloud. The time taken to
pass a data packet across the internet is dependant on a number for factors ranging from your
ISP contention ratio, the queue at the Access Point Node (APN), and the overall use of the
whole net (and the number of rogue virus e-mails and spam that clog and slow the system) at
the time you need data delivered. Experience in GPRS will prepare the user for potentially
lengthy time delays that can occur over such links.

Each application must be taken on it’s own merits, however it is advised that generally the
embedded application is not upset by a delay of around 10 seconds between sending a request
to the server and receiving a response (although at present about 97% of the time delays are
much smaller than this). In extreme cases the delays can (quite legally within the specification)
extend significantly and it is strongly advised that embedded applications do not assume that
simply because the server has not responded to a request that the link has been lost. Again
experience on the UK GPRS network shows that the link itself is very seldom lost, but may be
heavily affected by internet delays at certain times of the day (usually coincident with East and
West coast America waking and starting to check e-mail!).
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How can data transfer delays be minimised?

To minimise the response delay in a system you need to eliminate the major cause of the
delay itself, and in our case there are two sources. The first queue will occur at the standard
APN gateway in and out of the GPRS cloud, as all general purpose mobile web browsing and
SMS messaging enters and leaves by this means and our data must wait in line with everyone
else’s. The second, and far more significant delay is generated by the internet itself, and if we
could bypass this our data may be transmitted much quicker.

Luckily (or by design!) the GPRS service providers have also thought about this, and can
offer numerous APNs to get around this problem. Fig 4 shows an alternative approach that
uses a private APN linked into the server. This gateway may even be made to look like an
internal node on the host network and allows designers to use the standard 192.X.X.X
addressing architecture to communicate with multiple machines connected to a destination LAN.

Mobile Terminal HOST

Radio Link
Private
APN
Server
Firewall Application

GPRS

fig 4: GPRS Packet switched connection via a private APN

The advantage of using a “Private APN” gateway is that it results in both a very fast, and
very secure connection as there is no apparent involvement from the internet cloud. The Server
may also be blocked from any unauthorised SIM cards from entering the host site by additional
firewalls at the APN itself, and all this adds up to an efficient and safe environment for money
transfers or sensitive data.

The main disadvantage of this method simply revolves around problems negotiating all
the necessary arrangements with your GPRS service provider. Generally they will not
implement this type of system on a one-off basis for a single user. However for larger corporate
users who bring with them the possibility of significant quantities of remote terminals which will
all be attached to their networks, the potential revenue stream tends to concentrate the mind of
the service providers into assisting wherever possible.

A system based on the above arrangement has already been tried and tested inside
betting terminals containing one of the Alpha Micro GPRS radio modem modules. During end to
end testing, the data throughput was noticeably faster than on standard internet based designs
as shown in the two graphs in fig 5. When reading the time delays on the diagrams, please
note that the overall timings were measured from the moment a TCP data packet was
transmitted to the time a legal TCP acknowledgement packet for that data was received. i.e.
two transmissions across the GPRS network. Please also note how the X-axes are scaled
differently on each graph.

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GPRS transmission (2 way) over GPRS transmission (2 way) over

an internet based connection a private APN connection
Percentage of packets transmitted

Percentage of packets transmitted

1 2 4 8 16 32 64 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Transmission round trip (seconds) Transmission round trip (seconds)

fig 5: Comparison of typical GPRS transmission timings between internet and private APN connections

The above timings show approximate timings for a system setup and operating in England
on the Vodafone-UK network, working into Ireland using the Vodafone-Eircell network.

The first graph shows a standard internet connection into an arbitrary host in Ireland,
configured with no TCP acknowledgement delay. The second graph shows a private APN
connection (with the APN set at the Irish end of the link) connected into a gambling host in
Ireland, again with negligeable TCP acknowledgement delay, and with the APN connection
straight into the host.

It is clear that the private APN option provides a very useful throughput increase in time
critical applications such as Point-Of-Sale, where merchants would not wish a queue to build at
the check-out while waiting for credit card verification. It is also envisaged that customers as
large as banks will have the necessary “weight” to persuade the GPRS service providers to
open up private APN gateways for them to use as portals in and out of the GPRS cloud.

Using the Alpha Micro GPRS

Before communicating with the Alpha Micro GPRS modem for the first time please note
that the serial connection between the modem and the embedded terminal defaults to 9600 bps,
8-bit data, no parity and one stop bit. The modem does not support autobauding at this stage,
but is settable up to 115200bps using Hayes™ AT commands. In all other ways it should
resemble the tradition modem AT command interface that embedded designers are used to
working with.

When sending data from one point to another using traditional dial-up modems the
embedded application simply needs to instruct the modem to dial the destination telephone
number, wait for the “CONNECT” message and then start sending data as a simple
asynchronous stream; usually taking care of hardware CTS/RTS flow control. To send data
across the GPRS network is a little more complicated, and the link needs to be views as two IP
addresses sending data between them as discrete packets across the internet. As the data is
now packet switched rather than circuit switched, each packet of data needs a legal header to
indicate both it’s source and required destination (like the address on an envelope).

The Alpha Micro AMC1802GSXLA is designed to communicate across the GPRS radio
network and handle all such time critical and data formatting functions. The end application
should believe that it is talking to a simple modem and the embedded application does not need
to get involved with the nuts and bolts of the TCP, IP or PPP transmission protocols.
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When reading through this data sheet the reader should consider that interface into the
Alpha Micro GPRS mode, wherever possible, tries to emulate a standard dial-up modem.
Dialling using similar commands, return the same responses for connection, carrier loss or
system busy, and drops a call in the same way using either the hardware DTR line, the ATH
command, or a combination of the two. The escape sequence, "+++" is supported, although it is
strongly advised NEVER to be used, and if software escape is necessary, use the default value,
"---" as this avoids confusing the RIM modem into dropping into command mode at the wrong
moment. The Alpha Micro GPRS modem implements some additional AT&D commands and
features over and above the well knows dial-up modem commands which allow DTR to control
the modem more efficiently than in the traditional way but the standard values of AT&D0,
&AT&D1, AT&D2 and AT&D3 remain.

The obvious differences between a dial-up type connection and packet switched TCP/IP
type connection mean that there are some additional settings that need to be programmed into
the modem to route and format the data during a connection. These settings may be simply
entered following a reset in the same way as usual embedded systems enter initialisation
strings into modems before dialling. Alternatively the settings may be saved in the on-board non
volatile memory (NOVRAM) so that no initialisation string is necessary once a system has been
set-up.

There are five main settings that need to be stored in the Alpha Micro GPRS modem
before it will operate in the same way as a simple modem. Be aware that at present the modem
prefers all set-up commands to be entered as separate AT instructions with each one terminated
by a carriage return (<cr>).

1) Set the IP address on the modem

This is USUALLY allocated by the service provider and should therefore be left at the
default value of 0.0.0.0. If you have negotiated a fixed IP address with your service provider for
a particular SIM card, and you know this address, you may program this into the %R1 register.
e.g. If the address you have been allocated is for example 111.222.33.4 then this may be
programmed into the modem using the instruction:

AT%R1=111.22.33.4

This instruction may be considered to be redundant in 99% os cases as even setting

%R1=0.0.0.0 will result in the service provider offering the modem the pre-agreed address.
Setting %R1 before making a connection will shave a few seconds off the FIRST GPRS
connection following a power cycle as no IP address negation needs to take place due to the
fact that both ends of the link already know the address to expect.

2) Set the source port for the modem

This is the port address that any TCP data the modem sends appears to be sent from
when transmitted over a TCP/IP network. This may be used as an extra level of security in
credit transaction applications but is usually ignored by host applications other than to route any
reply data back from where the data originated. To set the source port number to the specific
value 30001 for example, use the instruction:

AT%R2=30001

NB: When a TCP socket connection is closed, servers generally do not generally accept any
new data from the recently closed socket for a timeout period. This means that remote
applications that use the method of "opening and closing sockets" to the host as a way of

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reducing the number of active sockets an any one time, suffer from the problem that they cannot
connect back into the same server twice in a row without a delay. The reasons for this delay are
not necessary to explain in this document, however the delay itself is frequency over two
minutes, which is clearly impractical in POS applications where it would be unreasonable to
expect customers to wait for this time between credit card verifications. To get around this
problem the Alpha Micro GPRS modem firmware intelligently determines when the source port
needs to be changed, and when it can be reset back to the programmed value. All this port
swapping is invisible to the embedded application but would cause a problem if the server
application uses the source port as a security feature and it is advised that a bank of 32 ports
based from the default value up are acceptable to the host.

3) Set the destination IP address (server address)

If the address of the server is known it may be stored in the %R3 register. If the server
lives at for example address 192.168.0.119 then this may be saved in the %R3 register using
the instruction:

AT%R3=192.168.0.119

The destination address does not necessarily not need to be programmed and saved at
this stage and may be held back until dial time (see the section on "dialling" below).

4) Set the destination port number (server port)

The server port number is much more important than the source port number, as it is this
that tells the server precisely which application it should running behind the IP connection to
handle the incoming call. e.g. calls arriving on port 28 will be handled as SMTP mail, port 26
will be handled as simple TELNET links and so on. Usually this port number will be a large
value in the range 16384 to 65535. In this range, the major standard pre-allocated and
registered port numbers have all be assigned, and the server IT engineer is free to select from
the large number of ports available. For example, to set the number 30005 as the destination
port address issue the instruction:

AT%R4=30005

NB: Unlike the source port number above, the destination port number is NEVER automatically
changed by the Alpha Micro GPRS modem in order to succeed in making a connection. This
would confuse servers by delivering TCP call requests to the wrong port at the server itself, and
hence result in the wrong service application being booted at the host.

5) Set the GPRS APN Context

Okay, now it gets interesting! Referring back to fig 3 above, it can be seen that the APN is the
gateway that we are going to use for data to enter and leave the GPRS cloud. You MUST
obtain this information from your service provider before you can make a GPRS call, but as an
example we can look at the values needed for Vodafone in the UK.

The generic APN name for Vodafone UK is "internet".

To set this value as the GPRS context in the modem you will need to issue the instruction:

AT%R5=[1,"IP","internet"]

NB: Be VERY careful to enter the square brackets, quotation marks, and text in upper and lower
case as shown. Any deviation from the above layout will almost certainly result in the modem
failing to connect and returning the NO CARRIER message each time a dial attempt is made.

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NB: Experience helping many customers integrate the Alpha Micro GPRS modem into their
particular system has taught that setting the APN gateway to an incorrect string is the root
cause of most of failed connection attempts. As a result it is well worth concentrating “just a
little” whist entering the context string. Failed attempts due the context being incorrect look very
similar to a SIM that does not have a GPRS contract established, as in both cases you will be
attempting to leave the GPRS cloud through, what the service provider believes is, an
unauthorised route.

Okay, with all the warnings out of the way, to proceed and make your first GPRS
connection the above five settings are ALL you need. From here you simply dial and wait for
the “CONNECT” response. . . . .

Dialling

To make a connection, we use the same dial command that has traditionally been used to
dial-up using analog PSTN modems; namely the Hayes™ ATD command. In this case we
follow the latest Microsoft™ initiative for GPRS connections and use the new command
ATD*99#. When the modem sees the number *99# it will automatically grab the destination
address from the %R3 register, the destination port from the %R4 register described above, and
these two parameters are used to generate the call attempt. Assuming that the GPRS context
is correct (and the server exists at the IP address and port specified) a TCP socket will be
opened between the modem and the server application and the modem will return the string
"CONNECT".

Once connected the Alpha Micro GPRS modem handles all of the TCP/IP packetising,
depacketising and flow control etc., and the user application simply needs to send
asynchronous data through the serial interface without any additional header or footer
information above that already employed on any existing analog system (such as the BS8583
protocol used in banking transactions and credit card verification).

It is strongly advised that hardware flow control is supported on the customer's system in
the same way as it normally would when using a dial-up design, or else the system designer will
need to employ their own pingpong handshake in software to ensue that no buffers overflow.
The Alpha Micro GPRS modem has been successfully implemented in designs that do not use
hardware flow control exactly by using this method, however this does involve the embedded
system more than most system designers would wish.

At this stage it is worth mentioning the alternative dialling methods available on the ATD
command instruction:

ATD111.222.33.4:9000
Will connect to IP address 111.222.33.4 port 9000.
ATD111.222.333.4
Will connect to IP address 111.222.33.4 and the port held in %R4.
ATD111222033004
Will connect to IP address 111.222.33.4 and the port held in %R4.
ATD[www.my-bank.com]
Will perform a DNS lookup for "www.my-bank.com" and then enter the IP address
returned from the DNS server into the dial string. This will then open a socket to the port held in
the %R4 register.
ATD[www.my-bank.com]:8000
Will perform a DNS lookup for "www.my-bank.com" and then enter the IP address
returned from the DNS server into the dial string, attempting to open port 8000.

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By default when using DNS dialling, the DNS address server used is that allocated by the
GPRS service provider at the log-on stage (when an IP address is allocated to the unit). By
specifying your own address in the %R** register it is possible for the system integrator to run
and update their own DNS server system which has advantages when wishing to connect two
GPRS modems in a peer to peer architecture.

With GPRS being a relatively new extension on top of the GSM network, not all GSM base
stations across Europe are capable of supporting the GPRS data standard, and for these
situations the Alpha micro GPRS modem has the ability to fall back to a standard GSM
connection and run a TCP/IP connection across this instead of GPRS. For a GSM call to
function correctly the user will need the telephone number of a suitable local ISP and a valid
login name and password (in addition to a SIM card with the correct contract in place). We can
currently only log-on to ISPs that drop directly into the PPP protocol and hence at this time we
do NOT support Compuserve/CSI dial-in or any ISP that requires scripting before dropping into
PPP. Obviously, using the GSM network to make a data call negates the potential cost benefits
of using GPRS for that particular call, but is a small price to pay when the only other option is
“No connection”.

Future GPRS modules are planned with traditional dial-up modem backup simply to cover
the case where all radio performance shuts down, and there is no radio signal at all. In this
case, the dial-up modem can take over and complete any outstanding call. In all of the above
cases, whichever way the modem dials, should be irrelevant to the embedded application so
long as it sees a good "CONNECT" message and can send and receive data between itself and
the host. The path used (just at indicated in fig 1 and fig 2) is different but the user should see
no difference.

Clearing a data call

As mentioned above it is strongly recommended that users support the hardware DTR control
line in embedded applications. The various options on the use of DTR make it the easiest way
to terminate (and even initiate) calls with a host or server. Below shows the various ways of
terminating a connection depending upon the AT&D setting when the call was established:

AT&D0

To terminate a call the user must follow a system similar to the Hayes™ escape sequence
by halting the data flow for a seconds, and then issuing three “-” characters, then wait for the
modem to return “OK” before issuing the command ATH. When the modem returns the
response “OK” once more the TCP socket to the server will have been dropped, with the
modem retaining it’s IP address to make future calls connect more quickly. If the application
needs to release the IP address for any reason, issuing the ATH command a further time will
instruct the modem to log-off the GPRS network and release the address.

AT&D1

Dropping DTR will instantly return the “OK” response from the modem, at which point the
application may send the command ATH to terminate the current call. When the modem returns
the response “OK” once more the TCP socket to the server will have been dropped, with the
modem retaining it’s IP address to make future calls connect more quickly. If the application
needs to release the IP address for any reason, issuing the ATH command a further time will
instruct the modem to log-off the GPRS network and release the address. Raising DTR to the
active state has no effect on the state of the modem or the state of the current connection.

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AT&D2

Dropping DTR will instruct the modem to clear the call, and close the current TCP socket
connection. When the modem returns the response “OK” the TCP socket will already be
closed, with the modem retaining it’s IP address to make future calls connect more quickly. If
the application needs to release the IP address for any reason, issuing the ATH command will
instruct the modem to log-off the GPRS network and release the address. Raising DTR to the
active state has no effect on the state of the modem or the state of the current connection.

AT&D3

Dropping DTR will instruct the modem to clear the call, close the current TCP socket,
release it’s allocated IP address and log-off from the GPRS network. When the modem returns
the response “OK” all the above will have been done and the modem is effectively
uncontactable as it has no IP address to connect into. It is difficult to visualise a reason for
using a modem in this way but is provided for that “ONE” application where it may be already
needed in dial-up system.

AT&D4

Dropping DTR will instantly return the “OK” response from the modem, at which point the
application may send the command ATH to terminate the current call. When the modem returns
the response “OK” once more the TCP socket to the server will have been dropped, with the
modem retaining it’s IP address to make future calls connect more quickly. If the application
needs to release the IP address for any reason, issuing the ATH command a further time will
instruct the modem to log-off the GPRS network and release the address. If the application
wishes to reconnect the data channel BEFORE issuing the ATH command, raising DTR to the
active state will reinstate the data link and return the “CONNECT” response. This is the fastest
way of swapping into and out of escape mode for scanning resister settings and then returning
to data mode afterwards.

AT&D5

Dropping DTR will instruct the modem to clear the call and close the current TCP socket
connection. When the modem returns the response “OK” the TCP socket will already be
closed, with the modem retaining it’s IP address to make future calls connect more quickly. If
the application needs to release the IP address for any reason, issuing the ATH command will
instruct the modem to log-off the GPRS network and release the address. Raising DTR to the
active state will instruct the modem to instantly attempt a call into the destination IP address and
port numbers saved in the %R3 and %R4 registers. Setting AT&D5 allows the user to simply
connect to a fixed host, and terminate the call again, simply by toggling the DTR hardware
signal and following the DCD signal which shows the connection state.

Call connection attempt responses

When proceeding to dial using the ATD command, the modem will return one of a handful
of responses. The response will inform the embedded system as to the outcome of the connec-
tion attempt, and whether to modem has been successful in opening a socket to the specified
TCP address and port.

CONNECT:

The “CONNECT” message, together with the DCD line from the modem going active,
indicates that a connection has been made successfully with the destination server. DCD will
always follow the state of the connection in this way, and the current software release does NOT

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support the traditional modem command AT&C0 to force DCD permanently active. Designers
who need DCD to be always active should tie the DCD input to their own system low and ignore
the DCD line from the modem to achieve the correct result.

NO DIALTONE:

The “NO DIALTONE” message indicates that the modem was not able to commence a
connection to the host. If GPRS signal is not present, or the modem cannot attach to the GPRS
network because the SIM card in not enabled to do so, the modem will automatically return this
message if fall-back to GSM is not enabled. If the modem is set to GSM fallback, then this
message will automatically be return is there is no available GSM network on which to log-on.
Future designs of the Alpha Micro GPRS modem module that also support standard modem
dial-up, will return this message if all the above systems fail, and the dial-up modem still cannot
detect a telephone line present.

BUSY:

The BUSY response indicates that the destination address is currently occupied on an-
other call and cannot accept the call attempt being made at this time. This message should
never be returned by the modem for GPRS data call as IP servers generally do not have a
message that indicates this situation. Instead the server will generally refuse to answer incom-
ing packets if it is busy (all sockets active) and result in the “NO CARRIER” message below.
For GSM and dial-up modem calls the “BUSY” message indicated that the destination telephone
number is busy and cannot accept the current call.

NO CARRIER:

If you receive the “NO CARRIER” response to a dial attempt then the modem failed to
make a usable data connection between the Alpha Micro GPRS modem and the remote desti-
nation. The “NO CARRIER” message is the most frustrating error response as it traditionally
gives no reason for the cause of the failure. A few possible causes for this failure message may
be, the server is busy (see above), an incorrect IP address or telephone number has been
entered, and incorrect login name or password have been entered, the SIM card is locked, the
APN gateway settings are incorrect, the server has rejected the incoming call as explained in
the notes following the explanation of AT%R2 above, the signal strength has died to zero, or the
system cannot allocate your requested IP address.
Work is progressing on enabling the firmware to track the exact reason for a call failure and
provide and error number register when system integrators may poll to discover which of the
above conditions occurred.

And finally

For all other operating features please refer to the Alpha Micro GPRS modem AT com-
mand set guide together with the RIM AT Command set guide. The Alpha Micro GPRS modem
AT command has been written to mirror the functionality of the AMC1802GSXLA firmware; the
base code for all variations of in-house GPRS designs. As such the AT command set manual is
a working document and subject to change from time to time as new features are added to the
modem firmware.

For questions and queries on the operation of demonstration modem units or for assist-
ance with system integration, please send and e-mail to mailto:gprs@alphamicro.net . Please
state clearly the nature of any issues together with a contact name and number, and if possible
with the information requested at the rear of the “Quick Start” manual for the AMC1802GSXLA
as this will help us pinpoint any potential problems much more quickly.

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