Fibocom FM160-EAU-00 5G Sub6 M.2 module is a NR Sub 6 module with 3GPP Release 16, which is backward compatible with LTE/WCDMA network standards. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon® X62 modem chipset, the module delivers maximum downlink rates of 3.5Gbps and uplink rates of 900Mbps under 5G, suitable for IoT applications that require high data throughput. It is intended for Europe and APAC with support for both 5G SA and NSA network architectures with faster transmission speed, better capacity and lower network latency. FM160-EAU supports 3GPP Release 16 and NR CA. It has LTE Cat-19 fallback and support for FDD & TDD ENDC. With standard M.2 interface it makes it convenient for customers to update products quickly and respond to the commercial needs of the market. Suitable applications include gateways, industrial monitoring, remote medical, UAV and Virtual Reality. Key benefits 3GPP Release 16 NR/LTE/WCDMA NR CA USB 3.1 / PCIe 4 Extended industrial operating temperature Dev.kit can be found here; 11142 - Fibocom EVKB-M2
Datasheet for FIbocom FM160 series
This document describes the hardware of the Fibocom FM160-EAU module
AT Commands User Manual for the Fibocom FM160 family
Drivers for the FM160 series.
Contains drivers for Windows, Linux and Android based systems.
How to collect initial diagnostics data and logs for Fibocom cellular modules needed when requesting Techship technical support?
In order to ease the troubleshooting of technical problems and understand your end-product or application and its usage scenario we ask you to please provide the following information when creating a technical support ticket at: techship.com/technical_support/
Please give a detailed problem description and in what precise circumstances it is present.
Describe the host system:
-Hardware (system board, processor architecture, other peripheral devices...)
-Operating system with detailed versions (E.g. Windows version and build, Linux distribution, kernel version)
-Drivers used and versions (Linux: out-of-tree vendor drivers or in-kernel drivers?)
Details from the cellular module label:
-Model
-SKU/BOM or P/N code
IMEI number
For Linux systems, capture terminal logs from commands:
uname -a
lsusb
lsusb -t
ifconfig -a
ls -l /dev/serial/by-id
ls -l /sys/bus/usb-serial/devices
dmesg
The cellular module logs can be acquired by accessing one of the USB enumerated serial (COM) interfaces or physical UART serial interfaces accepting AT commands. In Windows device manager they are generally found as modem infterface or serial and ports interface types).
Send AT commands to module and capture the text output:
Test that you get a OK reply:
AT
Enable AT command echo:
ATE1
Verbose error reporting:
AT+CMEE=2
Module model:
AT+CGMM
Firmware version:
AT+CGMR
IMEI Code:
AT+CGSN
USB endpoint configuration:
AT+GTUSBMODE?
Serial port configuration:
AT+GTUSBMODE=?
Operational mode:
AT+CFUN?
Selected network access techniques:
AT+WS46?
List network operator info:
AT+COPS?
Network registration status:
AT+CREG?
AT+CGREG?
AT+CEREG?
Signal strength:
AT+CSQ
Signal quality parameters:
AT+CESQ
List APN details:
AT+CGDCONT?
List Packet switch enable/disable status:
AT+CGATT?
List PDP profiles status:
AT+CGACT?
List bearers and IP addresses:
AT+CGCONTRDP=
AT+CGPADDR=
Check Temperaure:
AT+MTSM?
Check SIM status:
AT+GTUSIM?
Selected radio access technology:
AT+GTRAT?
Selected RAT and active frequency band(s):
AT+GTACT
For modems supporting 5G
List CA information:
AT+GTCAINFO?
Which antenna ports should I connect antennas to on the LTE or 5G module?
It is important to understand the functionality of the different antenna ports on the cellular module when deciding which ports to use. There is a risk of underutilizing the module by not connecting antennas to the right ports. This guide aims to explain some general terms and abbreviations used to label and describe antenna ports and their different functionalities.
Some antenna port labels that are commonly used on cellular modules are listed below:
MAIN – Primary transmit and receive antenna port. Required for basic functionality.
DIV – Diversity receive port. This port is used to receive the same signal as the primary port, but at a different spatial point. By receiving the same signal at two different spatial points, the module can mitigate destructive effects that might be present on one of the different spatial points. The diversity receive functionality is especially useful in urban environments where the interference environments may be radically different between two spatial points. It is always recommended to use the diversity receive port as this functionality improves the quality and reliability of the overall link.
GNSS – GNSS receive port. GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, examples of such systems are GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou. The available systems may differ between different modules. To see what systems are available for a specific module, please consult the modules hardware documentation. As this antenna port is used for positioning applications, a suitable GNSS antenna needs to be connected to this port in order to utilize this functionality.
MIMO – MIMO port. MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output and refers to the amount of antennas used at each side of the link. For example, 4x4 DL MIMO means that the base station and the module each use 4 antennas for the modules downlink. Usually, the MIMO label is used to denote antenna ports that are used for spatial multiplexing which is a technique used for increasing the bitrate. This is achieved by splitting the signal into different streams that are transmitted and received on spatially separated antennas on each side of the link. For the majority of cellular modules, spatial multiplexing is only available for the module's downlink.
AUX – Auxiliary antenna port. The available functions on this port may differ between modules. Examples of functionalities that can be present on this port are diversity receive, DL-MIMO and GNSS. Please consult the module's hardware documentation to see which functionalities are present on this port.
Some cellular modules have numeric, non-descriptive labels on their antenna ports. These modules can have different functionalities for different frequency intervals/bands, on one single antenna port. For these modules, consult the hardware documentation to find what functionalities are present for which frequency intervals/bands one the different antenna ports. Please note that antenna ports with transmit functionality for certain frequency bands need to have a antenna connected in order to utilize these frequency bands.
If you have further inquiries regarding antenna ports on cellular modules, please create a Support Ticket by visiting the following link: https://techship.com/support/new/
How do we connect to a 5G NR network?
To be able to connect to a 5G network both the module and SIM card need to have 5G technology support. If you have problems with NSA or SA for a specific band make sure that your module actually supports this as well. Read through your product’s hardware guide which can be found on the product’s page.
Support for 5G NSA/SA on a specific band can also be firmware dependent. Make sure that you have the latest firmware installed on your module.
This FAQ includes many different AT commands, both 3GPP standard and vendor specific commands, so it’s recommended to have your module’s AT guide with you while troubleshooting.
Perform a network scan with AT+COPS=? and check if your module can find any 5G networks. You can see if it’s a 5G network by looking at the last value in the quadruple. Depending on which technology you use this should be set to:
11 - NR_5GCN (NR connected to a 5G core Network)
12 - NGRAN (NG-RAN access technology)
13 - EUTRA_NR (Dual connectivity of LTE with NR)
If your module can find the 5G network, check your current network configuration with the read command AT+COPS? to make sure it’s set to the correct value. Similarly you can check the NR5G network registration status with the following AT command sequence (note this command only applies for 5G SA) :
AT+C5GREG=2
AT+C5GREG?
You can select the Wireless Data Service with AT+WS46:
36 - NG-RAN only
37 - NG-RAN and E-UTRAN
38 - NG-RAN, E-UTRAN and UTRAN
40 - NG-RAN and UTRAN
Telit 5G related AT commands:
Enable your 5G band with AT#BND
To enable/disable only the 5G bands AT#5GCTL can be used
FN980 does not have SA enabled by default. To enable it run the following commands:
AT#FWSWITCH=0
AT#BND=(Fill in you bands here, see AT guide)
AT#REBOOT
If you are using a Windows PC change the USBCFG to option 2
AT#USBCFG=2
SIMCom 5G related AT commands:
Enable both SA and NSA with AT+CSYSSEL=”nr5g_disable”,0
Disable SA with AT+CSYSSEL="nr5g_disable",1
Disable NSA with AT+CSYSSEL=”nr5g_disable”,2
Configure 5G NSA bands with AT+CSYSSEL=”nsa_nr5g_band”
Configure 5G SA bands with AT+CSYSSEL=”nr5g_band”
Set your preferred mode with AT+CNMP
55 - WCDMA+LTE+NR5G
71 - NR5G
109 - LTE+NR5G
Sierra Wireless 5G related AT commands:
Display your 5GNR information with AT!NRINFO?
Enable/disable ENDC (NSA) and SA with AT!RTCA (note that these settings are not persistent across power cycles)
AT!GSTATUS not responding with NR5G fields and looks similar to:
NR5G RSRP (dBm): --- NR5G RSRQ (dB): ---
NR5G SINR (dB): —
The response details are dependent on the network providing the necessary information to the modem. To be sure you get these values the modem has to be in a data call in SA mode
Fibocom 5G related AT commands:
Select RAT with AT+GTRAT or RAT and Bands with AT+GTACT
14 - NR-RAN
16 - NR-RAN/WCDMA
17 - NR-RAN/LTE
20 - NR-RAN/WCDMA/LT
For more general information about 5G see FAQ “What is 5G NR?”.
If you are still encountering problems connecting to a 5G network you can create a support ticket: https://techship.com/page/support/technical_support/. Please describe your problem and set up thoroughly and include the logs from this troubleshooting.