Thinkpads Forum

What will it take for the TP Pad to go active 3G?

As I understand it, there is a SIM slot.

Would a USB "dongle" 3G radio work?

(Moderator edit of Subject for clarification of thread content)

Shofar wrote:Would a USB "dongle" 3G radio work?

That is highly unlikely, IMO, given the intrinsic nature of contemporary tablet devices..... but I don't think anyone knows definitively as yet.

Cheers,

Bill B.

Thinkpad Tablet HW Manual, page 41, http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... a96158.pdf, shows how easy is to replace (or add if not existent?) the F5521gw WWAN Mini PCIe card (Tom Butler, director Worldwide ThinkPad Marketing is reporting on Marktewire that Ericsson Mobile Broadband Module F551gw is in ThinkPad Tablet, http://www.einnews.com/pr-news/520044-e ... ad-tablet-). And guess what, exactly the same WWAN card I have in my Lenovo W520. So, IMO WWAN is upgradable.

wolfindersteppe wrote:Thinkpad Tablet HW Manual, page 41, http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... a96158.pdf, shows how easy is to replace (or add if not existent?) the F5521gw WWAN Mini PCIe card

Easy is perhaps a bit of an euphemism considering just how much you have to disassemble to get to the card, but it seems doable. Somebody try it and tell us if there is a bios whitelist

Would it work with a SIM card connection in a USB radio?

It works in my X201s.

Kind of an odd question but what are the odds that a GSM ericsson F3507g will work in the slate tablet?

I have this card in my x200T and it never gets used. I don't intend to use my slate on WWAN in the states. However, I am going to India for two weeks in October and WWAN would be very convenient. I already checked and the frequencies are compatible with India. So the question is will the slate outright reject this card (i.e. Gobi is required) or will I get lucky?

jonLumpkin wrote:Kind of an odd question but what are the odds that a GSM ericsson F3507g will work in the slate tablet?

In standard configuration, the odds are quite low, IMO!

jonLumpkin wrote:So the question is will the slate outright reject this card (i.e. Gobi is required)

The Tablet supports 3 different WWAN cards for differing regional needs, but the F3507g isn't one of them.

Cheers,

Bill B.

My slate is powered by the GOBI 3000 card lenovo (0A36185) provides with its other current machines. This will let you use 3g from V/ATT/Sprint. The Hardware Maintenance Manual for the slate mentions 2 other supported cards, but the Ericsson card costs more and lacks CDMA options while the third card seems to be China only.

I have also tried my GOBI2000 card (Lenovo issue)which the device recognizes as a 3g card but it simply errors out when trying to connect. I'd assume this means the drivers arn't included in the firmware. A root may permit installation of the driver, but I have been unable to root or discover the drivers for android. I don't even know of an android device which uses GOBI2000 or even if the driver exists for android.

I can also tell anyone interested that external devices will not work as only HID and mass storage are supported via USB. Installing any device driver will require root.

I just upgraded my ThinkPad Tablet with a genuine Lenovo Ericsson F5521gw WWAN adapter. It was automatically recognized and ready to go after the install.

Opening up the tablet wasn't very difficult, I just had to re-read the HMM about three times to be sure I wasn't going to damage anything. One important step seems to be to depress the reset switch, which shuts the Tablet down (vs. standby).

NOTE: During a two hour phone support call, AT&T was able to enable a laptop data plan, but not a tablet data plan because the IMEI associated with the WWAN adapter shows a Lenovo ThinkPad. This is an issue because there is a big cost difference between the laptop and tablet plans. The next day I stopped by an AT&T store, problem solved in ten minutes. I now have the post-paid 2GB @ $25 month plan on my ThinkPad Tablet.

Regarding the OPs question, I'm not sure (I doubt) you will be able to associate an internal SIM card with a USB WWAN dongle, but most (all?) WWAN dongles include their own SIM slot (unless they are for CDMA or non-SIM carriers). Whether or not a ThinkPad Tablet can use a third party USB WWAN dongle for 3G/4G access is the question. I suppose if the carrier provides an Android app for their dongle, then it should work.

A Google search just turn up a similar answer for the same question posed on an Archos 101 tablet forum --> http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=37454

Saw this thread on another forum -- seems like this owner successfully converted his TPT WWAN.
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-sl ... 331/page/7

brucewilsonpa, thanks for posting that link, it would have made my upgrade easier if I had found it sooner! The link includes step-by-step instructions and pictures for adding a WWAN adapter to a ThinkPad Tablet.

Any specific production batch or model number of this tablets that are 3G upgradeable?

lexicon wrote:Any specific production batch or model number of this tablets that are 3G upgradeable?

As far as I know all models are 3G upgradeable.

When will we be able to get hold of a AT&T 3G enabled Thinkpad Slate? The Lenovo site says late November, are there none of these available as if I am to use this in the field, I need 3G for AT&T.

Buy a pad in Europe.

I bought mine in Germany and it came 3G ready - even had a Vodaphone SIM in it.

I should work in USA too on ATT 3G.

Shofar

Shofar wrote:Buy a pad in Europe.
I bought mine in Germany and it came 3G ready - even had a Vodaphone SIM in it.
I should work in USA too on ATT 3G.

The European version is GSM only, the US version will be GSM/CDMA so it'll work with Verizon and with Iraq's cell phone network (the only two places on earth using CDMA).

I think that Japan is also CDMA. However the EU GSM still should work on most American networks. 3 G not 4 but good enough if you need the connection.

Shofar wrote:I think that Japan is also CDMA. However the EU GSM still should work on most American networks. 3 G not 4 but good enough if you need the connection.

Actually, Japan is perhaps the only place that is more screwed up than the US carrier market - most carriers use a homebrew 2G tech that isn't used anywhere else.

The Eurepean 3G card will only give you 3G on AT&T, and only if you can find an AT&T shop willing and able to hook you up (I tried unsuccessfully). On T-mobile US you'll only get 2G as nobody outside of the US (recurring theme here) uses AWS.

This summer I got an ATT card for my phone that also was 3G for Data. Actually it was $50 for a month and unlimited.
It worked for me though the clerk who sold it did not think it would work.

Greg Gebhardt wrote:When will we be able to get hold of a AT&T 3G enabled Thinkpad Slate? The Lenovo site says late November, are there none of these available as if I am to use this in the field, I need 3G for AT&T.

greg..
you can get the gobi 3000 card from anyone.. lenovo or amazon.. and install it in your TPT..
directions are here, someplace..

I have a X200 Tablet a 7452 WMG that want to add a WWan card but need to know which one is right I know there are 3g ones but is there a 4 G one ? I seeing a lot on Ebay but would like to find the right one and not just buy one that isn't right.. I see some that list as Unlocked.. So need to find out if that mean the same as on phones and got any where for connection.

Thanks

CC

go here and start a new thread..
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=3

BillMorrow wrote:go here and start a new thread..
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Ok thanks Bill

cc

I have am 1838 TPT which has a slot for a SIM card - however it's not a 4G size
Is there any way I can upgrade the tablet (add a card?) to allow 4G (Verizon)?

thx