Cellular network compatibility

14 Feb 2024

The Mesa Pro, Mesa 4, and Mesa 3 Windows models are AT&T Network Ready and Verizon certified. The Mesa 3 Android is AT&T Network Ready. In general, our devices work with global PTCRB (historically GSM) compatible networks. Further details are provided in the lists at bottom.

For Verizon certified models, the required M2M or LWM2M (light weight Machine to Machine) SIM cards can be purchased from the Verizon Thingspace Marketplace or directly from the SIM card vendors. Note: You may also be able to check your IMEI compatibility of your Mesa 3 Windows or Mesa 2 unit with the network and what data plans are available using the Verizon BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) IMEI Check web page, though not guaranteed.

As for consumer data plans of any cellular network, many (but not all) cellular networks are now limiting those plans to only function on specific pre-qualified device models. To ensure the best network compatibility, carriers prefer that devices be purchased directly through their official store. Even though carriers still state that they allow you to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), it is not unusual to find that the actual device models you can bring are limited. (You may discover this when you enter the IMEI number of your device and are told that it is not compatible because it is not a model on their limited pre-qualified list.)

When contacting a cellular network provider to activate your device, it may be helpful to specify that the device is for a post-paid data plan or even a business account (instead of a pre-paid consumer data plan). You may need to specify that the business data plan is for a "laptop modem" or "USB adapter" even though our rugged handheld devices are more similar in appearance to a consumer tablet or smartphone. In some cases, you may even need to obtain an inactive SIM card from a local store for the carrier, insert the SIM card, restart the device, and then contact the carrier's customer service to obtain a provisional ID to activate the service.

Carrier data plans are continuously changing. One example, in May 2020 our testing indicated that the AT&T "Data Connect for Mobile Hotspot and 4G devices" appeared to be compatible with our devices, but that may change at any time without our knowledge.

If a cellular network carrier requests specifications of the device for compatibility, the following information may be helpful.

Archer 4

Mesa Pro Windows (Sierra Wireless EM7411—North America, Quectel EM06-E—EU/Australia)

Mesa 4 Windows (Sierra Wireless EM7590 Global)

Mesa 3 Windows (Sierra Wireless EM7455 Qualcomm Snapdragon X7 LTE-A)

Mesa 3 Windows AU (Sierra Wireless EM7430)

Mesa 3 Android (Qualcomm SnapDragon X12)

Allegro 3

Cedar CP3

Cedar CT8