Q. Will this driver work with any other models or manufacturers of cards?
A. No. Our AirCard 55x driver works only with the Sierra Wireless AirCard 550 and the AirCard 555. We're sorry that we are not able to help you If you have a different card.

Q. Where can I get a Sierra Wireless AirCard 550 or 555?
A. If you happen to be searching for new cellular service, let us point out that the 550 is commonly used at Sprint, and the 555 at Verizon. You may need to request one of those card model numbers directly, since they would prefer to sell newer technology. And of course, those cards may be used by other cellular carriers, as well, especially in parts of the world outside the USA.

Q. What about Verizon's new BroadbandAccess service?
A: There are many different broadband cards, only some of which have Mac support in the industry. We have not developed any drivers for broadband, but are happy to tell you this: if you find a PC-5220 card, Apple has developed their own Mac OS X driver for the PC 5220 which is available from their website. Get more information by clicking here.

Q. I tried to install someone else's AirCard driver first, will I have problems installing this version?
A. Maybe. We've only had a few customers that have done it this way, and yes there have been some issues. You should remove those drivers before trying to use ours.

Q. What happens after I purchase this Mac driver?
A. You will receive an email within a short time, usually within a few minutes, giving you a Serial Number and a link to download the driver. You will need to be connected to the Internet to obtain the download (obviously), and also during the installation and registration process when you type in your S/N. If you do not receive this email, please click here.

Q. And if I have trouble installing it?
A. It's pretty self explanatory, but if you need help, there is a comprehensive ReadMe file included, complete with instructions and screen shots which will be located in your home folder.

Q. Help! When I double-click the installer, nothing happens!
A. A minor bug in Aladdin Systems' Stuffit & Stuffit Expander 8.0 prevented the expanded files from being executable. Aladdin has since corrected this problem in version 8.0.1 and above. You can download the latest version by going to www.stuffit.com/expander/.

Q. Do your drivers work with Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and 10.4 (Tiger)?
A. Yes! Unless otherwise noted, all of our AirCard drivers work with Mac OS 10.2.5 through 10.4.11.

Q. Will your drivers support all of the card's functions?
A. The driver and Signal Sentinel program allow you to use the data (and voice on the Aircard 555) capabilities of the cards.

Q. What is card "activation"?
A. This is a process of initializing the card when you buy it. It is similar to what needs to be done to a cell phone, programming it with the phone number and subscriber ID codes, before it can be used.. We hope to add this functionality to our driver, but for now you must do it on a PC (or, with some carriers, via phone.)

Q. Can I use Virtual PC™ to activate my AirCard 550/555?
A. No. Virtual PC does not have direct access to the PC Card slot on the macintosh and therefore cannot access the card directly.

Q. I can't seem to maintain a connection. What is going on?
A. We have been collecting data from several users that are having trouble maintaining a connection beyond 20 or 30 seconds. The problem appears to be a carrier problem, but we are continuing to investigate.

UPDATE! - One of our users has narrowed this problem on his powerbook! Try isolating the AirCard configuration in its own location. For more information on setting up locations, see "Adding a network location" in Mac OS Help.

Q. Are there any other interference issues to be aware of?
A. We have found several cases where the Apple AirPort needs to be turned off in order to use the Sierra Wireless AirCard. It may be a clash of frequencies.