How to avoid “Alarmaggedon”
Throughout 2022, cellular service providers including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are shutting down their older 3G cellular towers in what is known as the “3G Sunset.” They are doing this to open up frequency bands previously used for 3G to allow them to carry newer 5G cell traffic. While this has been known to be coming for some time, there has been pushback from equipment providers like home and business security systems to extend the data to allow them to get new equipment in place. However the end is here, and the major carriers will perform the 3G sunset on the following dates:
- AT&T: February 28
- Sprint: March 31
- T-Mobile: July 1
- Verizon: December 31
If you have an older data logger that uses either a cell modem to transmit data such as the TandD RTR-500MBS, DataTaker DT8x-M Series 3, or a data logger with an external cell modem, you may find that it stops working unexpectedly due to 3G sunset. If you don’t know what technology your device uses, a quick way to find out is to look for a label on the device or modem with the “FCC ID. ” This is an identifier that is required for any cellular equipment. Go to the FCC site, FCC ID.io, and look up the ID to find out more information about which cellular networks, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc. the device supports. Don’t wait until it stops working! We can help you find a migration path forward for the 3G sunset. This will ensure that you can continue to receive data.
For more information on your affected devices or if you are unsure about your devices, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or request more information.