Why am I getting a "no sim card" error when there clearly is a sim card?
July 4, 2016 11:32 AM Subscribe
Using a pay-as-you-go Orange (Spain) 4G SIM card for a tpLink 3G mobile wifi device and keep getting the "no sim card" error. I have used the IP admin portal to toggle pin on and off as per a few internet searches, but to no avail. How can I make it work?
Travelling in Europe and I thought I would be able to purchase a pay-as-you go sim card and put it into a store bought mobile wifi device. Not so easy, apparently!
I've been into the store 4 times now and without Spanish everyone just looks at me with a blank stare. Customer service is near impossible.
Is there someone here who knows how I can get this up and running (assume low to no tech speak).
Muchos gracias in advance!!
Travelling in Europe and I thought I would be able to purchase a pay-as-you go sim card and put it into a store bought mobile wifi device. Not so easy, apparently!
I've been into the store 4 times now and without Spanish everyone just looks at me with a blank stare. Customer service is near impossible.
Is there someone here who knows how I can get this up and running (assume low to no tech speak).
Muchos gracias in advance!!
Thinking out loud, which may include stating (or asking) the obvious.
Is the wifi device unlocked? If it's locked, an off-network SIM may show as "no sim card" versus the more accurate "no valid sim card".
Is the SIM the right size? The pins are all the same, but the plastic surround is different. I've had success in carefully sneaking a micro sim to make contact in a mini sim carrier, but if it shifts you'll see "no sim card".
Your question itself says you've got a 4G SIM in a 3G device. There's a possibility there's something amiss there, though I'd expect the SIM to be recognized but just not get service if the radio frequencies used by the service and those supported by the device didn't overlap.
Where did you buy the tpLink device? In Spain, or elsewhere? Has it ever worked with any card, or is this the first time you're using it? Can you look at the contacts inside to see if they're clean, bent, missing, etc? There are a whole bunch of different mechanisms for loading the SIM card, too. Any possibility that it's loading wrong, or not being latched down, or anything like that?
Lastly, to add to the last comment, using a pencil eraser will do wonders for cleaning those contacts.
posted by devbrain at 3:30 PM on July 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Is the wifi device unlocked? If it's locked, an off-network SIM may show as "no sim card" versus the more accurate "no valid sim card".
Is the SIM the right size? The pins are all the same, but the plastic surround is different. I've had success in carefully sneaking a micro sim to make contact in a mini sim carrier, but if it shifts you'll see "no sim card".
Your question itself says you've got a 4G SIM in a 3G device. There's a possibility there's something amiss there, though I'd expect the SIM to be recognized but just not get service if the radio frequencies used by the service and those supported by the device didn't overlap.
Where did you buy the tpLink device? In Spain, or elsewhere? Has it ever worked with any card, or is this the first time you're using it? Can you look at the contacts inside to see if they're clean, bent, missing, etc? There are a whole bunch of different mechanisms for loading the SIM card, too. Any possibility that it's loading wrong, or not being latched down, or anything like that?
Lastly, to add to the last comment, using a pencil eraser will do wonders for cleaning those contacts.
posted by devbrain at 3:30 PM on July 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: This happened to me, and it was because I'd managed to get the SIM into its slot backwards. I fix PCs for money so I hadn't checked this possibility because duh. Worth checking.
posted by flabdablet at 5:27 PM on July 4, 2016
posted by flabdablet at 5:27 PM on July 4, 2016
Best answer: This happened to me, and it was because I'd managed to get the SIM into its slot backwards.
I have done this. It also took an embarrassing amount of time to figure it out.
posted by bongo_x at 7:30 PM on July 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have done this. It also took an embarrassing amount of time to figure it out.
posted by bongo_x at 7:30 PM on July 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Mysterious combination of pencil eraser, on/off, hard reset, and prayer did the trick.
Thank-you everybody!!
posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee at 10:07 PM on July 4, 2016
Thank-you everybody!!
posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee at 10:07 PM on July 4, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Have you tried turning it off and on againHave you tried the SIM card in another device, or another SIM card with this device, to rule out an actual fault? That would be my first step, and then take it up with the seller of the "faulty" part. I think it won't be easy to diagnose this remotely (tho maybe someone will have come up against the same problem). Whenever I've had a "no SIM card" fault with anything, taking it out and wiping the SIM and the contacts in the phone fixed the issue.posted by ClarissaWAM at 1:07 PM on July 4, 2016 [5 favorites]