m11x WWAN enable radio

I am posting this for posterity. Hopefully it will save someone else from the 2 hours I spent on the phone with Dell tech support.

This is my second M11x with the internal mobile broadband card installed. Upon first startup of the computer, the radio is not enabled by default. When I tried to enable it, it stated the radio is still not enabled, use the hardware switch or function keys. Obviously, none of that works or applies.

I had to go into Network Selection, and configure the card for AT&T. Despite the fact that AT&T was the active profile in the Dell Mobile Broadband manager, and the fact that an AT&T sim card was inserted at the factory, the internal card was configured for Verizon Europe (not even Verizon U.S!) Go figure. Two different Alienware techs, and one Dell tech, could not figure this out. I discovered it myself while I was on hold.

I kicked myself for not figuring this in the first place. But like I said, it showed AT&T as the active profile. In retrospect, on my first M11x I bought, when I first brought up the manager, it showed no active network. Perhaps activating with AT&T would have automatically configured the card, but I already have an active SIM card from AT&T that I swapped with the one from the factory.

 

Thanks for saving me time on this issue also.