Invalid SIM Error

[MartinS]

I got a call from my sister yesterday to say that her satnav had stopped working!
It came from me originally, so I guess I'm still responsible
Anyway, long story - had a nightmare with this unit, went back and forth to TomTom, at least three times, and they finally realised it was because it was a model that wasn't designed for the UK market.
I got back a working model, and it's been as good as gold (although no map updates for some time) for a couple of years now...until last week.
Turn it on and it tries to connect to GPS, but then fails saying Invalid SIM card. I've tried a reset (using the reset port in the base), which at least fired up the TomTom screen and drums, but still getting the same error.
I don't get why it's suddenly started doing this?
The model listed on the base of the unit is TomTom One XL HD Traffic
I did a search and came up with a similar issue whereby was suggested to remove items of data from the MOBILITY.SIM file and retry but that didn't work. Can anyone suggest how to get it working again?
Thanks
Martin

 

[dhn]

You could try calling CS and see if they are of any help in this matter:

United Kingdom
0845 161 0009
or 020 7387 5444
Monday-Friday:
9:00 am to 5:30 pm BST

Also, see if anything HERE helps

 

[MartinS]

I tried by serial number and it says the product is end of life and not supported by email phone or chat! So that means it's U/S then? If it is, that's a nuisance!
Thanks
Martin

 

[Andy_P]

I'm not familiar with that exact model (in fact it's the first I've heard of an old "ONE" model having a SIM card and HD Traffic!)

But I'm surprised if it is not starting up at all, just because there's a SIM card problem. I would have thought the basic navigation should have worked OK with no SIM card in the unit at all.

If you've got nothing to lose, you could try reseating the SIM card or removing it all together. On older models the cards are buried pretty deep inside the unit, so you'll need to peel off some bottom labels just to find the slot, and probably have to take the back off to actually get at the card.

 

[canderson]

@Andy
There was indeed a ONE XL HD Traffic, but was sold only in the Netherlands. The serial number should start with "F3".
I've peeked and found that the OP is from the UK, so that buggers things just a bit.

 

[MartinS]

That's the thing - there is no SIM card installed! The odd thing is that it's been working good as gold for ages and then suddenly just started playing up, without doing anything different.
I went out and bought them a newer model (second hand) yesterday which only comes with UK maps - I don't suppose the maps can be copied across from the old unit to the new one? I'm guessing not, but thought I'd ask...
Thanks for your replies anyway
Martin

 

[canderson]

No - maps are keyed to a specific unit serial number, so you can't swap between units.

Please check the serial number of your unit. Does it indeed start with F3?

 

[MartinS]

No - maps are keyed to a specific unit serial number, so you can't swap between units.

Please check the serial number of your unit. Does it indeed start with F3?

Thanks, that's what I suspected.
Yes, I don't have it here but am pretty sure it starts with F3. Will confirm later.
Thanks
Martin

 

[Andy_P]

That's the thing - there is no SIM card installed!

How do you know? as I mentioned above, the SIM card is buried deeply inside the unit and any access slot for it would be under one of the base labels. Don't confuse it with the SD card slot if there is one.

 

[MartinS]

How do you know? as I mentioned above, the SIM card is buried deeply inside the unit and any access slot for it would be under one of the base labels. Don't confuse it with the SD card slot if there is one.

Hi Andy
On the back is a cover with a SIM card symbol on it - pop it off and there is an empty SIM card holder. So for this one, it's not hidden at all.
Thanks
Martin

 

[canderson]

The unit you have is a rare bird, and as noted, was only sold for a short period of time in NL. There is little knowledge about this unit outside of NL.

From what I understand, you shipped that unit to TomTom for repair, and received another of the same kind (F3 serial, NL model). Is that correct? And just recently, this replacement unit has been playing up with the SIM complaint, though it had not been doing so previously.

Let's just take a wild try here and see what happens. I'm going to have you deny the unit access to Live data, which may shut down attempts to access the SIM card, which in turn may resolve the problem.

Connect the unit and allow Home to fire up. You will be exclusively using the XL simulator on your PC for this work.
Select Operate my XL (or comparable words) from Page 2 of Home
Select the "I agree" button when it becomes available
Select any position from the driving map on the main screen, then select "Change preferences"
Right arrow until you find an icon called "My info"
To "Do you want to enter or change your address..." just answer "NO"
To "Do you want to protect your device..." just answer "NO"
To "Information sharing enabled (etc etc)..." select "NO" to shut off information sharing

This SHOULD eliminate any access attempts to Live services, and any attempt to use the SIM card.
While this may not solve your problem, it's at least a possible solution.

 

[MartinS]

In answer to your questions, yes, though I assume I simply got back the same unit I started with!
Thanks, I'll give it a go! Appreciate your time and effort.
Martin