1NCE SIM attaches to network but never creates a PDP context — two different 2G trackers, zero data since activation

piotrekr 2 days ago

I'm stuck and would appreciate any pointers.

SETUP
Two GPS trackers, both 2G-only, both from different families:

  • Device A: GT06 clone, firmware GT06_MXC_V5.0_190307, Coban/TK103 SMS
    command set (check123456, apn123456, adminip123456, gprs123456)
  • Device B: reports itself as OTRACK-2, Concox-style command set
    (APN,xxx# / RESET# / GPRSSET#)
    Two 1NCE IoT SIMs, both activated 4 Sep 2026.

WHAT WORKS

  • SIM status: Activated. Session status: Attached. IP assigned (10.0.0.8).
  • Network registration works and roams between operators: Plus/PL and
    T-Mobile/PL.
  • SMS works in both directions through the 1NCE portal — the devices answer
    every command (78 messages exchanged on one SIM).
  • APN is set to iot.1nce.net and confirmed in the device's own status output.
  • Server IP and port are correct; I verified from the internet that the port
    accepts TCP connections.

WHAT DOESN'T

  • Device status reports GPRS: OFF (device A) and GP:NO (device B).
  • Data usage: 0 MB of 500 MB since activation, on both SIMs.
  • The 1NCE event log has NEVER contained a single "Create PDP Context" entry
    on either SIM — only "Update location" and "Update GPRS location", including
    fresh ones from this morning. "Reject cause" is empty on every entry.
  • "Access technology" is empty in the 1NCE portal for both SIMs.
  • Nothing whatsoever arrives at my server.

WHAT I'VE RULED OUT

  • Not the device configuration: both devices report the correct APN, server
    address and port. Device A was tested both with a hostname and with a bare
    IP address.
  • Not 2G availability: the official 1NCE Coverage List (page 6) shows Poland
    with 2G, 3G, 4G and LTE-M available.
  • Not the devices: both trackers worked for years on Polish operator SIMs
    with APN "internet". A third, identical GT06 unit is working right now on a
    normal operator SIM and reports every 10 seconds.
  • Not quota exhaustion: 500 MB of 500 MB remaining.
  • Not a 1NCE outage: the Performance page shows all services available,
    including the 2G/3G network.

QUESTIONS

  1. Has anyone seen 1NCE SIMs register on the network but never establish a
    PDP context? What was the cause?
  2. Is there more than one 1NCE APN in circulation? I've seen sensor.net
    mentioned alongside iot.1nce.net and want to rule that out.
  3. Could this be account-side provisioning? One possibly related symptom:
    our Management API user cannot list SIMs at all — GET /v1/sims returns
    HTTP 500 with {"message":"Could not load EMnify data for login <user>"}.
    Since EMnify is the connectivity backend, I'm wondering whether the two
    symptoms share a cause.

Any ideas welcome — especially from anyone running these cheap 2G trackers on
1NCE successfully.

piotrekr yesterday

SOLVED — wrong APN. It's sensor.net, not iot.1nce.net.