I feel like I must be making a rookie mistake. Once my cell modem is registered (ATAI is 0, I’ve got an IP address, etc.) and I try to convert a domain name (e.g. www.google.com) to an IP address via the ATLA command, I get the response “ERROR” - not sure why?
Then I thought “Oh maybe I need to configure the DNS servers” but it looks like ATN1 & ATN2 are read-only (maybe set by network during registration? Unable to set / override?). – they are both 0.0.0.0.
If you’re encountering an “ERROR” response when using the ATLA command on your XBee Cellular module to perform a DNS lookup, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:
Verify network registration: Make sure your cell modem is properly registered and connected to the network (ATAI should return 0).
Check signal strength: Ensure that your XBee Cellular module has a strong signal for a stable connection.
By following these steps, you can troubleshoot the issue with the ATLA command.
As it happens, the network registration was fine and the signal strength was at its maximum – the issue was that my client hadn’t enabled DNS within their APN. They’d always fed me hard-coded IP addresses within their 10.XXX private network, but when I tried reach outside the network it didn’t work.
They told me a few days ago when I asked “Are you sure address lookup should work? The DNS servers are both 0.0.0.0 and those are provided by the network”, they replied: “Oh we don’t have DNS configured for the APN, that’s why it’s not working, sorry”.