DTN/WeatherSentry Mobile
Customer Support Documentation
(Version 1.3)
CONFIDENTIAL
Updated: February 13, 2016
DTN Mobile Support Guide V1
Revision Record
Date
Sections Revised
6/30/05
Remarks
Submitted By
First Draft
Darin Quest
9/29/05
BlackBerry Info
Added BlackBerry support information.
Darin Quest
10/10/05
BlackBerry Info
Expanded on BlackBerry information
Darin Quest
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Table of Contents
1
Compatible Cell Phones and Mobile Devices ............................................................ 4
1.1
DTN Mobile Test Site ......................................................................................... 4
1.2
Cell Phones ......................................................................................................... 4
1.3
BlackBerry Devices ............................................................................................ 5
1.3.1
Handheld Software Version ........................................................................ 5
1.3.2
Browser Configuration................................................................................ 7
1.4
Palm and Microsoft Devices ............................................................................... 8
2 Cellular Coverage ....................................................................................................... 8
3 Support Tools .............................................................................................................. 8
4 Suggested Troubleshooting Flow ............................................................................... 9
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1
Compatible Cell Phones and Mobile Devices
DTN/WeatherSentry Mobile is a WAP 2.0 standard mobile web site. Customers must
have devices that are WAP 2.0 compatible or support XHTML. We implemented DTN
Mobile per the WAP 2.0 standard because it enables the best user experience and because
there is large movement to WAP 2.0 in the wireless industry.
WAP 2.0 is a standard that brings the wireless world closer to the Internet. It specifies
XHTML as the markup language, which enables a much richer interface than the old
phone specific WML markup language. It also enables greater standardization and
consistency across devices.
Some devices support XHTML but run over the old WAP 1.x network standards. They
connect via a WAP 1.x gateway which translates http traffic to the WAP 1.x network
protocol and passes through XHTML-based pages. DTN Mobile works on these devices,
but there is more variability because the XHTML implementation varies and not all
gateways handle cookies and the http headers that specify caching and auto-refresh
properly.
1.1 DTN Mobile Test Site
The DTN Mobile test site enables users to verify that DTN Mobile will work on their
phones. This site is also the best way for DTN Customer Support to determine if a
problem is user specific or an issue with the DTN Mobile service.
The test site’s URL is http://mobiletest.dtn.com. Instructions on how to use the test site
are on the DTN Mobile product pages on the www.DTN.com web site.
The test site includes pages that verify if:
 Static and animated radar display properly
 Hourly Forecast images and table text display properly
 Watch list pages display properly
 Auto-refresh works properly
1.2 Cell Phones
Most cell phones sold in the last few years are WAP 2.0 compatible, but there are still a
significant number of WAP 1.x phones, and some carriers still sell WAP 1.x phones.
Most carriers do not list whether a cell phone is WAP 2.0 compatible, but are able to tell
a customer is asked.
The DTN Mobile product page on the www.DTN.com web site contains a list of phones
that we expect to be DTN Mobile compatible.
So far, we have found that phones with the OpenWave browser version 6.1+ support
animated radar. Most other phones do not.
Most phones do not support page auto-refresh, so users must manually refresh a quotes
page to get an updated quote.
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1.3 BlackBerry Devices
1.3.1 Handheld Software Version
We highly recommend users to upgrade their devices handheld software to version 4.0.
BlackBerry devices with handheld software version 3.7+ support XHTML but are not
completely WAP 2.0 compatible. The BlackBerry browser on devices with handheld
software version 4.0 is WAP 2.0 compatible.
The BlackBerry 4.0 web browser supports Animated Radar and page auto-refresh.
Version 3.7 supports page auto-refresh, but does not support animated radar.
How to Determine BlackBerry Handheld Software version.
Select Options from the BlackBerry Main Menu. Then select the “About” option:
1.3.2 BlackBerry Brower
BlackBerry Handhelds have three browser configuration:



WAP Browser: Connects to the Internet via a WAP gateway. We do not
recommend this configuration.
BlackBerry Browser: Connects to the Internet using the Mobile Data Service
(MDS) feature of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). This configuration
should be used if the user’s company hosts their own BES.
Internet Browser: Connects to the Internet using the BlackBerry Internet Service,
which is similar to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, except it is hosted by the
carrier rather than the user’s company. This configuration should be used if the
user’s company does not host their own BES.
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Some carriers do not load the BlackBerry Internet Browser by default. In that case, the
customer should contact their carrier and request that the BlackBerry Internet Browser be
loaded on their device so they can view HTML web sites. Carriers can download the
browser instantly through over the air provisioning.
The BlackBerry Browser or Internet Browser must have the following options set:
 Support HTML Tables
 Use Foreground and Background colors
 Use Background Images
 Support Style Sheets
To access these settings:
1. Open your browser and click on the thumbwheel
2. Select “Options”
3. Depending on your BB model, these settings will be under either “Browser
Configuration” or “General Properties”
4. Verify your configuration settings.
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1.3.3 Browser Configuration
For some reason, some BlackBerrys come configured not to support tables or stylesheets.
The user will see pages that are not formatted properly, such as this:
To change the browser configuration:
1. Select “Options” from the Browser Menu.
2. Select “Browser Configuration”.
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3. Make sure Support HTML Tables and Support Style Sheets are checked.
1.4 Palm and Microsoft Devices
Palm and Microsoft devices all support XHTML and the models sold in the last year are
WAP 2.0 compatible. Almost all of these devices support animated radar and page autorefresh.
2
Cellular Coverage
To access DTN Mobile, customers must have a cellular data plan that provides access to
the mobile web and be in a digital coverage area. Most carriers have a service plan that
includes access to the mobile web, but some smaller carriers still do not. The DTN
Mobile product page on the DTN corporate web site (www.DTN.com) provides a list of
popular mobile web plans. DTN customer support should not help a customer find a
carrier and a mobile web plan. We should refer the customer to our DTN Mobile product
page and inform the customer to tell their carrier that they need:


3
A data plan the provides access to the mobile web
A phone that is WAP 2.0 compatible or supports XHTML
Support Tools
The DTN Mobile page on www.DTN.com contains the following support tools:

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
FAQ
Instructions on how to access the DTN Mobile test site
Instructions on how to access DTN Mobile
Compatible phone list
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4
Suggested Troubleshooting Flow
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