Hello alltogether,
we received a Product Change Notice / Product Discontinuation Notice for Q26 Series, dated from May 31, 2015. Is it really true? And if so: Why?
The recommended HL-Series is not a really true successor, as it doesn’t support OpenAT. So all software developed for OpenAt so far is all for nothing…
Regards
So is it a Change Notice, or a Discontinuation Notice 
Have you spoken to your Distributor or FAE
Hiya,
I got the notice as well, and my distributor confirmed it’s real.
The Q2698 (in my case) is going end of life at the year.
I’m scrambling around looking for a replacement.
Ciao, Dave
Sierra Wireless calls it a Product Change Notice, whereas the distributor calls it a Product Discontinuation Notification.
Sierra Wireless informs about the “intention to discontinue Q2686, Q2687 and Q2698 modules”, with “HL series as recommended products for existing Q26 series designs”. How to replace Q26 modules wit HL-series modules - hm, no idea…
PDN from distributor lets “possible successor” empty, what is in our opinion the correct diction. HL series cannot replace Q26. Full stop. We are hopping mad!
Q26 series is discontinued and LTB/LTD dates given in the notice are removing any doubt if you had any.
SierraWireless will offer a carrier board so that a Q26 can be replaced by an HL easily. That is valid for customers using Q26 as a modem without embedded OAT application.
Discontinutaion of Q26 is explained by the impossibility to maintain a satisfying supply chain dur to major component discontinuation.
Rgds
Hello fellow members of this forum,
the actual notice is an EOL or End of Life. There is no successor anounced - only roumors. Last buy date is at November 2015 with a delivery until March 2016.
The only modem that will continue to support OPEN AT is the SL8080 which has the qualcom chipset.
So the reasonable strategy is 1st buy many Q series to last until you change the designs to an SL8080.
The information from FAEs (we contacted 2) and Sierra is zero.
I seriously dont understand how they decided to stop OPEN AT modems. Shortages or discontinuation of Thomson chipsets is an excuse. The SL8080 runs on Qualcom.
All the people who have built applications using this platfrom how are they going to trust now to move to Legato for example.
When you code SW for an industrial controller in C++ how do they think that it will be easier or more reliable using Linux.
It would be appropriate and the least professional that Sierra anounced what they are going to do. Is OPEN AT going to continue ? With which modems ? Is there going to be a succesor ?
George Pratos
Dipl. Elec. Eng., MSc in IT
Infinite Informatics ltd
I completely agree. It is imperative that Sierra provide some transparency about their plans for Open AT. Recommending the HL series, which is obviously not a replacement for Q series modems that have embedded OAT applications, only calls into question their plans for OAT and commitment to it. The SL8080xT series for the most part is a valid replacement, but unless Sierra provides a commitment to it for at least the next couple of years, or announces some other replacement module, as an Open AT solution builder we like many others who use this platform are dead in the water.
Sierra Wireless had to other choice than discontinuing Q2686/Q2687/Q2698, some major components are discontinued and no replacement can be found. Sierra Wireless is still investing on open AT with SL808X series that has just been renewed and has been selected by customers working on market segments reqiring long life commitement.
Connectorized products are now replaced by solder down products and snap in connector offered on HL series are answering that specific implementation constraint.
I guess this includes the WMP series
(I understood they were already NRND - “Not Recommended For New Designs”).
And where does this place the GL and FX series modems?