iPad 2 Question

Hello everyone! I am working on testing out an iPad 2 3G AT&T model, and wondered if anyone knew a bit more than I do about the cellular side of things.
To test it, I put the SIM in it from my iPhone. (5, so different sized SIM, but I use adapters).

When I put the SIM in, it says 'NO SIM'. Now, I'm not really expecting the card to work, but shouldn't the iPad at least recognize that there is a SIM in it? I'm wondering if I need to put a new SIM reader in it.
Thanks in advance!
-Darin

I'd say you did not insert the nano SIM + adapter correctly. Remove and reinsert the nano SIM + adapter. You should at least be able to see the iPad connected to AT&T network which means it recognizes the nano SIM card. Whether or not you can use the cellular data is another story.

Your iPhone is AT&T, right? Sorry. Gotta ask the obvious questions first. I used to do IT support, and if you didn't ask if everything was plugged in, you betcha something obvious was unplugged.

Good point, Jon but iPad 2 should at least recognize a SIM card. I believe iPad has always been compatible with any GSM SIM card since the 1st generation was released in 2010. I'm saying we can use t-mobile SIM card but iPad 2 HSDPA (3G) won't work on t-mobile network.

morph2_7 wrote in post #16756467
I'd say you did not insert the nano SIM + adapter correctly. Remove and reinsert the nano SIM + adapter. You should at least be able to see the iPad connected to AT&T network which means it recognizes the nano SIM card. Whether or not you can use the cellular data is another story.

I think I got it in correctly; I believe I even reinserted it into the adapter to check.

For some weird reason, there was a SIM already in it when I received it from the salvage company. THAT SIM, when inserted into my iPhone 4 (Since its too big to go into my 5), shows 3G and service. It won't let me use it on my iPhone, but it does show service, so I believe the iPad should recognize it.

Jon wrote in post #16756843
Your iPhone is AT&T, right? Sorry. Gotta ask the obvious questions first. I used to do IT support, and if you didn't ask if everything was plugged in, you betcha something obvious was unplugged.

Yep.
Normal people might find that strange, but, well, I'm the 'computer person' in my family and circle of friends.

morph2_7 wrote in post #16757072
Good point, Jon but iPad 2 should at least recognize a SIM card. I believe iPad has always been compatible with any GSM SIM card since the 1st generation was released in 2010. I'm saying we can use t-mobile SIM card but iPad 2 HSDPA (3G) won't work on t-mobile network.

That was my thinking; that even if it doesn't work, the least it could do was throw me an error message. I've updated it to iOS 7 to be certain that it wasn't the iOS messing with it.

I think I might switch a new SIM reader into it, and see if that helps. I have two of these things in pieces on my desk, so I have an extra part.
I bought these to fix, since I kinda enjoy the challenge, and I have rebuilt an iPad from the ground up before. (I dropped my iPad, dented the back so bad that I had to replace it as well as the screen, and to do that, I had to remove and re-assemble every part in it.)

I've just never toyed with a cellular one like this before, and I couldn't get much of a straight answer anywhere else online.

Thanks so much for the help, guys!

D. Vance wrote in post #16757817
For some weird reason, there was a SIM already in it when I received it from the salvage company. THAT SIM, when inserted into my iPhone 4 (Since its too big to go into my 5), shows 3G and service. It won't let me use it on my iPhone, but it does show service, so I believe the iPad should recognize it.

Nothing weird about that. All iPads GSM versions come with a SIM preinstalled. So the micro SIM (taken from iPad 2) works on iPhone 4 (SIM is good) but the iPad doesn't recognize it. If that's correct, I agree with you, there could be something wrong with iPad 2 SIM reader.

D. Vance wrote in post #16757817
I think I might switch a new SIM reader into it, and see if that helps. I have two of these things in pieces on my desk, so I have an extra part.
I bought these to fix, since I kinda enjoy the challenge, and I have rebuilt an iPad from the ground up before. (I dropped my iPad, dented the back so bad that I had to replace it as well as the screen, and to do that, I had to remove and re-assemble every part in it.)

That's one thing I'm very bad at, disassembling gadget. You seem to be better at it than me. Let us know if the replacement SIM reader fixes the problem.

morph2_7 wrote in post #16758133
Nothing weird about that. All iPads GSM versions come with a SIM preinstalled. So the micro SIM (taken from iPad 2) works on iPhone 4 (SIM is good) but the iPad doesn't recognize it. If that's correct, I agree with you, there could be something wrong with iPad 2 SIM reader.

That's correct- SIM is not even seen by iPad, but when placed in iPhone, shows service. (The service doesn't work, but it show it.)

They're not that bad once you get to know them. I'm finally to where I can about point out where each attachment and screw is, at least in a wifi only version. The 3G ones have more hardware.

I'll try to update it as soon as I know- it may take me a bit to get them swapped, since I'm pretty busy with other stuff now.

Update: Swapping the reader out did not help.
I'll admit that I'm not sure what to chase down from here, since I'm not as familiar with the 3G model as the wifi models, but I'll have to keep looking.

I have a silly question, did you enable cellular data after inserting the SIM card? If you've done it, I guess that iPad 2 cellular radio is broken. That's probably why it ended up at the salvage company.

morph2_7 wrote in post #16763880
I have a silly question, did you enable cellular data after inserting the SIM card? If you've done it, I guess that iPad 2 cellular radio is broken. That's probably why it ended up at the salvage company.

I can't; it won't let me click the button to get to the 'Cellular Data' menu, because it says 'no SIM'.

Some iPad users in different countries got the same "No SIM card" problem. Check out this discussion:
https://discussions.ap​ple.com …/5427974?start=​0&tstart=0

morph2_7 wrote in post #16764984
Some iPad users in different countries got the same "No SIM card" problem. Check out this discussion:
https://discussions.ap​ple.com …/5427974?start=​0&tstart=0

Thanks for that link! I had the issue before updating, but it couldn't hurt to try some of those methods, since it doesn't appear to be hardware related.