Patent ID: 7664996

Claim:
A plurality of diagnostic operations associated with a wireless modem, wherein the wireless modem comprises: a hardware interface component configured to physically interface with a computer hardware interface associated with a computing device, said computing device having an operating system and a device driver configured to communicate with the wireless modem; a processor configured to perform the plurality of diagnostic operations, a first diagnostic operation that tests communications with the device driver that is related to the wireless modem communicating with the computing device, the first diagnostic operation configured to generate a first diagnostic signal to indicate the result of the first diagnostic operation, a second diagnostic operation performed by the processor that tests the communications between the wireless modem and the operating system of the computing device, the second operation configured to generate a second diagnostic signal to indicate the result of the second diagnostic operation; and an RF component configured to communicate wirelessly with a base station, wherein if one of the first diagnostic signal and the second diagnostic signal indicates failed communications between the wireless modem and the computing device, then the RF component is unable to communicate wirelessly with the base station.