Enabling GPS on ThinkPads with the Sierra Wireless EM7345 (ex. X250)

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I have a ThinkPad X250 with the Sierra Wireless EM7345 LTE card, and according to this pdf, it has GPS and Glonass support. According to this page, the following ThinkPad models support the EM7345 card:

  • ThinkPad L440, L540
  • ThinkPad T431s, T440, T440p, T440s, T450, T450s, T540p, T550
  • ThinkPad W540, W541, W550
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Machine types: 20A7, 20A8, 20BS, 20BT)
  • ThinkPad X240, X250

You must be running Windows 8/8.1 (or later) to enable the GPS. It can be used on earlier versions of Windows and Linux after enabling.

  1. Download and install the latest EM7345 drivers from the Lenovo website or use System Update.
  2. Install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (32 bit)
  3. Download and run EM7345_MBIM_ACM.exe (Mirror)
  4. You should now see “Sierra Wireless GNSS Sensor EM7345 4G LTE” in Device Manger under “Sensors”, and “Sierra Wireless EM7345 AT Port” and “Sierra Wireless EM7345 Trace Port” under “Ports (COM & LPT).sierra wireless 1

The GNSS Sensor should work with the built-in Windows 8 maps, but to use it with other software like Garmin nRoute or Google Earth, it needs to be converted from GNSS to NMEA.

Here’s how:

  1. Install a virtual COM port like Com0Com and create a virtual port pair (in my case COM1 and COM2). Note: A signed version of the driver can be found here.com0com
  2. Download and run the latest version of GnssDataInterface.GNSS Data Interface
  3. Make GnssDataInterface output to one of the virtual COM ports (COM1 in my case).
  4. Download, install and run Franson GPSGate (GPSGate Splitter).
  5. Set GpsGate to use the other virtual COM port as input (COM2 in my case).gpsgate input
  6. Create a “Virtual COM port” and “Virtual COM / Garmin Emulation” output in GpsGate.
    gpsgate output
  7. Done! You should now be able to use the GPS with nRoute, Google Maps, and more. OziExplorer can use the Windows 8 GNSS sensor (File -> Configuration -> GPS tab -> GPS Make: Windows 8 Internal GPS)

Sources and other links:
http://zukota.com/how-to-enable-at-command-and-diagnostic-ports-and-gps-for-sierra-wireless-em7345/
http://support.black-it.eu/en/products/gnss%20data%20interface/download.htm
http://sourceforge.net/projects/com0com/files/com0com/
https://code.google.com/p/powersdr-iq/downloads/detail?name=setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe
http://gpsgate.com/products/gpsgate_client
http://gawisp.com/perry/nroute/

Enabling GPS on ThinkPads with the Sierra Wireless EM7345 (ex. X250)

11 thoughts on “Enabling GPS on ThinkPads with the Sierra Wireless EM7345 (ex. X250)”

  1. peter says:

    Can you advise why EM7345_MBIM_ACM.exe doesn’t run on Windows 7?
    I did have Windows 8 installed on my x1 Carbon, but I reinstalled Windows 7 on it, and that’s what I run now. Would love to have GPS support.

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    1. I doubt it drains the battery very much. Enabling it just makes the sensor visible to the operating system. Even starting the sensor with the GNSS Data Interface program shouldn’t use a lot of power since the GPS receiver is passive.

      If you want to disable the GPS again you can use this link: http://zukota.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/EM7345_MBIM_only.exe

      The difference is in the file MBIM_interface_only.txt:
      usb_profile_set_nvm_configuration(USBPOW_ID_DEFAULT,”MBIM;3ACM” < with GPS
      usb_profile_set_nvm_configuration(USBPOW_ID_DEFAULT,"MBIM" < without GPS

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  5. Michael Krasselt says:

    nowadays you can leave out all the other programms and start directly with gpssplitter because it has a windows llocation api plugin – but still thanks a lot for your tutorlial!

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