I'm encountering a weird issue and it may be related to not using a lipo battery to power the SIM7000, but it's odd because I'm able to run my sketch on USB power only. It connects to the network and sends an http request without running a lipo battery to the SIM7000 module, but when I hook it to a 9v battery nothing happens. I see the module lights and it shows the blue led indicating network, but nothing happens. I also checked the 5v pin and see it has 5.3v. Is there something I'm missing? USB only provides 5 volts, although thinking about it, could be too much of a draw for the little 9v. If the lipo is indeed required, is there a way to run the module and arduino off of it? Feels unnecessary to have two batteries and this only needs to run for less than 30 mins per charge. Curious if anyone needed to do something similar and what mah I would need to power both devices for such a short time.
What is that 9 volt battery? If it is a PP3 I will cry.
All round, I’d say you’re lucky if the modem hasn’t been damaged. The module might be 5V spec, but that usually means a max of 5V5.
The chipset itself operates at a much lower voltage (1V8 or 3V3) - check all the exact requirements of the module before plugging it together.
During cell discovery and registration, the modem draws up to 10 watts for a couple of seconds, and may also need that if the cell signal level is low - to maintain the connection.
A toy PP3 battery has no chance of running the modem for more than a few seconds at best.
At 5V your supply shoukd be able to provide 2A for a few seconds at startup, and at least 350mA in most operating conditions.
Technically? It's one of the USB C charged ones. It's mah rating is just a little over the recommended for the module.
I'm not powering the module with it directly, I'm using the VIN pin to power it, the voltage regulator of the Arduino handles the rest from what I've researched.
I couldn't find the spec sheet for the amps needed for the module, 2A is pushing the limit of the 9v, though a freshly charged one can reach that, it's just maybe not reaching that point. Honestly, I only need the device to be powered for less than 30 seconds, but having it last for 30 minutes would be nice to not always have to charge it. It seems like I won't be able to use the 9v, so does anyone have ideas on the best solution to power both the Arduino and the module with a lipo? Thinking maybe I should just get a battery bank and power it through usb since that works, but I'm trying to eliminate bulk and most of them are too high of mAh for what I need, thus being large.
mah rating a little bit over.....
That doesn't tell how much current the battery can deliver.
It looks like there is not enough current coming from that cell.
They are 600 mAh and deliver 8.2v. I'm ok with using a lipo, but I worry about safety, because I won't be the only person handling this device. I plan on 3d printing an enclosure, but I can't help but to worry.
Get hold of the datasheet. Post a link to it or read the data for currents.
Using Vin some Arduinos handle that voltage. However. You can not pull much current out of the Arduino 5 volt. It remains to power the other circuitry in some way.
The built in voltage regulator on an Arduino cannot handle the current required by a GSM module.
An Arduino is not a power supply.
Extraordinarily poor research on your part.
The on-board voltage regulator is capable of powering the components on the Arduino and maybe some indicator LEDs.
That's basically it.
Regrettably, the "documentation" on the Arduino site suggests it may be useful. 
It is not.
At this point I'm probably going to look for another microcontroller that can feed both the Arduino and the module, and make it usb chareable. There's no sense in have two batteries.
The documentation is very poor then, because there were plenty of articles suggesting using 9v batteries, none the less I'm very new to the platform as a whole and don't appreciate the condescending remark. At the end of the day a majority of this forum is about sharing knowledge and if someone comes across this I'm sure they, along with myself would appreciate being educated on the proper documentation and where to find said documentation you are referring to.
Then how does USB of the Arduino give adequate power for the device and work perfectly? Does the module not use the 5v pin when using USB power?
The USB supply bypasses the voltage regulator.
there were plenty of articles suggesting using 9v batteries
There are all kinds of nonsensical crap on the web, and every day on this forum, beginners post questions just like yours, wondering why their circuits, taken from those articles, don't work.
You would be surprised how often those questions involve 9V batteries.
Ahhh that makes sense. Would there be any problems using a USB power bank then? Only issue is all of them are pretty much 10,000 mah or more and very large, which is overkill for the need of 30 seconds of power. Do you think a Lion battery and the Micro-Lipo Charger from Adafruit would work if I split off the load terminals of the Adafruit module to send power the Arduino and SIM module? I've programmed for 15+ years, but my knowledge on circuits is beginner level, so I'm not sure if splitting the power would work or if I would need another microcontroller to manage sending it to both places nor what microcontroller would suit my needs.
That makes sense considering how many of the articles are out there. I even found a few from arduino forum, but none of them really informed of the current requirements, only that it wouldn't last very long.
That is a popular solution. But you will have no warning when the power bank decides to shut itself down.
You are answering your own question here (post#1).
I would say, not having seen your module, the only option is to use a LiPo battery.
Even USB or a powerbank could struggle with the 2Amp peak currents these modules require,
And that could result in other problems should you get it working.
Leo..
Do you know off the top of your head what pins on the SIM module I can monitor to see it's maximum amperage draw for my current use case? I can pull the pinout, just thought maybe you could save me some time. The code is finalized so I can run the sketch from my computer and monitor the current to see if it'll work with this single 18650 1 Amp battery pack that I found on Adafruit. Ideally I would like to have to avoid creating my own battery bank since I don't know enough yet, and I'd also like to avoid the fat battery banks due to me having to make the 3d printed enclosure I'm designing bigger. If I have to go with a battery bank that does push 2 amps, it's not horrible, just not the optimal solution for my scenario. I'd just like to confirm it's current draw before committing to that solution since I'm only using network functionality and nothing else from the SIM module.
Which SIM7000 module would that be (weblink). And which Arduino.
You have given us limited information about your project.
Please read the "how to post" forum guidelines.
Max current draw should be stated in the module's datasheet,
but 2Amp during short transmit peaks is common.
Batteries are rated in Ah, not in A.
A 1Ah battery can deliver 1Amp for one hour, and (maybe) 2A for half an hour.
Battery banks don't 'push' current. That have a current limitation (both maximum and minimum).
Leo..
I'm running the Arduino Uno with version A of this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H3XKNLH/
Adafruit didn't specify this, only that it's 1 amp, but they don't really break down the specifications of everything very well.
I was more or less referring to the physical limitations of the device, again beginner here when it comes to circuits, so I didn't know the technical term, it's been 10 years since I was in class for this stuff.
I only need it powered on long enough to drop a payload on my server.
The text below the picture:
" NOTE: A LiPo battery is required for proper operation, otherwise you will run into rebooting or instability issues. It is also VERY important that your LiPo is wired up with the correct polarity! The red wire should be on the left when you insert it into the JST connector, and the board is also marked with a "+" sign."
Leo..
I knew this, but I couldn't find information on if the lipo battery will power both the Arduino and the Shield, do you know if it does this? I was looking at this a couple days ago and shrugged it off cause I thought I was needing two batteries and didn't want to do that, but I forgot to look at the board when I was home and don't have it in front of me, but considering ordering this if it does power both:
Lithium Ion Cylindrical Battery - 3.7v 2200mAh : ID 1781 : $9.95 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits
It also doesn't say if it supports Lion or not, but if it does this would work perfect.