Mobile Broadband under LINUX

mosel

I was surprised to find out how easy it is to establish a
broadband internet connection using the Three Data Modem
under LINUX. Despite the fact that Three denies support
for Linux the hardware operates fine on Fedora, Suse, Ubuntu,
Mandriva and Gentoo Linux systems.

A detailed information sheet can be found at:
http://kerry-linux.ie/broadband/three-datamodem.pdf

And the software used to get the connection started is here:
http://kerry-linux.ie/broadband/three.tar

I hope this makes life easier for many of us living in remote
areas and those being on the move from time to time.

Regards

RON

Orion

good job. I've been thinking of getting one of these. I was talking to a guy on the train a few months ago who had the O2 one in Ubuntu. He said it was a pain to set up but once it was it worked perfectly.

mosel

Macros42 wrote: »

I was talking to a guy on the train a few months ago who had the O2 one in Ubuntu. He said it was a pain to set up but once it was it worked perfectly.

Any chance you meet that guy again and ask for a copy of the setup being mailed to me?

h57xiucj2z946q

a similar method would probably enable you to use your mobile phone as a modem under linux

bush doctor

Just FYI, anyone with a Vodafone modem can use the below driver.

It's in the Ubuntu repositories (vodafone-mobile-connect-card-driver-for-linux) - there are also rpm, deb and source packages on the below website.

Dead easy to use with a nice GUI.

https://forge.vodafonebetavine.net/projects/vodafonemobilec/

croo

Originally Posted by Macros42 View Post
I was talking to a guy on the train a few months ago who had the O2 one in Ubuntu. He said it was a pain to set up but once it was it worked perfectly.

Any chance you meet that guy again and ask for a copy of the setup being mailed to me?

I have the o2 E270 modem working in Ubuntu.
I use the vodafone mobile connect software mentioned by Bush Doctor.

There are a couple of things I needed to do however.

Firstly i didn't use the repository version of vmc but installed the latest vmc2 beta 3 from https://forge.vodafonebetavine.net/frs/?group_id=12

Next, the E270 is recognized as a usbstorage device rather than a usb serial (modem) by linux so that needs to be corrected.
I followed the instructions at https://bugs.launchpad.net/debian/+source/hal-info/+bug/105545

I created a file:
/etc/udev/rules.d/50-huawei-e270.rules
and added the single line:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idProduct}=="1003", SYSFS{idVendor}=="12d1", RUN+="/opt/vmc/usr/sbin/huaweiAktBbo"
(when I ran the install for the beta3 was installed in /opt/vmc ... so long as huaweiAktBbo is in your path it should be ok.)

then I ran
sudo rmmod option
sudo rmmod usb-storage
sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x12d1 product=0x1003

As per instructions I placed these in a script
#/usr/local/bin/start_e270.sh
#!/bin/bash
rmmod option
sleep 2
rmmod -r usb-storage
sleep 2
modprobe usbserial vendor=0x12d1 product=0x1003

Now when I start vmc .. (the install should have created a menu option) the E270 should be recognized as an available device.

To connect to o2 you need do one other thing.
The configuration for the "Service Operators" are defined in the networks.py file of
/opt/vmc/usr/share/vodafone-mobile-connect-card-driver-for-linux/resources/extra directory. To this file I added a new class for the o2 operator as follows:

class O2Ireland(NetworkOperator):
netid = ["27202"]
name = "O2 Ireland"
country = "Ireland"
smsc = "+353868002000"
apn = "open.internet"
username = "gprs"
password = "gprs"
dns1 = "62.40.32.33"
dns2 = "62.40.32.34"


Now (after a vmc2 restart!) you should be able to connect to o2.
One final point; the windows version of the o2 software connects with username & password blank. This caused errors for me but using gprs/gprs worked.

I hope that help some.

I have submitted the o2 Ireland configuration settings (networks.py) to the vmc team to be included in future versions.

Flamed Diving

Forgive me, but I'm new to Linux and I haven't a clue what ye are on about. Care to provide a 'for dummies' explanation? For O2 Broadband?



EDIT: It's actually a E170 I have, so your code might not work.

Orion

Flamed Diving - what flavour of Linux are you using?

Flamed Diving

Sorry.

Ubuntu, the newest one.

croo

What have you tried?
What is the specific problem?
Is the device itself recognized?
Did you try the VMC (vodafone mobile connect) application?

Just some starter questions!

jimmyjim11

have a look at this thread

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055283121

An Fear Aniar

I use Gnome-PPP on Ubuntu 8.04 and I can connect the Three USB modem (Huawei E220) and get online within about 2 minutes.

Very easy GUI interface.

Gnome-PPP even detects the modem for me.

No messing with config files or anything.

You can download it here

http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/gnome-ppp

stick it on a USB drive and install it in Ubuntu.


.

ambasite

An Fear Aniar wrote: »

I use Gnome-PPP on Ubuntu 8.04 and I can connect the Three USB modem (Huawei E220) and get online within about 2 minutes.

Very easy GUI interface.

Gnome-PPP even detects the modem for me.

No messing with config files or anything.

You can download it here

http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/gnome-ppp

stick it on a USB drive and install it in Ubuntu.


.

will this work with Xubuntu 6.06?

Flamed Diving

I tried installing tha AMD64 version of Gnome (which is the processor i have) and it said that I have the wrong one. To be honest, I'm just gonna give up on it and go back to XP, this really isn't worth the hassle. Thanks for your help though.

An Fear Aniar

Flamed Diving wrote: »

I tried installing tha AMD64 version of Gnome (which is the processor i have) and it said that I have the wrong one. To be honest, I'm just gonna give up on it and go back to XP, this really isn't worth the hassle. Thanks for your help though.

What are you installing Gnome on?

Did you try:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

.

Chrisgtk

Does the 3 solution work with o2? If not can anyone suggest one as I have an Asus EEE PC 2 gig RAM with 16 GIG SD card, and I travel a lot!

ethernet

Chrisgtk wrote: »

Does the 3 solution work with o2? If not can anyone suggest one as I have an Asus EEE PC 2 gig RAM with 16 GIG SD card, and I travel a lot!

I don't see why not. Aren't they all the same (or very similar looking!) Huawei modems? They probably use the same chipset so it should work. Might need to change the 'number' to dial first. Have a poke around the Unix forum. Good chance someone's asked already.

Chrisgtk

Thx for that. FYI the modem is a Novatel Ovation MC930D which apparently supports certain versions of Linux. I have a note with them to check whether its OK with Xandros.

Chrisgtk

ethernet wrote: »

I don't see why not. Aren't they all the same (or very similar looking!) Huawei modems? They probably use the same chipset so it should work. Might need to change the 'number' to dial first. Have a poke around the Unix forum. Good chance someone's asked already.

I've tried using my O2 broadband on my EEE PC using the connection wizard in the Full Desk mode. It does identify GSM connections but it doesn't recognise my modem. O2 aren't any help at all and I need a simple solution (software driver) that doesn't involve reprogramming my PC.

croo

I had it working with working with 7.10 but I had problems upgrading 8.04 and I never got to fixing this there (the e620 I had worked right off so I've just used it until now).

But with 7.10 I had found initially the modem wasn't being recognized ... or at least not as a modem but as a usb storage device. One thing to check is, are there 3 new /dev/ttyUSB* when you plug in the modem?
I used the information on this link
https://bugs.launchpad.net/debian/+source/hal-info/+bug/105545
(aimed at 220 but was the same for 270) to ensure the modem was recognized and then all was ok.

Flamed Diving

And this is why I returned to XP.

croo

Yeah FD, but it can work and many people are using this combination (some I've spoken with in the VMC forums without any issues with their E270 being recognized.)... it just takes a little work if your specific installation of linux is one that is not recognizing the E270 correctly. I think this problem arose because the E270 is actually a USB key too [on which is included the software for windows deployment] and this is how it's is being recognized by some versions of linux (i.e. as a usb key rather than a modem).

I just have other things to work on and as my E620 just worked when I plugged it in and I'm not using the "mobile modem" very often as a mobile modem I just stuck with it rather than spending an afternoon reconfiguring the E270.

And yes right now in this instance because your ISP provided you with drivers & support for XP that's definitely easier to setup ok, but I didn't start using linux so I could use my o2 modem! I started for other reasons which still far out weight using XP.

Flamed Diving

Yeah, I guess it comes down to what you need it for. To me, an OS is there to make my life easier when using a computer. I'm not interested in programming or anything.

Flamed Diving

BTW, anyone figure out how to make this work yet?

ethernet

Flamed Diving wrote: »

BTW, anyone figure out how to make this work yet?

This should help.

An Fear Aniar

It seems support for mobile 3G devices is going to be a priority in the next release of Ubuntu (Intrepid Ibex) due in October.

They're working on this:

Assemble a list of frequently used hardware and 3G providers in the markets with the highest 3G penetration. For this we need to identify the markets with the highest 3G penetration as well as the hardware/service-providers commonly used in those markets. (important)

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/3GNetworkingIntrepid

So, undoubtedly the 3G modem will be plug and play in the next release. It already works with a little tweaking but now they're going to automate the whole process.


.

Flamed Diving

I finally got the bloody thing working anyway.

Sporadic

Hi guys,
Ok. I need some help!
I'm a total newbie with Linux and I wanted to give it a try given that I'm sick and tired of Windows and so on. I went for Ubuntu (8.04) and so far I love it. I installed it first at work and it's a breeze, including setting up the internet (LAN). Even I managed to do that in an instant! But... I can't make the internet work with my laptop!
I have Three's datacard, and I've spent a good while trying to get used to Ubuntu first and then trying to set up the damn thing... And my technical knowledge is quite limited.
First I tried the obvious and what seemed to have worked for some people (as I was reading on the forums): going to "system", "modem" and trying to set it up as if it was a normal modem, inputting all the right stuff, passwords, DNS, etc. No joy. "It'd have been too easy" I thought!
Then I did some more googling and tried a number of methods I found here and there, re-writing wvdial.conf, etc. To no avail either.
I eventually downloaded Vodafone's 3G application for Linux and tried that too, changing the required parameters. Dunno if it was because of that or because of something I did earlier but now the datacard seems to connect, I mean, the light stops flashing and remains blue, you know, saying "it's connected"... But nothing happens! Firefox won't open anything, Ubuntu won't get external connectivity... nothing. Just the damn blue light.
I don't know if I'm missing something obvious or if I screwed something up with all my "experiments" (most probably) so...
Could anyone please explain to me how to set up the 3 datacard on Ubuntu as if I was 3 years old? I'll just start from scratch again.

Feeling a bit frustrated here and not wanting to surrender and go back to Windows!

Flamed Diving

Find and install Gnome PPP

Open it, and click 'detect modem'

Enter *99# as the phone number

Enjoy the internet

Chrisgtk

Yep, at last I've succumbed to XP! Fed up with all the programming hassle with Linux to get it working properly I have now installed XP SP2 Home edition on my EEE PC. I've also got Office Pro, MS Project, Visio, Mind Manager, Quick Time (for my MP4's), McAfee and still have 1.5 gig left on the flash card.

My 02 mobile boadband works perfectly and with my 16 gig sd card and 2 gig upgrade everything is fine. I would have preferred the 9" larger screen and bigger flash drive version, but what the hell my baby is still beautiful.

Sorry Linux lovers, but I need the functionality of Windows!

Flamed Diving

Chrisgtk wrote: »

Yep, at last I've succumbed to XP! Fed up with all the programming hassle with Linux to get it working properly I have now installed XP SP2 Home edition on my EEE PC. I've also got Office Pro, MS Project, Visio, Mind Manager, Quick Time (for my MP4's), McAfee and still have 1.5 gig left on the flash card.

My 02 mobile boadband works perfectly and with my 16 gig sd card and 2 gig upgrade everything is fine. I would have preferred the 9" larger screen and bigger flash drive version, but what the hell my baby is still beautiful.

Sorry Linux lovers, but I need the functionality of Windows!

Agreed. Linux has a long way to go to meet the userability of XP.

croo

@Sporadic
sounds like you are nearly there!
first time I tried I had a similar experience but the problem was the DNS was not being auto set .... I set them manually in the profile configuration of the vodafone VMC software and then it worked perfect. You'll probably find the necessary DNS IP numbers on the THREE website.

@ Chrisgtk
how much did all your new software cost? I'm curious how much I'm saving using openoffice, taskjuggler, dia & umbrello, freemind, amarok, no virus checker not needed.

An Fear Aniar

Flamed Diving wrote: »

Agreed. Linux has a long way to go to meet the userability of XP.

Linux is already there - it's the hardware manufacturers that are holding Linux back by not providing Linux drivers because they can't be bothered or are too scared of Microsoft.


.

Trotter

My linux 901 is driving me bonkers. I just can't understand it. My O2 modem works fine but only when I go through the connections tab at the bottom of the screen.

Everytime I plug in the modem, the Asus Phone Connection screen pops up. If I wait for it, it sets itself up with the O2 details. After clicking connect, it just goes to dialling and gets stuck.

I now have to close that window everytime I plug in the modem and reconnect using the network connections tab.

Is there any way of getting the Asus Phone Connection to do the job so it just connects properly?

oscarBravo

Flamed Diving wrote: »

Agreed. Linux has a long way to go to meet the userability of XP.

And yet, when I was forced to use XP for an hour yesterday, I repeatedly had to control the urge to put my fist through the screen. XP has a long way to go to meet the useability of Linux.



Or, just maybe, it's a question of what you're used to.

Flamed Diving

For example: I wish to install something on XP.

Step one: Double click

Step two: Have a cuppa

---

On Linux?

Step One: After downloading what seems to be the exact architecture you need, you needlessly enter some command line nonsense only to find that Linux is telling you that you dont own an AMD64, despite the fact that a quick visual inspection disproves this ludicrous claim.

Step Two: Go to several forums asking questions, which can take days to find an answer.

Step Three: In the end, after receiving no useful help, I simply downloaded every single version of the software, and one-by-one tried to install them all. 'Wow, it turns out I have an Intel after all, thanks Linux! :rolleyes: '

As I said, XP is easier to use.

oscarBravo

For example, if I wish to install something on Linux, I type "sudo apt-get install <something>", and I don't even have time to make a cuppa; it's just there.

If I want to install something on Windows, I have to find it, download it, quite possibly pay for it, double-click it, click "next" half a dozen times, then have a cuppa.

On a more topical note: to use mobile "broadband" under Windows I have to install a bloody great bloated application. To use it under Linux I plug it in, wait a few seconds, then set up a dial-up connection using the modem that Linux auto-discovered and -configured, then connect.

As for finding out what type of CPU you have: I just typed "cat /proc/cpuinfo", and it told me I have an Intel Core2 Duo running at 266MHz.

Last night I needed to copy a file from my Linux desktop at home to the Windows PC I was using elsewhere. I had to download PuTTY to log on to it and find the file, then I had to download pscp to copy the file over. On the plus side, if I hadn't had Linux on this desktop, I don't know how I would have begun to get a file off it.

Neither is "easier" to use; it depends what you're used to. I moved from Windows to Linux a few years ago. I still know how to do everything on Windows, but it annoys the hell out of me trying to do it. I know how to do everything I need to do on Linux, and it just runs more smoothly - for me.

Take a computer novice and get him up to speed on Linux; take another and get him up to speed on Windows. Then swap them around - they'll both flounder, but I guarantee the Linux user will get more annoyed more quickly at how frustrating it is to try to do simple things that Linux users take for granted.

ethernet

Flamed Diving wrote: »

For example: I wish to install something on XP.

Step one: Double click

Step two: Have a cuppa

---

On Linux?

Step One: After downloading what seems to be the exact architecture you need, you needlessly enter some command line nonsense only to find that Linux is telling you that you dont own an AMD64, despite the fact that a quick visual inspection disproves this ludicrous claim.

Step Two: Go to several forums asking questions, which can take days to find an answer.

Step Three: In the end, after receiving no useful help, I simply downloaded every single version of the software, and one-by-one tried to install them all. 'Wow, it turns out I have an Intel after all, thanks Linux! :rolleyes: '

As I said, XP is easier to use.

In most cases, this is not how to install software in Linux. Your package manager won't offer updates to software installed in this way. It's best to use the software in your distro's repositories. apt-get install <app_name> has been mentioned in response to your post above. Other distros have similar methods of installing software, such as zypper install <app_name> or emerge <app_name> to name just a handful. All this could also be done through the graphical version of the package managers.

I'm not a fan of Xandros. The version on the EEE is hardly a vanilla Linux install in any case.

Orion

oscarBravo wrote: »

As for finding out what type of CPU you have: I just typed "cat /proc/cpuinfo", and it told me I have an Intel Core2 Duo running at 266MHz.

Last night I needed to copy a file from my Linux desktop at home to the Windows PC I was using elsewhere. I had to download PuTTY to log on to it and find the file, then I had to download pscp to copy the file over. On the plus side, if I hadn't had Linux on this desktop, I don't know how I would have begun to get a file off it.

Must be an old PC - mines "Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz"

I use winscp instead of pscp when I've to copy something over from my Linux box at home to my XP pc in work.
But nowadays I just find it easier to use FreeNX to log into my home PC graphically from work. I'm sure this is possible in Windows somehow but it can't be easier to set up than NX.
Hey look what I did there - that's three different choices. And I'm certain there's other choices too to do the same thing - all down to personal preference. Linux = choice.

An Fear Aniar

Flamed Diving wrote: »

On Linux?

Step One: After downloading what seems to be the exact architecture you need, you needlessly enter some command line nonsense only to find that Linux is telling you that you dont own an AMD64, despite the fact that a quick visual inspection disproves this ludicrous claim.

Step Two: Go to several forums asking questions, which can take days to find an answer.

Step Three: In the end, after receiving no useful help, I simply downloaded every single version of the software, and one-by-one tried to install them all. 'Wow, it turns out I have an Intel after all, thanks Linux! :rolleyes: '

As I said, XP is easier to use.

I think your post gives a misleading impression of Linux (or at least the distro I use - Ubuntu). It sounds like you were trying to install a 64-bit program on a 32-bit system????

In my experience of using Ubuntu, 99% of what I install can be done easily with a point and click interface and it takes a just a few seconds. There are some cases where if you want to install something a bit more bleeding edge or not supported, you have to issue commands in the terminal - but even then it's not complicated.

The greatest things about installing new software in Linux is:

No license fee (30 day trial bull****). once I download I can use it with complete freedom.

No extra bloatware (Install Google Toolbar?) No, I didn't ask for that.

Microsoft isn't watching my every move.

No random unintelligible .dll type error messages.

Mostly, I don't have to go to a website to install something - I can do it all from my desktop.

I have many many choices - all of them free.

I don't have to restart my machine every time I install something - the only time I have to restart is if there's a kernel update.



.

beazee

thanks for clearing that instalation process out
Probably have a word or two this evening when i get three/ o2 broadband with me home

have a read: http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

before you start comparing Windows to Linux
Linux won't be Windows and it is not trying to be.

One who's driving motorbike do not expect a motorbike to drive like a car!

macplaxton

I have a Linux Eee PC900. I received and tried out today an O2 / Huawei E270 USB modem.

Booted up. Plugged the modem in. Light flashed a bit. No action. Went into Network Connections. Picked modem. Searched Networks. Picked Network. Entered PIN. Got GPRS Connection. Slow, but works.

146 kb/s Down / 66 kb/s Up / Ping 546 ms

Simple enough for me.

Will try it out in various locations to see what the signal is like. O2 has always been a bit ropey inside the house here (Lucan), but as my PAYG 02 card in my Nokia E61 is unable to work in 3G mode, I've no idea what the 3G signal is like around the place.

ambasite

does Ubuntu 8.04.1 come with gnome-ppp? have tried to configure gnome-ppp with Xubuntu 8.04.1 & Ubuntu 7.10 without success. Kubuntu 7.10 could not detect my 3 USB modem.

Linux is driving me up the walls

Velcrow

Acer Aspire One
Linpus Linux ( based on the Fedora 8 core)
Vodafone 3g E172 Stick Modem

I use the vodafone mobile connect software and the E172 modem stick is recognised - but I don't know what username password or apn host settings to enter.

Can anyone help here!

Velcrow

mosel

If you are interested in background information about the process of dialling out over a wireless broadband modem, have a look at the following blog article:

http://linuxcoaching.eu/kerry_linux_help_center/2009/04/getting-outahere---explained.html

Enjoy.

smeg_for_brains

Using firefox on Linux Mint, I simply set my SE W910 to act as modem, then connected to the computer. Then on Firefox settings, ticked the box "automatically detect proxy settings" and it worked straight away.