Can O2 dongle be used with Linux OS?

angeline · 29-03-2013 11:05PM #1

Hi folks. Just a question on behalf of my sister as she is without any internet at the moment. She has a Samsung laptop a few years old, her ex installed Linux OS on to the laptop. Now, she has moved away and bought an O2 dongle but it would not install. The guy in the O2 shop told her that Linux was not compatible with the dongle, that she needs to install Windows. Any ideas? Thanks.

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2013 11:24PM

What's the distro and the make and model of the dongle?

angeline · 29-03-2013 11:33PM

Sorry, don't know that as they took it back. So I'm trying to do a bit of research for her. I have a newish O2 dongle and it is Huawei so I say it's the same...

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2013 11:54PM

A while back, you had to make sure a package called "usb-modeswitch" was installed to make sure the dongle would switch from mass-storage mode to modem mode. After that, you usually just have to click the network management icon in whatever desktop environment you're using and it will detect that you're trying to use a mobile broadband connection. To set up the connection, you can usually pick the network and plan type (prepaid or postpaid) or input the APN for the connection yourself.

Unfortunately, without the info I asked for earlier it's impossible to suggest a course of action. The problem is that there are so many different distributions - i.e. there isn't any single or unified version of Linux, in contrast to the Windows or Mac world where your choices are more restricted to a few major versions. So instructions for one particular distribution may not work for another.

humbert · 30-03-2013 12:31AM

I have an O2 dongle (bought within the last year) and it works fine with two different versions of Linux (Gentoo and OpenWrt).

Ignore the guy in the shop, I'm sure Linux isn't officially supported but that's not at all the same as saying it's not compatible.

angeline · 30-03-2013 12:50AM

Thanks for that. I have sent her on that info, that it can be used, so hopefully she will get it sorted.

gctest50 · 30-03-2013 09:33AM

This might work for her :

http://www.sakis3g.org/

She will probably need the APN, username and password to hand though

Capt'n Midnight · 30-03-2013 04:02PM

Having the OS version and modem model number means people can say "oh that one, just do XYZ"

Until then
I know people who prefer BSD but use linux because it offers better hardware support.

many of the dongles I've looked at have a "CD" drive on them with linux drivers

if she can do lsusb on a terminal it should say what linux thinks it is.

It's worth trying if she can connect to broadband somewhere and update the system to pull down the latest drivers / updates , best way is to use a wired cable into the access point / router.

angeline · 30-03-2013 04:07PM

Thanks for all the advice. Sounds like an O2 dongle should work on Linux OS. She did have Windows first, but her ex did all kinds of upgrades on the laptop....

LiamOSullivan · 01-04-2013 12:25AM

If it doesn't work, it might be worth upgrading her version of linux. Almost any mainstream(ubuntu, sabayon, mint, etc.) linux should work with it right off the bat.

mach1982 · 01-04-2013 10:55AM

Is Ubuntu which I say it is ? If so try this

http://flax.ie/o2-broadband-e1752-dongle-working-on-ubuntu-10-04/

dh0011 · 01-04-2013 11:07AM

Had a three dongle and it eorked out of the box on ubuntu 12.04

human 19 · 01-04-2013 01:49PM

humbert wrote: »

I have an O2 dongle (bought within the last year) and it works fine with two different versions of Linux (Gentoo and OpenWrt).

Ignore the guy in the shop, I'm sure Linux isn't officially supported but that's not at all the same as saying it's not compatible.

A while back I was on the O2 forum with an unrelated question, when one of the admins replied that O2 dont support linux. I replied "Don't worry, dear, linux supports you

human 19 · 01-04-2013 01:59PM

Most times you wont even need the APN, username etc.
Right click on the network manager icon on the screen, edit connections, mobile broadband tag , click add...the OS will spot the dongle, then ask you to pick Ireland froma list, then choose to operator (O2) , then the plan type (contract, prepay etc). When you click the right one it automatically pulls in the required info , and you just have to enter your sim pin and tick "connect automatically" and hit OK.

then left click the same network mgr icon and click the O2 line and a pop-up will ask for your pin. Simples. Any other time you switch on you just have to wait a few secs for the sim pin pop-up boxto appear.

Unusually, Ihave just bought a meteor Huawei E3131 b/b dongle which automatically sets up a wired internet connection for itself: doesnt even ask for a pin. Confused the hell out of me at the start

Khannie · 01-04-2013 02:34PM

human 19 wrote: »

I replied "Don't worry, dear, linux supports you

I lol'd.

Can O2 dongle be used with Linux OS?

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