Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    Using a USB modem

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Problems Installing or Upgrading pfSense Software
    24 Posts 6 Posters 5.3k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • B
      Balanga
      last edited by

      From what I can make out, I think I need to install the USB_ModeSwitch pkg to get the modem to act as an NDIS device, but am unclear as to how to do this. There seem to be a number of posts about how to get to a USB modem working with pfSense but none of them seem definitive.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • stephenw10S
        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
        last edited by

        Hmmm, that was with the modem connected?

        I'm surprised to see u3g log it's found ports but not actually see any in /dev.

        Steve

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • B
          Balanga
          last edited by

          Using my original pfSense box, the following entry gets added to 'ls -ls /dev' when I insert the Huawei modem:-

          0  lrwxr-xr-x  1  root  wheel  9 May 17 20:16 ugen0.4 -> usb/0.4.0

          Still not sure what I'm looking for…

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • B
            Balanga
            last edited by

            Reading the following post:-

            https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-wireless/2016-April/006660.html

            I believe I should have my modem configured as ue0, although I don't not yet know how to do this…

            The question I have is, do I need to 'Switch the E3372 to  cdce using usb_modeswitch'? Still not sure about which 'modes' I can switch between...

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • F
              FranciscoFranco
              last edited by

              usb_modeswitch is nothing more than a software hack. You really should change the 'composition' of your devices firmware.

              What does AT^DATALOCK? show? Perhaps it is vendor locked.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • B
                Balanga
                last edited by

                @FranciscoFranco:

                usb_modeswitch is nothing more than a software hack. You really should change the 'composition' of your devices firmware.

                What does AT^DATALOCK? show? Perhaps it is vendor locked.

                Can you illuminate how I change the 'composition' and what I should change it too. I'm pretty much in the dark when it comes to dealing with such devices.

                AT^DATALOCK? shows

                ^DATALOCK: 1

                Not sure what this means, but I've used a number of different SIMS with this modem without any problem on Windows using the supplied app - Mobile Partner.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • F
                  FranciscoFranco
                  last edited by

                  Andrew talks about the composition in the last post in this thread:
                  https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=105842.0

                  I would put the newest firmware on it first.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • B
                    Balanga
                    last edited by

                    Thanks for the link you provided. I don't really understand the requirements. I don't have a userid/password and it's odd that I can simply put the SIM in my Lenovo tablet and it simply connects…

                    As for the latest firmware, I don't see a link on Huawei's website http://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-broadband/dongles/tech-specs/e3372.htm

                    And the number of versions of the firmware here is very confusing

                    http://www.huaweiflashfiles.com/p/download-original-official-huawei.html#

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • D
                      dawsmac
                      last edited by

                      @Balanga

                      Did you get you Dongle working in the end? if so what guide did you follow?

                      Cheers

                      Rich

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • R
                        remlei
                        last edited by

                        it's probably just the usbmodeswitch is not updated yet to work on your usb modem.

                        you can try sending a AT command on the huawei modem to set it as a modem mode only instead of hybrid mode (eg CD+Memstick >> Drivers and dashboard detected to be installed >> CD+Memstick+Data).

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • First post
                          Last post
                        Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.