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    Trying to use Vodafone UK R215 (Huawei E5372) with pfsense

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • N
      Norsak
      last edited by

      Hi,

      According to this list https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Known_Working_3G-4G_Modems the Huawei E5372 should work with pfsense.

      I have followed the instructions shown here: https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Configuring_3G_modems

      So far so good,
      Under Link interface(s) I see /dev/cuau0
      Vodafone UK is one of the options I can select when configuring PPP

      But it does not seem to work
      The error I get when looking under Status -> System Logs -> PPP is: CHAT: The modem is not responding to "AT" at at ModemCmd: label

      Does anyone have any experience getting 4G modems to work on pfsense?

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      • T
        tarakesh
        last edited by

        if you see more than one cuau interface try the others too.. i had to use cuau3 for my particular stick

        2.4.1-RELEASE (amd64) on Intel D2500CCE Board Intel Atom D2500 DC @1.86GHz, 2GB RAM, 64GB Transcend SSD370
        Internet Connection: UnityMedia 200Mbit/10Mbit Cable

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        • N
          Norsak
          last edited by

          Hi,

          if you see more than one cuau interface try the others too.. i had to use cuau3 for my particular stick

          That actually got me to look at the console.

          Turns out I get /dev/cuau0 (and only /dev/cuau0) no matter what.  It doesn't matter if the Mifi is connected or not, doesn't matter if I connect two or three of them.

          dmesg | cua is also blank even though I'm plugging and unplugging.

          … so pfsense (fbsd) is not recognising my  Huawei E5372 when attached via USB.  It gives me plenty of console messages about the CD function of the Mifi, but it doesn't see it as a cellular/serial device?

          Am I missing a step?  The Mifi works as a tethered device in Windows, and it's on that list I linked to in the beginning.

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          • N
            Norsak
            last edited by

            Ok, took a few hours, but i eventually managed to disable the CD function of the Mifi.

            • No CD-ROM shows when plugged into Windows

            • Still works as a tethered Modem in Windows

            This removed the console noise when pluging it into the pfsense, allowing me to see what's happening.

            The E5372 shows up as /dev/ugen0.3, when i plug in a second one, that'll show up as /dev/ugen0.4
            But back in the pfsense GUI I still only see /dev/cuau0  when I select PPP.

            So what is my next move?

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            • A
              AndrewZ
              last edited by

              Please refer to the earlier thread https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=106477.msg594536#msg594536

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              • N
                Norsak
                last edited by

                Hi Andrew,

                I read through the post you linked to.  A few questions.

                1.) Getting firmware for these devices seems to take me to some dodgy websites.  The least dodgy upgrade I found was called 21.236.03.00.00.  I know that doesn't exactly match your example.
                2.) I changed the config so that the cdrom part works again
                3.) At 4. checking "idProduct=" we are checking the product id.  Your example shows 0x1c1e, in my case the result is 0x1588.

                Q:  Is there a step missing in your post?  Do we set the idProduct to 0x1c1e?

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                • A
                  AndrewZ
                  last edited by

                  First try to load any generic firmware, the one you found should be good. Then check/set composition with AT^SETPORT, then finally connect the modem to your router and try to follow my steps.

                  EDIT: Yes, one step is missing which is relevant for operator branded devices, not for generic Huawei ones.
                  You may need to generate a special code from the IMEI, then unblock NVRAM writing by entering the code. Finally the desired id should be set by writing to the modem's NVRAM.

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                  • N
                    Norsak
                    last edited by

                    Hi Andrew,

                    • I have flashed the R215 / Huawei E5372 with generic firmware 21.236.03.00.00

                    • AT^SETPORT  config is currently equal to A1,A2;12,16,A1,A2  (this config enables the CD component)

                    finally connect the modem to your router and try to follow my steps

                    Near as I can tell, the next step is 3. Now it's time to plug it into the router. Checking with dmesg:
                    This shows me:

                    ugen0.3 <huawei technology=""> at usbus0
                    umass0 <huawei 0="" 9="" technology="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr=""> on usbus0
                    umass0 <huawei 0="" 9="" technology="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr=""> on usbus0</huawei></huawei></huawei>
                    

                    This already shows a different behaviour than the one you show in your example.

                    Next step is 4. checking "idProduct="

                    Here the key line reads:

                    idProduct = 0x1588 
                    

                    Which is different from your example.

                    If there are any additional steps you can recommend, please share, else I have to purchase a differnet 4G device for this project.

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                    • A
                      AndrewZ
                      last edited by

                      Yes, there are some additional steps which are required to 'normalize' the operator branded modem. I've added a brief description to my earlier post. Those changes are modem specific and not directly related to pfSense.
                      I don't think it's really necessary to buy a new modem, but I would prefer to use a stick rather than router like 5372.

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