How to configure USB modem Huawei E372u-5 (branded "T-Mobile Web Stick 42")?

zoomer

I am trying to use a usb modem on a pfSense 2.1.4-RELEASE.

The modem was sold as Huawei E372u-5 (branded "T-Mobile Web Stick 42").

There is a "Huawei E372" listed in the "Known Working 3G-4G Modems" section of the pfSense docs (https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Known_Working_3G_Modems), but maybe the E372 essentially differs from the E372u-5 (?)

Anyway, I tried creating the necessary PPP device, but connection fails.

Here is some debugging info with a comparison of output on Linux where the modem stick works out of the box:

On Linux:

# dmesg
[41959.861399] usb 2-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci_hcd
[41959.957515] scsi9 : usb-storage 2-1.1:1.4
[41959.957887] scsi10 : usb-storage 2-1.1:1.5
[41960.001559] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial
[41960.001573] USB Serial support registered for generic
[41960.001643] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial_generic
[41960.001645] usbserial: USB Serial Driver core
[41960.023914] USB Serial support registered for GSM modem (1-port)
[41960.024056] option 2-1.1:1.0: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
[41960.024425] usb 2-1.1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB0
[41960.024450] option 2-1.1:1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
[41960.024534] usb 2-1.1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB1
[41960.024547] option 2-1.1:1.3: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
[41960.024633] usb 2-1.1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2
[41960.024663] usbcore: registered new interface driver option
[41960.024664] option: v0.7.2:USB Driver for GSM modems
[41960.957295] scsi 9:0:0:0: CD-ROM            HUAWEI   Mass Storage     2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
[41960.957837] scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access     HUAWEI   SD Storage       2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
[41960.959153] sr1: scsi-1 drive
[41960.959259] sr 9:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1
[41960.959318] sr 9:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg4 type 5
[41960.959503] sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg5 type 0
[41960.965522] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk


# lsusb
Bus 002 Device 005: ID 12d1:1506 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. E398 LTE/UMTS/GSM Modem/Networkcard

On pfSense:

# dmesg
ugen1.2: <huawei>at usbus1
ugen1.2: <huawei>at usbus1 (disconnected)
ugen1.2: <huawei>at usbus1
umodem0: <huawei 0="" 2="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr="">on usbus1
umodem0: data interface 0, has no CM over data, has no break
umodem1: <huawei 0="" 2="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr="">on usbus1
umodem1: data interface 1, has no CM over data, has no break
umodem2: <huawei 0="" 2="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr="">on usbus1
umodem2: data interface 2, has no CM over data, has no break
umass0: <huawei 0="" 2="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr="">on usbus1
umass1: <huawei 0="" 2="" huawei="" mobile,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.02,="" addr="">on usbus1
cd0 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 0
cd0: <huawei mass="" storage="" 2.31="">Removable CD-ROM SCSI-2 device 
cd0: 40.000MB/s transfers
cd0: cd present [65536 x 2048 byte records]
(probe1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): TEST UNIT READY. CDB: 0 0 0 0 0 0 
(probe1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): CAM status: SCSI Status Error
(probe1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): SCSI status: Check Condition
(probe1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): SCSI sense: NOT READY asc:3a,0 (Medium not present)
da0 at umass-sim1 bus 1 scbus1 target 0 lun 0
da0: <huawei sd="" storage="" 2.31="">Removable Direct Access SCSI-2 device 
da0: 40.000MB/s transfers
da0: Attempt to query device size failed: NOT READY, Medium not present</huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei></huawei>


# usbconfig dump_device_desc
ugen1.2: <huawei mobile="" huawei="">at usbus1, cfg=0 md=HOST spd=HIGH (480Mbps) pwr=ON

  bLength = 0x0012 
  bDescriptorType = 0x0001 
  bcdUSB = 0x0200 
  bDeviceClass = 0x0000 
  bDeviceSubClass = 0x0000 
  bDeviceProtocol = 0x0000 
  bMaxPacketSize0 = 0x0040 
  idVendor = 0x12d1 
  idProduct = 0x1c05 
  bcdDevice = 0x0102 
  iManufacturer = 0x0002  <huawei>iProduct = 0x0001  <huawei mobile="">iSerialNumber = 0x0000  <no string="">bNumConfigurations = 0x0001</no></huawei></huawei></huawei>

Upon plugging in the device, the following device files appear:


  /dev/cuaU0      /dev/cuaU0.init /dev/cuaU0.lock
  /dev/cuaU1      /dev/cuaU1.init /dev/cuaU1.lock
  /dev/cuaU2      /dev/cuaU2.init /dev/cuaU2.lock

A test with cu fails like this:


# cu -l /dev/cuaU0
/var/spool/lock/LCK..cuaU0: No such file or directory
Can't open lock file.
all ports busy
# ls /var/spool
ls: /var/spool: No such file or directory

What may I do in order to get this modem to work?

If further info is required, please let me know.

zoomer

Does anybody have an idea on how to further debug this issue?

… and eventually resolve it?

If there's anything else I con provide in regards to logs and the like, please let me know.

DiskWizard

first of all you have to try to set up the definitive modem mode of your stick. It might be done using usbswitch software.