Re: Pantech UML290 - 106c:3718 - QMI Modem

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Fri, 2017-11-17 at 08:48 -0600, Greg Oliver wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 2:34 AM, Aleksander Morgado <
> aleksander aleksander es> wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 12:44 AM, Greg Oliver <oliver greg gmail co
> > m>
> > wrote:
> > > On Thu, Nov 16, 2017 at 2:57 PM, Aleksander Morgado
> > > <aleksander aleksander es> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>
> > > [greg@dell-wifi ~]$ sudo mmcli -m 0
> > >
> > > /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 (device id
> > > '48d4cf9eceb8dbb2de4e13da073cb011be31f29e')
> > >   -------------------------
> > >   Hardware |   manufacturer: 'QUALCOMM INCORPORATED'
> > >            |          model: '42'
> > >            |       revision: 'L0290VWBB12F.248  1  [Nov  9 2011
> >
> > 08:44:21]'
> > >            |      supported: 'gsm-umts
> > >            |                  cdma-evdo
> > >            |                  lte
> > >            |                  cdma-evdo, gsm-umts
> > >            |                  gsm-umts, lte
> > >            |                  cdma-evdo, lte
> > >            |                  cdma-evdo, gsm-umts, lte'
> > >            |        current: 'cdma-evdo'
> >
> > So this is being managed in QMI, which is ok, but as seen above the
> > "current" mode is limited to cdma-evdo for some reason (i.e. no
> > LTE).
> >
> > Can you try to run this?
> > mmcli -m 0 --set-current-capabilities="cdma-evdo|lte"
> >
> > The device should reboot after that; then re-run "mmcli -m X" (X
> > will
> > likely be 1 after the reboot) and see if the "current" field shows
> > "lte" as well.
> >
> > [snip]
>
> [greg@dell-wifi ~]$ sudo mmcli -m 0
> --set-current-capabilities="cdma-evdo|lte"
> error: couldn't set current capabilities:
> 'GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.ModemManager1.Error.Core.Unsupported:
> Setting
> capabilities is not supported by this device'

You may not actually be able to change the capabilities in
ModemManager, I don't recall exactly why and I thought we'd fixed it,
but perhaps just use qmicli for the time being.

The UML290 is a bit particular in the options it wants, so try this (it
works on my 290...)

sudo qmicli -p -d /dev/cdc-wdm1 --nas-set-system-selection-preference="cdma-1x|cdma-1xevdo|gsm|umts|lte"

> I am asking the guy I am incorporating this for to check his plan to
> see if
> his SIM card plan is even LTE capable.  He is switching from T-Mobile 
> 2g on
> his devices (since they are disbanding that network) to
> Verizon.  I'll post
> back when I hear, but your earlier comment that evdo does not take
> APNs
> took me by surprise.  I have never used 3rd party network
> subscriptions
> before until this guy, but what you are saying is that when using PPP
> on
> evdo networks there is no APN concept like in GSM?  His original line
> of

That's correct.  Verizon is still a hybrid CDMA/EVDO (which doesn't use
APNs at all) and LTE (which does) network.  Your modem was originally
in CDMA/EVDO mode with LTE disabled, and thus NetworkManager would not
allow APN entry because it would be useless as CDMA doesn't use one.

But if you switch the device with the above command to enable LTE as
well, then you can enter the APN which will be used when the device
attaches to the Verizon LTE network.

(I could go into what it does when it's dual-mode CDMA/EVDO + LTE, but
that's a much longer mail).

If that works and you can use your APN, great.  If it doesn't work, or
handoff between LTE and CDMA/EVDO doesn't work for you, let us know
because there's one more setting that needs to be on for dual-mode to
work correctly (eHRPD).

> product on T-Mobile 2g was able to use 3rd party APNs just fine - I
> did not
> know the backend of the 2 technologies were that much different other
> than
> the framing used - guess I need to read up more.

They are a ton different :)  CDMA/EVDO store more of the subscriber
information with the carrier, thus you don't use APNs or SIM cards.

Dan