USB cellular modem

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This page is related to 3G/4G modem.

Applies to: HMP200, HMP130, HMP100

Introduction

3G/4G USB cellular modems can be used to provide Internet access to HMP200, HMP130, and HMP100 devices via a mobile broadband connection. Also called standalone mobile broadband modems, these USB devices are designed to be connected directly to one device via an USB port. Some models have GPS support, thus providing geographical location information as well.

USB cellular modems present themselves as a serial line where AT commands can be given (e.g., modem emulation mode complying to the 3GPP AT command set). Some newer modems are not in this mode by default, but that can often be changed by installing it in Windows first - see Disabling Autorun section for more details.


Note Note:
USB cellular modems (3G/4G) are not supported on DiVA, HMP300, and HMP350 devices - a 3G/4G router can be used instead.

Getting started

Verification

To verify if your 3G modem is supported, please follow these steps:

  1. Plug the 3G modem into the USB port of the HMP.
  2. Check if the 3G modem is recognised by opening the Status page of Control Center.
    • A device that is recognised but not properly configured might also be shown, but without full details of the modem; usually just the name of the manufacturer and / or model.
  3. If the 3G modem is not (fully) recognised then:
    1. Check and disable the autorun / cd-rom feature of the 3G modem. Recheck if the 3G modem is recognized.
    2. Find out the USB Vendor ID and USB Product ID of your 3G modem.
      • These IDs can be found in Windows Device Manager on the properties page for the device, under the Details tab.
    3. Check the lists of supported 3G modems, both tested and untested.
      • These lists are not exhaustive and your input is much appreciated.
    4. If the device is listed as supported, then generate the Report and contact SpinetiX support for analysis and extended diagnostics.

Disable autorun

Many of the 3G modems present themselves as CD-ROM drives to the operating system to allow the OS (like Windows) to install the device drivers.

To verify this follow these steps:

  1. Insert the modem into an Windows machine that does not have the device drivers already installed
  2. If a CD-ROM or Mass Storage device is detected, then your modem has this feature enabled.
You need to disable the autorun feature, before using the 3G modem with HMP, by following the manufacturer instructions!

Normally you will have to send one or more AT commands to the 3G modem to disable the autorun feature. These commands / instructions are provided by the manufacturer. You can find more details about how to do this on the following pages:

Huawei modem example:

You can disable the CD-ROM drive / autorun feature following these steps:

  1. Connect your USB modem to your PC.
  2. Find out the COM port used by the modem.
  3. Connect via putty to the COM port
  4. Send this command: AT^U2DIAG=0.

SpinetiX cannot accept any responsibility for the 3G device. These instructions are provided by the manufacturer.

Supported 3G modems

You should check your device IDs against these lists of hardware IDs only after the autorun feature has been disabled, as the USB IDs of your device might change when switched into modem emulation mode.

Support for 3G modem controllers is listed below by device vendor and product ID. Carriers and retailers may use other commercial names for devices; you are invited to share details of any successes with SpinetiX Support.

Tested

Manufacturer Model USB Vendor ID USB Product ID Notes
Huawei E169 0x12D1 0x1001 Also known as Vodafone K3715 / Huawei K3715 / Huawei E173.
Thanks to CommStream for submitting test report
Huawei E173 0x12D1 0x1001 Thanks to Tecnilogica for submitting test report
Huawei E173U-2
Huawei E180 0x12D1 0x1406 Thanks to Tecnilogica for submitting test report
Huawei E220 / K3565 0x12D1 0x1003 Also known as K3565 – Rev 2; E1550 when in modem mode.
Thanks to Gatemedia for submitting test report.
Huawei E1550 0x12D1 0x1003 Thanks to Display4Media for submitting test report
Huawei E1612 0x12D1 0x1001 Thanks to Tecnilogica for submitting test report
Onda PT502HS 0x19D2 0x0001 Thanks to MediaAndMore for submitting test report

Not tested

Manufacturer Model USB Vendor ID USB Product ID Notes
Amoi 0x1614 0x7002, 0x0800, 0x0802
AnyData 0x16D5 0x6202, 0x6501, 0x6502
Axestel 0x1726 0x1000
Bandrich 0x1A8D from 0x1002 to 0x1012
BenQ 0x04A5 0x4068
BenQ 0x1DA5 0x4515
Dell 0x413C from 0x8114 to 0x8118, 0x8128, 0x8129,from 0x8133 to 0x8138, 0x8180, 0x8181, 0x8182
Huawei 0x12D1 from 0x1401 to 0x143F
Huawei E220 (bis) 0x12D1 0x1004
Novatel Wireless 0x1410 0x1100, 0x1110, 0x1120, 0x1130, 0x1400, 0x1410, 0x1420, 0x1430, 0x1450, 0x2100, 0x2110, 0x2120, 0x2130, 0x2400, 0x2410, 0x2420, 0x4100, 0x4400, 0x5010 (Novatel Ovation MC950D), 0x6000, 0x6001, 0x7000, 0x7001, 0x8000, 0x8001, 0x9000, 0x9001, 0xA001
Maxon 0x16D8 0x6280
Onda 0x19D2 from 0x0001 to 0x0031, 0x2000, 0xFFFE
Option 0x0AF0 0x5000, 0x6000, 0x6050, 0x6100, 0x6150, 0x6200, 0x6250, 0x6300, 0x6350, 0x6500, 0x6501, 0x6600, 0x6601, 0x6701, 0x6721, 0x6741, 0x6800, 0x6901, 0x7001, 0x7021, 0x7041, 0x7061, 0x7100, 0x7201
Option 0x0C88 0x17DA, 0x180A
Option 0x0EAB 0xC893
Qualcomm 0x05C6 0x6000 , 0x6613
Quanta 0x0408 from 0xEA02 to 0xEA06
Telit 0x1BC7 0x1003

Network setup

  • Static IP address: Particularly if you are using one of the special configurations explained below in "Remote Access", you may have been given a static IP address or set of addresses by your provider.
  • PPP is the protocol used for the link between your modem and the remote server of your provider. With PPP, the IP address is always provided by the remote host, even if it is static.
  • You should consult your provider for how to connect with a specific IP address. A common method is for the username of the connection to be a unique ID (such as the modem serial number) and to use a special custom APN.


Note Notes:
  • When using 3G modems, the HMP can still be reached using its IPv6 and / or its link-local IPv4 address (i.e. 169.254.xx.xx range).
  • When pressing the HMP blue button two IP addresses will be shown: the address used by the 3G modem and the link-local address.

Remote access

  • Network operators usually provide private IP addresses to 3G modems and use NAT (network address translation) to provide access to the Internet. This normally prevents initiating a network connection towards the HMP from a remote location.
  • Despite this, there are various methods for achieving remote access:
    • Have the network operator provide a VPN to the user's private network via a special APN
    • Have the network operator provide a gateway to the user's private network via a special APN
    • Have the network operator establish port mapping to their NAT device from a public IP address to the private IP addresses used by the 3G modem (This is not recommended as it makes the units available to the Internet and vulnerable to various sorts of attacks. To some extent this can be mitigated by using firewalls in the network operator's infrastructure to limit traffic to specific IP addresses)
  • In general, using public IP addresses directly or through port mapping is highly discouraged. Having the network operator provide a special APN to access a VPN to the desired private network, or having the APN directly linked to the desired private network, is feasible and cost efficient for relatively large deployments.
  • If none of these options are available, you are advised to use the log upload features of Pull mode
  • The HMP does not support establishing a VPN directly from the player itself - a VPN needs to be provided by the network operator.
    • Alternatively use an external 3G modem router with VPN capability and connect it to the HMP via Ethernet.

See also

  • 3G/4G router for connecting mobile broadband routers to DiVA and HMP devices.
  • Wi-Fi page for connection to wireless networks.
This page was last modified on 3 March 2017, at 14:37.