Can somebody help make mobile broadband easy to use?

[Guy]

Can somebody help make mobile broadband easy to use?

I think there would be many people who would use it if it was easy.

I suggest starting with network-manager-gnome, but any method which is easy to use and works would be ok.

Arslan S, who made these extensions is going away for military service. http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,11972

network-manager-gnome seems to work 98%, but I just can't get it to work properly.

In the future, someone may develop a smaller app for connecting to mobile broadband.

I know some people manually edit the appropriate files and get it working, and I may look into this when time permits. But most new users will find this too difficult.

[floppy]

I got an interesting proposal (I have to test it) from www.linuxquestions.org when I was asking for making working a motorola MB526 with usb_modeswitch (22b8:41de): the suggestion is,

Load an app from
https://market.android.com/details?id=og.android.tether&feature=related_apps#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwOSwib2cuYW5kcm9pZC50ZXRoZXIiXQ..
and make your android mobile acting as wlan.

So, back to your question.
Instead of having pains with a new mobile setup program, simply buy an android mobile phone to your (wife? grandma?) for christmas, load the app.. and take the phone for using it as wlan with your netbook?
The Robert-Wlan-Extension is quite good.
An interesting workaround (I have to test it; seems to work according android forums).

[Guy]

Anything which works is useful to know about.

However, if I install Linux Mint, and use any usb modem, with any mobile broadband provider, I just need to make a few selections in the network manager, and it just works.

I would like to see something working in Tinycore which makes it just as easy.

Many people would use it.

Most people will not bother if it is too complicated.

I think it almost works now. There is probably some minor thing which needs to be fixed. Anyone who wants to contribute and test it, can buy a prepaid mobile broadband modem quite inexpensively, normally with one month of data.


That is not to say other methods are not worthwhile.

If we get enough examples which work, a script could be written for installing mobile broadband on Tinycore, with the user able to make appropriate selections.

[Onyarian]

Well, I have some difficulties to express myself in English quickly, but I will try.

First comment that I connect to internet with my netbook in four different ways: wifi, 3g pendrive, mobile phone and more recently android smartphone.

All of them work properly. TC version with which I will describe is 3.8.4 which is where I have installed the network-manager-gnome, because I do it in the TC4.1 differently. The network manager handles the first three connections, the android smartphone I do differently, and if necessary I can explain it later.

1.- In onboot:
mobile-broadband-provider-info.tcz
ModemManager.tcz
network-manager-gnome-locale.tcz
NetworkManager-locale.tcz
gnome-keyring-locale.tcz
notification-daemon-locale.tcz
usb-modeswitch-data.tcz
(the locale extensions is because my language)

2.- I use TC with openbox + bmpanel + wbar but surely works with other combinations.

3.- there is a Network-manager icon in the bmpanel. Left click on it says all types of connections available (wired, wifi and/or mobile broadband connections). Right click says activation options, edit connections and about.

4.- click edit connections and a window appears to configure wired, wireless, mobile broadband, vpn and dsl connections.

5.- I have configured two mobile broadband connections, for two different providers, and one wireless.

6.- Mobile phone connection: I connect my SonyEriccson K810 with usb cable, it ask me what kind of connection and I select phone connection. After a few moments, clicking the N-M icon with left button appears my two broadband connections, select the provider for the mobile phone and the connection is made immediately.

7.- 3g pendrive connection: I connect by usb my Alcatel 3g-pendrive. After a few minutes a window appears and ask me about the pin of sim. A few moments later the intermittent orange light of the Alcatel turns in red and then green. Then I click the icon with the left button and select the provider from the two broadband connections and the connection is made immediately with the green light staying fixed. (In this moment I write this with this connection).

8.- That's all, no commands, no mobile phone configuration, no 3g-pendrive configuration. Only to configure the mobile broadband providers with the APN, connection number, user and password if necessary, and I allow the roaming permission too. This is so because one of my providers is not in the mobile broadband database, I have to make it manually.

Hope this helps others.
Some time ago I made many tests until I got it with commands, and then, with Network Manager easier, automatically.

If someone want to know my android smatphone connection, please tell me, it's easy too.

[Guy]

Thanks Onyarian

I have installed some more apps, and have less error messages, but still don't have it working. I have some questions.

Have you found it does not work with tc4.1, or do it another way in 4.1 for another reason?

How do you run openbox. Is it just Tinycore with openbox in OnBoot, or is there more to it?

How do you run bmpanel?

I don't get an icon in bmpanel. Any tips?

What do you backup for persistency?

Do you start the computer with the usb modem connected, or connect it after starting the computer, or do both methods work?

How do you connect to the internet?

Any other tips?

[Onyarian]

Hello Guy

Have you found it does not work with tc4.1, or do it another way in 4.1 for another reason?

The first reason is that I wanted a lighter method, so now I use wifi.tcz and 2 handmade extensions for mobile phone and android smartphone, but after this I have proved, the last weekend, to install NM in tc4.1 with the same settings and It doesn't work    I can see the icon, it detects the wifi router and the mobile phone too but not connect to those (the services are on, and started from bootlocal.sh like in tc3.8.4) (I have to spend a little time here)

How do you run openbox. Is it just Tinycore with openbox in OnBoot, or is there more to it?

Yes, is tc with openbox-locale.tcz  in onboot, then I load for the first time openbox-themes, obconf and obmenu for make my configuration. I create a /home/tc/.themes directory and copy to it the desired theme from openbox-themes so I don't need to have it in onboot.

How do you run bmpanel?

bmpanel.tcz in onboot, then for the first time bmpanel-themes.tcz for make my configuration
create /home/tc/.bmpanel/themes directory
copy to it the desired theme from /tmp/tcloop/bmpanel-themes/usr/local/share/bmpanel/themes/ (or let the native theme from bmpanel)
I edit the theme file from the desired theme and make some changes to my taste
create /home/tc/.X.d/bmpanel  file with "bmpanel transpy &" in it (transpy is my actual theme, but there are others too)

I don't get an icon in bmpanel. Any tips?

I have at start a volume icon for alsa in bmpanel. To have it: volumeicon.tcz in onboot, create /home/tc/.X.d/volumeicon file with "volumeicon &" in it.
to have the NM icon: create /home/tc/.X.d/Network file with:

/usr/local/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=secrets
nm-applet --sm-disable &

in it, and /home/tc/.X.d/dbus file with "dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session" in it
Others icons, like when I run truecrypt, or brasero, or xpad comes automatically in bmpanel

What do you backup for persistency?

My goal is to let /home/tc only for the configurations files and directories needed or created from the apps.
/home/tc has some links to other directories in another partition and links to other directories in /mnt/truecrypt. My sensible files are in a truecrypt file in the other partition.
My backup is the normal /opt/.filetool.lst adding some other entries from config files out of /home/tc
mydata.tgz is only 11Mb. This is so because some /home/tc apps directories are links too (for example my local folders from Thunderbird are in /mnt/truecrypt/thunderbird/ )

Do you start the computer with the usb modem connected, or connect it after starting the computer, or do both methods work?

I always connect it after starting the computer and wait to see the detection (in NM for example in tc3.8.4), because my 3g-pendrive must be detected and changed to modem with the usb-modeswitch.tcz and to connect my android smartphone it must be ready the usb connection.

How do you connect to the internet?

As say before, with tc3.8.4 is very simple with NM the wifi, 3g-pendrive and mobile phone connection.
With tc4.1 wifi is very easy with roberts wifi.tcz, and for the mobile phone and android smartphone my own extensions (connections with commands) with icons to automate it. In this case I control the connection with my conky configuration (The name of the connection changes his color and I can follow the amount of up and down kbytes).

Any other tips?

I load in onboot my myfiles.tcz with some configuration or command files that I don't need to change, So there are not in /opt/filetool.lst and the backup is faster and lighter.

For me TC is a great distribution, I follow roberts from the dsl time, my notebook and desktop work with TC since a lot of time, but it requires some time to put it to your liking (now you can see it with NM and tc4.1  )

[curaga]

Not related to this quest, but I set up a Huawei 3g modem just some days ago.

1) Remove PIN query using a phone
2) Copy-paste correct settings for the operator from http://linux.fi/wiki/Wvdial
3) Plug in, run wvdial

I had to edit /etc/ppp/options a bit, but it was surprisingly easy otherwise. Note part 2), each operator has quite different settings, this must be the hardest part in any generic solution.

[Guy]

curaga - is there an english version?

[curaga]

No, I'm afraid it's a Finnish site only (with Finnish operators only, too). Here's a Google Translate link:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fi&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=fi&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Flinux.fi%2Fwiki%2FWvdial

[Guy]

The challenge I have with wvdial, is that my modem is not detected. I am using Huawei E160e.

My modem is detected with Network Manager, but something else is not right.

How are you running wvdial. Is wvdial the only thing in OnBoot, or is there more?

Do you do anything else?

[curaga]

Just "wvdial", no arguments since it's the default section of the config file. Only wvdial is relevant in onboot. edit: usb-serial of course, forgot that.

I didn't find your dmesg, it would show what it's detected as? Mine was ttyUSB0 IIRC, so the default config copied from that site defined the right device.

[Guy]

Here is what I get when I run wvdialconf

tc@box:~$ wvdialconf
Editing `/etc/wvdial.conf'.

Scanning your serial ports for a modem.

ttyS0<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: S0   
ttyS1<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: S1   
ttyS2<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: S2   
ttyS3<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: S3   
ttyUSB0<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: USB0
ttyUSB1<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: USB1
ttyUSB2<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: USB2
ttyUSB3<Info>: Device or resource busy
Modem Port Scan<*1>: USB3


Sorry, no modem was detected!  Is it in use by another program?
Did you configure it properly with setserial?

Please read the FAQ at http://alumnit.ca/wiki/?WvDial
tc@box:~$

Here is part of dmesg

usb 1-1: new high speed USB device number 2 using ehci_hcd
scsi2 : usb-storage 1-1:1.0
usb 1-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
usb 1-1: new high speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
scsi7 : usb-storage 1-1:1.4
scsi8 : usb-storage 1-1:1.5
usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial
USB Serial support registered for generic
usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial_generic
usbserial: USB Serial Driver core
USB Serial support registered for GSM modem (1-port)
option 1-1:1.0: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB0
option 1-1:1.1: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB1
option 1-1:1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2
option 1-1:1.3: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB3
usbcore: registered new interface driver option
option: v0.7.2:USB Driver for GSM modems
scsi 7:0:0:0: CD-ROM            HUAWEI   Mass Storage     2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access     HUAWEI   MMC Storage      2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
sr1: scsi-1 drive
sr 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1
sr 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 5
sd 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

It seems like it is detecting it, and something is recognizing it as a modem. Yet it finishes up being recognized as a CD-ROM.

[Juanito]

does it help if you use "sudo wvdialconf"?

[Guy]

Using sudo wvdialconf it creates a very basic wvdial.conf file. But not working yet.


1. When running in Linux Mint, I can only connect using PAP authentication. It uses

refuse-eap=true
refuse-chap=true
refuse-mschap=true
refuse-mschapv2=true

Maybe I should put these in /etc/ppp/peers/wvdial, but I am not sure.


2. It does not set up /etc/resolv.conf, but I can do this manually.


It is not working yet. These are just some things I have discovered. There may be more.

[Guy]

After editing the files

When I run sudo wvdial

after

CONNECT

I get

Carrier detected. Starting PPP immediately.

Then very quickly

Disconnecting.