Recently I have subscribed for the BSNL EvDO (Evolution Data Optimized) modem, as they where offering a speed of 2.4mbps and unlimited download for just RS 550/month. I have purchased the USB modem device.
The connection pack came with driver CD, as usual it contained only the M$ stuff. As I am using Debian in my home, i have to configure it manually in order to get it work.
Here is the steps I followed.
NB: The steps described here are based on my Debian Etch. most probably it will work fine with all other Debian based distos (Ubuntu, Kubuntu etc…) and fedora.
1. Get the product ID and Vendor ID of the device.
For this, connect the device to one of the usb ports. Take the terminal and give the following command
$ lsusb
In my system I got the output like this
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 006: ID 05c6:6000 Qualcomm, Inc.
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
So, I have my device connected at Bus 003, it’s vendor id is 05c6 and product id is 6000. Disconnect the device.
2. Load the necessary kernel modules
Now we have to load two kernel modules (Yoy need root privilege to do this). First module that should be loaded is “usbserial” with appropriate device details. The command is as follows
$ sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x05c6 product=0×6000
(If you dont have sudo configured in your system use su. Don’t forget to add ’0x’ to the product and vendor ids).
Next module you have to load is airprime
$ sudo modeprobe airprime
Now connect the device and check whether it detected by your OS or not. For this use the dmesg command
$ dmesg | tail
if it gives and output like given below, the device is detected by your system and is now attached to ttyUSB0.
usbserial_generic 3-1:1.0: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 3-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB0
usbserial_generic 3-1:1.1: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 3-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB1
usbserial_generic 3-1:1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 3-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2
usb 3-1: New USB device found, idVendor=05c6, idProduct=6000
usb 3-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
usb 3-1: Product: ZTE CDMA Tech
usb 3-1: Manufacturer: ZTE, Incorporated
3. Configure wvdial, the pppd Dialer
Next you need a Dialer to connect to web. The one I use is wvdial. Install it if you don’t have it already.
$ sudo apt-get install wvdial
(If you don’t like using command line, use Synaptic 
)
Edit the wvdial configuration file
$ sudo vim /etc/wvdial.conf
and add the following lines
[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Modem Type = Analog Modem
Baud = 460800
New PPPD = yes
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
ISDN = 0
Phone = #777
Password = yourpassword
Username = youruname
stupid mode = 1
Replace ‘yourpassword’ and ‘youruname’ with your actual user name and password.
Just use the command
$ sudo wvdial
4. Connect to Internet Using wvdial
if you want to connect internet as a normal user (without using sudo or su), the user should have the permission to connect internet using the modem. To enable this,
go to Desktop -> Administration -> Users and Groups
Select the user and click properties
In “User Privilages” check “Connect to Internet Using a Modem”
Now you can conncet to internet without having root privileges. use the command
$ wvdial
Each time you login, you have to do step 2 and step 4 for connecting to the internet.
Loading the Modem driver at boot time
edit your /etc/modules file
$ sudo vim /etc/modules
and add these two lines
usbserial vendor=0x05c6 product=0×6000
airprime
Now you can connect the internet by just plugging the device and dialing with wvdial
Please post your questions/Comments/suggestions/modifications here
