Has anyone built We826-T2 with Telit/fibocom with LTE modems with success?

[kiskey]

Hi fellow LTERS,

I would like to build a custom WE826-t2 router with Telit LN940A9 / fibocom L860-GL as they are cheaper than sierra wireless and also they are with higher Cat 11/16 range.

If someone has built successfully pls point me to right direction or material. that would be great helpfull.

[BillA]

Hi fellow LTERS,

I would like to build a custom WE826-t2 router with Telit LN940A9 / fibocom L860-GL as they are cheaper than sierra wireless and also they are with higher Cat 11/16 range.

If someone has built successfully pls point me to right direction or material. that would be great helpfull.

Not sure if OpenWRT firmware has drivers for Telit or Fibocom modems, so unless someone confirms that there are working drivers for those modems, it's probably best to stick with the true and tried Quectel or Sierra modems.

A a friend of mine is using a WG3526 with the latest Quectel EM20 CAT-20 modem via an M.2 to Mini-PCIe adapter.
This modem supports pretty much all worldwide bands B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/39/B40/B41/B42/B43/B46/B48/B66, and it's only missing band 71 which is used by Tmobile US. Now, just because it has an incredible CAx7, depending on the carrier it may not achieve the full 2Gbps, but it can pull a couple of hundred Mbps on 4G-LTE-A. At the current price of $250 it's not cheap, but anyone who's looking for great band coverage and high speed CA, this might just fit the bill.

[beausmith94]

I'm super interested in the telit/fibocom/quectel options out there.

Could your friend post up the At! commands they utilized to set up their quectel EM20?

[tambutso]

I was going to ask the same thing, but different modem. Any experience from the group using a foxconn T77W968? this is supposed to be an m.2 modem card for dell laptops. it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 in it and rated CAT16. I am more than willing to put in the money for something like this and max out my LTE speed. Would be a good investment in the long run I think.

[BillA]

I'm super interested in the telit/fibocom/quectel options out there.

Could your friend post up the At! commands they utilized to set up their quectel EM20?

As suggested by JimHelms, this thread over at GL-Inet is chuck full of great info about Quectel modem setup. The EM20, EC21/EC25 practically use the same AT command set, you just can't set the additional bands of the EM20 on the EC21/25 (gotta stay within your band limitations). The most important thing you have to do is set the correct APN of your carrier in the router's settings, the rest you can leave alone unless you want to lock in/lock out certain bands.

https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/x750-spitz- ... k-to-band/

Quectel EC20 AT Commands Manual
https://usermanual.wiki/Document/Quecte ... 71202/view

Quectel EC21/EC25 AT Commands Manual
https://usermanual.wiki/Document/Quecte ... 88689/view

[Yipzy]

I was going to ask the same thing, but different modem. Any experience from the group using a foxconn T77W968? this is supposed to be an m.2 modem card for dell laptops. it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 in it and rated CAT16. I am more than willing to put in the money for something like this and max out my LTE speed. Would be a good investment in the long run I think.

I just received mine the last few days. It works out of the box even my Verizon voice sim works with it when my EM7511 (tried with VZW and Generic firmware) doesn't. Sprint also works on it which is what I am currently using it for B41+B41+B41. Will see how stable it is as my EM7511 had a 15 day uptime before disconnect with modemmanager. ROOter will work with the modem but you need the latest fixes for your specific router if firmware is not already posted here http://www.ofmodemsandmen.com/upload/ I believe. My advice is to try to get the production version of the card because it will most likely have comm ports available for AT commands (no official document but most commands from Telit LN940 a.k.a T77W676 will work). I also bought it due to its value, Qualcomm chip, wide range of available bands to switch provider if need to, and CAT16 4x4 MIMO. It saved me money from buying the Telit LM960 I had initially wanted.

[BillA]

I just received mine the last few days. It works out of the box even my Verizon voice sim works with it when my EM7511 (tried with VZW and Generic firmware) doesn't. Sprint also works on it which is what I am currently using it for B41+B41+B41. Will see how stable it is as my EM7511 had a 15 day uptime before disconnect with modemmanager. ROOter will work with the modem but you need the latest fixes for your specific router if firmware is not already posted here http://www.ofmodemsandmen.com/upload/ I believe. My advice is to try to get the production version of the card because it will most likely have comm ports available for AT commands (no official document but most commands from Telit LN940 a.k.a T77W676 will work). I also bought it due to its value, Qualcomm chip, wide range of available bands to switch provider if need to, and CAT16 4x4 MIMO. It saved me money from buying the Telit LM960 I had initially wanted.

Both the Sierra EM7511 (CAT-18) and Quectel EM20 (CAT-20) are great modems with the new band 14 included, which the EM7565 is lacking.
Unfortunately they are all missing band 71 which is important if running on Tmobile US with their new 600Mhz band (5Mhz bandwidth). Here are the bands you get with the EM7511/EM7565(-band 14)/EM20:
B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B9, B12, B13, B14, B18, B19, B20, B26, B29, B30, B32, B41, B42, B43, B46, B48, B66

As pricey as the Telit LM960 (CAT-18) may be, it's still the "Cadillac" of all modems, having all the above bands plus both 14 and 71. Course, if you're not running on Tmobile US, then other modems are fine too.

As an oddity, the Quectel EC25-AF does have band 71, but it's only a CAT-4 modem so no CA (carrier aggregation) available. The EP06-A is a good middle ground CAT-6 modem with all the essential US bands:
B2/B4/B5/B7/B12/B13/B25/B26/B29/B30/B66

That's in a nutshell, just wait till you see the prices on the new 5G modems (better take some heart medication first;).

[Yipzy]

Both the Sierra EM7511 (CAT-18) and Quectel EM20 (CAT-20) are great modems with the new band 14 included, which the EM7565 is lacking.
Unfortunately they are all missing band 71 which is important if running on Tmobile US with their new 600Mhz band (5Mhz bandwidth). Here are the bands you get with the EM7155/EM7565(-band 14)/EM20:
B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B9, B12, B13, B14, B18, B19, B20, B26, B29, B30, B32, B41, B42, B43, B46, B48, B66

The T77W968 is only missing B71 and has the features and same chip of the Telit LM960. LTE band preference (extended): '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 66'
I won't be spending money on it unless B71 really boosts the speed in my area with T-Mobile but with only 5Mhz I don't see a significant improvement. I don't use T-Mobile but maybe after the T-Mobile/Sprint merger but 3CA B41 with MIMO 4x4 is hard to beat especially with 20Mhz each band.

[BillA]

The T77W968 is only missing B71 and has the features and same chip of the Telit LM960. LTE band preference (extended): '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 66'
I won't be spending money on it unless B71 really boosts the speed in my area with T-Mobile but with only 5Mhz I don't see a significant improvement. I don't use T-Mobile but maybe after the T-Mobile/Sprint merger but 3CA B41 just can't be beat with 20Mhz each.

5Mhz bandwidth may not sound like a lot, but the general formula to estimate a bandwidth's speed is:
(Bandwidth Mhz) * 5 = Mbps, so 5Mhz * 5 should yield about about 25Mbps under real world conditions with good signal and no congestion. Without optimum conditions the speed can be around half, however every bit of extra bandwidth could improve the speed significantly.

I've also looked into Simcom's SIM7912G-M2, which is a CAT-12 3xCA modem, in an M.2 package around $100usd.
It's a pretty attractive device with an extensive LTE band coverage rivaling Sierra's EM/MC7455 with the addition of band 66, and instead of CAT-6 it's a CAT-12 modem with 3xCA up to 600Mbps.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66

Fibocom's L860-GL, M.2, CAT-16, 4xCA ain't bad either for around $150usd with the these bands:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 66

Not sure if the Foxconn T77W968 Dell DW5821E version is locked to Dell laptops only, or it can be used freely in routers??
Being a Cat-16 with 5xCA in an M.2 package looks almost too good to be true at around $100usd with all these bands:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 66

[Yipzy]

Not sure if the Foxconn T77W968 Dell DW5821E version is locked to Dell laptops only, or it can be used freely in routers??
Being a Cat-16 with 5xCA in an M.2 package looks almost too good to be true at around $100usd with all these bands:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 66

Nope, not locked. I am using it right now in an USB enclosure connected to OpenWRT router with ModemManager. I also tested it with ROOTer with latest fixes, it works fine. It is that good of a value.

[BillA]

Nope, not locked. I am using it right now in an USB enclosure connected to OpenWRT router with ModemManager. I also tested it with ROOTer with latest fixes, it works fine. It is that good of a value.

Thanks, good to know. I've read somewhere about being locked, but I think that pertains to not being able to use it in an HP/Dell/Lenovo laptop, which has been flashed with generic firmware (something to do with the laptop's bios checking for authenticity). But it seems like it works the other way around, which is what we want anyway.

So, just to clarify, did you test a Telit/Foxconn T77W676 CAT-9 (HP LT4220 version), or its big brother the T77W968 CAT-16 (Dell DW5821E version) modem? Have you done any speed tests to see if the CA is working properly? How high have you got so far?

Oh wait, this is important, you said that you've used an external USB enclosure tethered to a router via USB cable (assuming it's a WE826 or WG3526), but would it work if you would have attached the modem internally via a Mini-PCIe to M.2 adapter, or the Linux drivers are unable to pick it up that way? (well unless you mod the firmware)
Sorry about all the questions, but inquiring minds wanna know. he-he

The good thing about non Sierra modems, is that the AT commands are pretty universal across the board (with some proprietary commands), also most of them all available as downloads from their manufacturer sites.

[JimHelms]

Nope, not locked. I am using it right now in an USB enclosure connected to OpenWRT router with ModemManager. I also tested it with ROOTer with latest fixes, it works fine. It is that good of a value.

I purchased a DW5821e several months ago to play with:

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Recieve: Manufacturer: DELL
Recieve: Model: 4116
Recieve: Revision: T77W968.F0.0.0.1.0.GC.002  1  [Mar 26 2018 05:00:00]
Recieve: SVN: 01
Recieve: IMEI: 355XXXXXXXXXXX
Recieve: +GCAP: +CGSM,+DS,+ES
Recieve: OK

Have not spent a lot of time with the modem, but could never get it to accept AT+commands in order to set the APN or Bands.

Most AT+commands return an error--almost like it is locked--although the commands show to be available.

Thoughts?

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[BillA]

I purchased a DW5821e several months ago to play with.

Have not spent a lot of time with the modem, but could never get it to accept AT+commands in order to set the APN or Bands.

Most AT+commands return an error--almost like it is locked--although the commands show to be available.

Thoughts?

I will let Yipzy chime in on the this since he has actually got it to work.
However, I do have a few thoughts to share.

1. The T77W968/DW5821E seems to be cross-branded device. It's manufactured by Foxconn (T77W968), and co-branded by Dell (DW5821E).
2. It's possible that Yipzy's device came with a generic firmware, allowing it to work in a non-laptop environment.
3. He used it on external USB enclosure instead of as an internal modem.
4. It's also possible that the modem needs to be switched into the correct mode, much like Sierra's MBIM/QMI modes.

Looking forward to a solution.

[JimHelms]

2. It's possible that Yipzy's device came with a generic firmware, allowing it to work in a non-laptop environment.

This crossed my mind and I tried to locate a generic firmware to flash the modem to no avail.

3. He used it on external USB enclosure instead of as an internal modem.

I have the modem installed in one of our USB3.0 to M.2 adapter enclosures, behind a Windows machine, using Putty to access the modem.

4. It's also possible that the modem needs to be switched into the correct mode, much like Sierra's MBIM/QMI modes.

Possibly, but that will be difficult since the modem will accept only a few of the available AT Commands which makes it even more difficult to troubleshoot.

[Yipzy]

Thanks, good to know. I've read somewhere about being locked, but I think that pertains to not being able to use it in an HP/Dell/Lenovo laptop, which has been flashed with generic firmware (something to do with the laptop's bios checking for authenticity). But it seems like it works the other way around, which is what we want anyway.

I do have a Dell laptop but mine worked without any modifications just with the USB3.0 to M.2 adapter enclosure from Jim on Windows 10. But I tried it first with my HP laptop on Ubuntu before testing it on Windows. ModemManager would pick up the card but only showed MBIM port and no other comm ports or the option driver. It connected fine with my SIM. I suspected maybe it was my FW version T77W968.F1.0.0.1.9.GC.003 being old and had them disabled somehow. I then flashed it to recent Dell version to T77W968.F1.0.0.3.5.GC.009 and that did the trick and I am now able to see 2 AT ports along with others. Most AT commands Jim posted work except some that I assume would require a secret code to unlock. Foxconn has been ignoring requests from people for their AT propriety commands and guide over at the ROOTer forum.

Hardware
| manufacturer: Dell Inc.
| model: DW5821e Snapdragon X20 LTE
| revision: T77W968.F1.0.0.3.5.GC.009
| 020
| h/w revision: DW5821e Snapdragon X20 LTE
| supported: gsm-umts, lte
| current: gsm-umts, lte
| equipment id: 355XXXXXXXXXXXX
------------------------------------
System
| device: /sys/devices/platform/1e1c0000.xhci/usb2/2-1
| drivers: cdc_mbim, option
| plugin: Dell
| primary port: cdc-wdm0
| ports: ttyUSB0 (at), ttyUSB1 (at), ttyUSB2 (gps), ttyUSB3 (qcdm),
| cdc-wdm0 (mbim), wwan0 (net)


Between flashing, I somehow got the card into Factory Test Mode which I couldn't get out of it with AT commands. It would just reset to default AT+FTM=1 and AT+CFUN=5 after reboot when try to save the settings AT+FTM=0 and AT+CFUN=1. In order to get out of it, you just have to flash to another FW version and that's what I did. You need a Dell laptop to flash the firmware if it's a Dell card you have. The Dell software also has a SIM based flashing tool so you would want take out the sim before flashing. Otherwise, it would flash to your carrier's profile and will likely make it not connect with your SIM. You need the GC profile in order to connect except for T-Mobile since the card doesn't have T-Mobile listed as supported carrier so it would flash the GC carrier profile instead. ModemManager has its own way of flashing for this card but I am not sure if it checks against your PC before initiating the flash. You may check out https://sigquit.wordpress.com/2019/07/0 ... and-fwupd/ for more details.

Have you done any speed tests to see if the CA is working properly? How high have you got so far?

CA is working and with band preference as well if set.

Sprint B41(20mhz)+B41(20mhz)+B41(20mhz)
Verizon B66(20mhz)+B66(10mhz)+B2(10mhz)+B13(10mhz)
AT&T B66(10mhz)+B2(10mhz)+B12(10mhz)+B2(5mhz)

During the day:
Sprint 80-100 DL / 7-10 UL
Verizon 80-90 DL / 30-40 UL
AT&T 40-60 DL / 15-25 UL

During the night:
Sprint 140-180 DL / 7-10 UL
Verizon 120-160 DL / 60 UL
AT&T 100-120 DL / 20-30 UL

Stock omni-directional antennas so room to improve but I am ok at the moment with average -95dBm signal SINR 18-22 for Sprint.
I don't think my tower supports MIMO 4x4 yet so I will have to verify it with Network Signal Guru when I have time to root my Samsung S9 International version.

Oh wait, this is important, you said that you've used an external USB enclosure tethered to a router via USB cable (assuming it's a WE826 or WG3526), but would it work if you would have attached the modem internally via a Mini-PCIe to M.2 adapter, or the Linux drivers are unable to pick it up that way? (well unless you mod the firmware)
Sorry about all the questions, but inquiring minds wanna know. he-he

Everything works for me and it is now in the WG3526 from Jim as well except some of the restrictive AT commands and no reference to what they do so I don't want to be too brave to venture into. I am not using ROOTer yet as I like ModemManager more so I won't be able to answer any questions about it but I know it works because dairyman from ROOTer has modified his build to work with it and I have tried it.

[BillA]

All these "restrictions" are not my cup of tea (unknown/restricted AT commands, having to flash it in a Dell laptop, etc)... if we could only flash it with generic firmware (if it even exists at all), that would make it a kick-ass modem.

[Yipzy]

Yeah I could see it is not for everyone but for the value it's great. I do have the generic firmware but there is no instructions to flash it, of course. There is one for its little brother T77W676 for linux with fastboot mode via AT command. But that's no use since you can't communicate via comm port in the first place for some of those people who got the card without the comm ports being exposed yet.

[BillA]

Yeah I could see it is not for everyone but for the value it's great. I do have the generic firmware but there is no instructions to flash it, of course. There is one for its little brother T77W676 for linux with fastboot mode via AT command. But that's no use since you can't communicate via comm port in the first place for some of those people who got the card without the comm ports being exposed yet.

After some digging, I found that there's a Linux app called FWUpd which might be able to flash it by bypassing the Dell board ID checks.
https://github.com/fwupd/fwupd

Here are some DW5821e firmware files you could try...
https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devices/com.dell ... c.firmware
https://fwupd.org/lvfs/search?csrf_toke ... ue=DW5821E
The second link seems to have different carrier versions which might be interesting to try for the hell of it.

From what I understand the FWUpd should allow it to be updated by "any user" since it's a removable device, and only embedded devices are restricted to be updated by a "root user" only.

Basic usage flow (command line)
Check for updates and apply them using fwupd's command line tools.

# fwupdmgr get-devices

This will display all devices detected by fwupd.

# fwupdmgr refresh

This will download the latest metadata from LVFS.

# fwupdmgr get-updates

If updates are available for any devices on the system, they'll be displayed.

# fwupdmgr update

This will download and apply all updates for your system.



Since I don't yet have this Dell DW5821E (Foxconn T77W968) modem, it would be nice if someone did a step by step write-up on flashing it with the FWUpd app.


Interestingly some of the listings on AliExpress show the generic model's picture, wonder if somehow they have the generic Foxconn firmware. Hmmm... https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hd3234ac3222 ... ded59d.jpg

[Yipzy]

Maybe @JimHelms could try this method as I have looked into it as well but never followed through since I am able to flash with my Dell.

The second link is just how it flashes your modem or switch to your carrier when a particular sim is detected. Latest ModemManager does that and I just comment out all the US providers so it won't try to switch the carrier config depending on what SIM is inserted.

[BillA]

This crossed my mind and I tried to locate a generic firmware to flash the modem to no avail.

Just wanted to point you to this post for some more information about firmware upgrades, in case you wanna give it a try. https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=4454#p4454

[Yipzy]

After some digging, I found that there's a Linux app called FWUpd which might be able to flash it by bypassing the Dell board ID checks.

I decided to try out fwupd after your post. Here's the error message for my card ID 413c:81d7 Dell Computer Corp.
No releases found for device: Not compatible with vendor: failed predicate [USB:0x0489|USB:0x413C regex (null)]

[BillA]

I decided to try out fwupd after your post. Here's the error message:
No releases found for device: Not compatible with vendor: failed predicate [USB:0x0489|USB:0x413C regex (null)]

Hmmm... unfortunately I'm not much of a Linux expert, the only thing I would suggest is try to read through all those installation instructions, or maybe try compiling it based on this:
https://github.com/fwupd/fwupd/wiki/Compilation

It's probably best to move the modem into an external usb adapter connected to a Linux box before attempting to flash it. I've just noticed that the app threw a cardID error (basically can't find it)... so maybe try contacting Aleksander.es who's a Linux/FWUpds/DW5821E guru at contact@aleksander.es
Make sure to include as much info as possible with logs and screenshots.

[OptimusPrime]

Nope, not locked. I am using it right now in an USB enclosure connected to OpenWRT router with ModemManager.

Hi, I'm having an issue with getting this out of low-power mode. The Fcc auth is failing in openwrt 19.07.1 and ModemManager 12.6.1.

Code: Select all

[/dev/cdc-wdm0] received generic response (translated)...
<<<<<< QMUX:
<<<<<<   length  = 19
<<<<<<   flags   = 0x80
<<<<<<   service = "dms"
<<<<<<   client  = 1
<<<<<< QMI:
<<<<<<   flags       = "response"
<<<<<<   transaction = 4
<<<<<<   tlv_length  = 7
<<<<<<   message     = "Set FCC Authentication" (0x555F)
<<<<<< TLV:
<<<<<<   type       = "Result" (0x02)
<<<<<<   length     = 4
<<<<<<   value      = 01:00:11:00
<<<<<<   translated = FAILURE: MissingArgument
<debug> [1584473870.332901] error: couldn't set FCC auth: QMI protocol error (17): 'MissingArgument'
<info>  [1584473870.332984] Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0: state changed (enabling -> disabled)

Is there any info you can share on how you got it to work? My firmware is: T77W968.F1.0.0.4.2.SP.010

Thank you.

[terryjett]

Hi fellow LTERS,

I would like to build a custom WE826-t2 router with Telit LN940A9 / fibocom L860-GL as they are cheaper than sierra wireless and also they are with higher Cat 11/16 range.

If someone has built successfully pls point me to right direction or material. that would be great helpfull.

Wondering if you ever got the build working @kiskey?

See the thread went way off subject. Appreciate your update even though very old post

[tambutso]

Hmmm... unfortunately I'm not much of a Linux expert, the only thing I would suggest is try to read through all those installation instructions, or maybe try compiling it based on this:
https://github.com/fwupd/fwupd/wiki/Compilation

It's probably best to move the modem into an external usb adapter connected to a Linux box before attempting to flash it. I've just noticed that the app threw a cardID error (basically can't find it)... so maybe try contacting Aleksander.es who's a Linux/FWUpds/DW5821E guru at contact@aleksander.es
Make sure to include as much info as possible with logs and screenshots.

So after all this time I kept digging on how to go about fwupd and ModemManager on Linux. Turns out, there are no posted firmware YET on LVFS for this modem. I found Aleks' blog, and he mentioned that. One of the nice things about all this is I have now learned how this all works and I was able to upgrade my Logitech Unify receiver through LVFS. So I now know how the process works. Hopefully DELL supports this modem soon. My last FW update, I had to borrow a dell laptop, which painfully was in Windows S mode, so that was another hurdle I had to overcome because it does not run EXE files. Just an FYI for those who might go this route.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

Nope, not locked. I am using it right now in an USB enclosure connected to OpenWRT router with ModemManager. I also tested it with ROOTer with latest fixes, it works fine. It is that good of a value.

Yipzy, hopefully you see this. I'm running a DW5821e in a USB 3.0 enclosure with ROOTer and it's working fine out of the box. In some of your other posts, you said you were able to band lock on this. Can you advise how you did that? None of the AT commands I see in AT+CLAC are similar to other band setting AT commands.

[dbshelton]

I have 2 of these modems, both are in USB3 enclosures. I couldn't get them to connect when mounted in a router but work fantastic in USB enclosures. What a great, fast modem for $60. Been using 1 for several months, so I thought I would get another. I hear they must be version PH6K2