Adding more Sierra Cellular Modems to FreeBSD.

hi....i bought this modem from an online portal for about 2usd. it is working like a ue0 connection. all i need was to configure it by a local address n thats all. it is also a wifi hotspot.
 

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Please share your usbconfig information for the device. I would like to see what the modem shows up as.

Whats your best speeds look like?

How do you configure by local address? Web landing page?
 
I want to get this off my chest.

Having a Snapdragon processor, used for the modem, on your regular computer could be considered a security threat. Who knows what OS that processor runs.

Here you have this 'blackbox' that could be communicating anything from your computer without you knowing. These are not simple modems but complex devices.

Scary but convient.
 
Phishfry said:
Please share your usbconfig information for the device. I would like to see what the modem shows up as.

Whats your best speeds look like?

How do you configure by local address? Web landing page?
Click to expand...

i connect to a web address of 192.168.100.1. I will then log in and configure my modem through it.

ugen0.4: <Android Android> at usbus0, cfg=0 md=HOST spd=HIGH (480Mbps) pwr=ON (500mA)

bLength = 0x0012
bDescriptorType = 0x0001
bcdUSB = 0x0200
bDeviceClass = 0x0000 <Probed by interface class>
bDeviceSubClass = 0x0000
bDeviceProtocol = 0x0000
bMaxPacketSize0 = 0x0040
idVendor = 0x05c6
idProduct = 0x9024
bcdDevice = 0xffff
iManufacturer = 0x0001 <Android>
iProduct = 0x0002 <Android>
iSerialNumber = 0x0003 <66bac037>
bNumConfigurations = 0x0001

another thing i realised is, when i m connected to the web withe the modem, i m unable to connect to the wifi or wifibox. only when i unplugged the modem, will i then able to connect to wifi or wifibox. is That normal.

i live in an area where i m unable to get broadband services. my only means is lte modem from mobile data. previously it was hotspot from my smart phone.

Idle Latency: 32.35 ms (jitter: 6.38ms, low: 27.83ms, high: 38.02ms)
Download: 25.50 Mbps (data used: 46.7 MB)
85.33 ms (jitter: 19.14ms, low: 27.66ms, high: 190.35ms)
Upload: 10.06 Mbps (data used: 11.9 MB)
313.46 ms (jitter: 49.42ms, low: 52.73ms, high: 744.32ms)
Packet Loss: 0.0%
 
uname -a
FreeBSD 14.2-RELEASE-p1 FreeBSD 14.2-RELEASE-p1 GENERIC amd64
$ freebsd-version -urk
14.2-RELEASE-p1
14.2-RELEASE-p1
14.2-RELEASE-p2

lenovo Thinkpad T14s gen 1
32 g ram
 
Phishfry said:
I want to get this off my chest.

Having a Snapdragon processor, used for the modem, on your regular computer could be considered a security threat. Who knows what OS that processor runs.

Here you have this 'blackbox' that could be communicating anything from your computer without you knowing. These are not simple modems but complex devices.

Scary but convient.
Click to expand...
i did mention not able to connect to wifi or wifibox, whilst connected by the modem. out of curiosity, i connected my phone as usb thethering. surprisingly, i am able to connect to both ue0 n wifibox0
i opened up 2 iftop on terminal, n noticed only on ue0, is traffic. on wifibox, there is no traffic.

and speed on my ue0 is much faster

Idle Latency: 30.32 ms (jitter: 5.90ms, low: 27.78ms, high: 38.07ms)
Download: 50.08 Mbps (data used: 60.7 MB)
61.47 ms (jitter: 15.39ms, low: 19.42ms, high: 175.21ms)
Upload: 2.37 Mbps (data used: 3.5 MB)
1191.99 ms (jitter: 82.60ms, low: 154.18ms, high: 4253.93ms)
Packet Loss: 0.0%

is this a security issue???
 
rshad muhammad said:
is this a security issue???
Click to expand...
As far as I know there are no exploits for cellular modems.
Some of mine have a firmware over 10 years old.
This on a Snapdragon processor embedded in the modem.

I just feel its worth remembering you have a blackbox on the modem. It can monitor your computer without you knowing.
That yours is unbranded is interesting. I would expect Sierra modem to be NSA broken just like Huawei to be nation state actor compromised.
I can't believe they make an unbranded modem. It would be neat to track the IMEI, The first for digits are the manufacturer.
 
I hv stopped using it. I tested multiple times for speed n the best i could get was under 30Mbps. i suspected it is a hsdspa+ modem, instead of LTE, as the speed do not justify LTE speed. furthermore, what irks me most is, i m unable to connect to any wifi, whence using it as a modem. i find it so strange. back to search for a reliable LTE usb dongle
 
I have no idea why wireless would cut out. I made a MIMO device for portable Hotspot with a modem and Atheros in HostAP. Ran it off PicoUPS in my vehicle.
So I can say for sure wifi and cellular with work at the same time.

rshad muhammad said:
back to search for a reliable LTE usb dongle
Click to expand...
Sierra on USB Adapter with SIM. Huawei depending on preference. Some Telit works too.

This is the deluxe version. There are cheaper ones without antennas.
 
I also don't think that 30Mb/sec is that bad for cellular. Single Antenna inside?

I went all out with dual antenna in a praying palms setup. Sourced mostly from ebay. Pointed right at the tower.
 

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Phishfry said:
I have no idea why wireless would cut out. I made a MIMO device for portable Hotspot with a modem and Atheros in HostAP. Ran it off PicoUPS in my vehicle.
So I can say for sure wifi and cellular with work at the same time.


Sierra on USB Adapter with SIM. Huawei depending on preference. Some Telit works too.

This is the deluxe version. There are cheaper ones without antennas.
Click to expand...
This is the deluxe version. There are cheaper ones without antennas.


This one looks cool. The price is quite reasonable. Thank you very much

It would be neat to track the IMEI, The first for digits are the manufacturer.

Turns out is a qualcomm; intex aqua fish & jolla
 
Hi all,

If you guys during your tests manage to make ipv6 work with any of EMXXXX module, I would be glad to know.

I'm currently trying to get ipv6 working an EM7455 (1199:9079) on OPNsense with mpd5. I asked Sierra and they told me PPP is not officially supported on EM7455 so the problem could be anything. Failure occurs during the IPV6CP negotiation and it appears that EM7455 doesn't communicate at all on ipv6 layer. I also tried on NomadeBSD and Linux (pppd).

But it works well with ModemManager. I know an umb driver for MBIM is in development but according to this status https://www.freebsd.org/status/report-2024-10-2024-12/umb/ it will be restricted to ipv4 only.

I'm trying to get one of EM75XX module series for testing I will not miss to tell you if it's not listed.
 
Raoulblt said:
Hi all,

If you guys during your tests manage to make ipv6 work with any of EMXXXX module, I would be glad to know.

I'm currently trying to get ipv6 working an EM7455 (1199:9079) on OPNsense with mpd5. I asked Sierra and they told me PPP is not officially supported on EM7455 so the problem could be anything. Failure occurs during the IPV6CP negotiation and it appears that EM7455 doesn't communicate at all on ipv6 layer. I also tried on NomadeBSD and Linux (pppd).

But it works well with ModemManager. I know an umb driver for MBIM is in development but according to this status https://www.freebsd.org/status/report-2024-10-2024-12/umb/ it will be restricted to ipv4 only.

I'm trying to get one of EM75XX module series for testing I will not miss to tell you if it's not listed.
Click to expand...
If you guys during your tests manage to make ipv6 work with any of EMXXXX module, I would be glad to know.
i do not use ipv6 much. i did try on my ue0, and it ran ok with ipv6.
 
Phishfry said:
This looks like a very positive development for Sierra Modems.

[/URL]
Click to expand...

Indeed. I have copied the umb bits from -HEAD to 14-STABLE and switched my Sierra 7455 to MBIM.
I now have:

Code: 
umb0: flags=1008951<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING,PROMISC,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,LOWER_UP> metric 0 mtu 1500
        options=0
        inet 100.117.42.99 --> 100.117.42.100 netmask 0xfffffff8
        media: <unknown type>
        status:
        nd6 options=29<PERFORMNUD,IFDISABLED,AUTO_LINKLOCAL>

I added 100.117.42.100 as gateway but can't ping anything (tcpdump shows the packets leaving on umb0 but no replies).

Has anybody experience using umb? Maybe on -HEAD?
 
I question backporting the driver. Did you miss anything? Structure on -CURRENT could be different.

Does it work on -CURRENT the same way? That is my question. You have to at least test it. Being a new driver you could contact the dev.
Seeing it get an IP is a positive sign.

Sierra has a bunch of AT Commands at your disposal. Have you tried that? Check SIM status and work up from there.
 
Phishfry said:
I question backporting the driver. Did you miss anything? Structure on -CURRENT could be different.
Click to expand...
No. I just copied these files:

Code: 
       sbin/umbctl/Makefile
        sbin/umbctl/umbctl.8
        sbin/umbctl/umbctl.c
        sys/dev/usb/net/if_umb.c
        sys/dev/usb/net/if_umbreg.h
        sys/dev/usb/net/mbim.h
        sys/modules/usb/umb/Makefile
        sys/sys/sockio.h
        sys/net/if_types.h
This does not include a build in the tree but is enough to build it as module (or umbctl manually).
It is based on https://reviews.freebsd.org/D48167

Phishfry said:
Does it work on -CURRENT the same way?
Click to expand...
I don't know - I don't have -current box.

Phishfry said:
Sierra has a bunch of AT Commands at your disposal. Have you tried that? Check SIM status and work up from there.
Click to expand...
Well, SIM is fine (active and no pin) as it works in ppp mode and I get an IP in MBIM mode.
 
More progess on MBIM:

umb(4) works on 14-STABLE when having "device netmap" in the kernel.
I don't know if it works on -current without netmap.
 
Last edited:
Thank You for the backporting work. It is amazing to have such nice cellular modem tools in base.
After HPS death I was worried that the wheels would come off our USB subsystem. Thankfully the community stepped up to finish this work.

Hopefully somebody steps up to lead webcamd. It has massive functionality but its Linux compatibility probably means lots of upkeep. Not something you could put in maintenance mode.

I made some patches to my -CURRENT box for more modem PID but I backed off. This work has inspired me to get at least five PID's into a PR with a newer -CURRENT.
 
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