VintageNetMobile

This library provides a VintageNet technology for using cellular modems. Currently, it supports the following modems:

• Quectel BG96 - VintageNetMobile.Modem.QuectelBG96
• Quectel EC25 - VintageNetMobile.Modem.QuectelEC25
• u-blox TOBY L2 - VintageNetMobile.Modem.UbloxTOBYL2
• Sierra Wireless HL8548 - VintageNetMobile.Modem.SierraHL8548
• Huawei E3372 - `VintageNetMobile.Modem.HuaweiE3372 See the "Custom Modems" section for adding new modules. To use this library, first add it to your project's dependency list: elixir def deps do [ {:vintage_net_mobile, "~> 0.1.2"} ] end You will then need to configure VintageNet. All cellular modems currently show up on "ppp0", so configurations look like this: elixir VintageNet.configure("ppp0", %{ type: VintageNetMobile, vintage_net_mobile: %{ modem: your_modem, service_providers: your_service_providers } }) The :modem key should be set to your modem implementation. Cellular modems tend to be very similar. If vintage_net_mobile doesn't support your modem, see the customizing section. It may just be a copy/paste away. The :service_providers key should be set to information provided by each of your service providers. It is common that this is a list of one item. Circumstances may require you to list more than one, though. Additionally, modem implementations may require more information. (It's also possible to hard-code the service provider in the modem implementation as a hack. In that case, this key isn't used and should be set to an empty list. This is useful when your cellular modem provides instructions that magically work and the AT commands that they give are confusing.) Information for each service provider is a map with some or all of the following fields: :apn (required) - e.g., "access_point_name":usage (optional) - :eps_bearer (LTE) or :pdp (UMTS/GPRS) Your service provider should provide you with the information that you need to connect. Often it is just an APN. The Gnome project provides a database of service provider information that may also be useful. Here's an example with a service provider list: elixir %{ type: VintageNetMobile, vintage_net_mobile: %{ modem: your_modem, service_providers: [ %{apn: "wireless.twilio.com"} ] } } ## VintageNet Properties In addition to the common vintage_net properties for all interface types, this technology reports one or more of the following: | Property | Values | Description | | ------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------- | | signal_asu | 0-31,99 | Reported Arbitrary Strength Unit (ASU) | | signal_4bars | 0-4 | The signal level in "bars" | | signal_dbm | -144 - -44 | The signal level in dBm. Interpretation depends on the connection technology. | | signal_rssi | 0-31 or 99 | An integer between 0-31 or 99 | | lac | 0-65533 | The Location Area Code (lac) for the current cell | | cid | 0-268435455 | The Cell ID (cid) for the current cell | | mcc | 0-999 | Mobile Country Code for the network | | mnc | 0-999 | Mobile Network Code for the network | | network | string | The network operator's name | | access_technology | string | The technology currently in use to connect to the network | | band | string | The frequency band in use | | channel | integer | An integer that indicates the channel that's in use | | iccid | string | The Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID) | | imsi | string | The International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) | Please check your modem implementation for which properties it supports or run VintageNet.get_by_prefix(["interface", "ppp0"]) and see what happens. ## Custom modems VintageNetMobile allows you add custom modem implementations if the built-in ones don't work for you. See the VintageNetMobile.Modem behaviour. In order to implement a modem, you will need: 1. Instructions for connecting to the modem via your Linux. Sometimes this involves usb_modeswitch or knowing which serial ports the modem exposes. 2. Example chat scripts. These are lists of AT commands and their expected responses for configuring the service provider and entering PPP mode. 3. (Optional) Instructions for checking the signal strength when connected. One strategy is to see if there's an existing modem that looks similar to yours and modify it. ## Serial AT command debugging When porting vintage_net_mobile to a new cell modem, it can be useful to experiment with the modem directly. To do this, add a dependency to elixircom, rebuild, and then on the device, you can do things like this: elixir iex> Elixircom.run("/dev/ttyUSB2", speed: 115200) Will allow you to run AT commands. To test everything is okay: elixir iex> Elixircom.run("/dev/ttyUSB2", speed: 115200) # type at and press enter OK Your modem should supply a complete list of AT commands. The following may be useful: | Command | Description | | --------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | at+csq | Signal Strength | | at+csq=? | Query supported signal strength format | | at+cfun? | Level of functionality | | at+cfun=? | Query supported functionality levels | | at+creg? | Check if the modem has registered to a provider. | | at+cgreg? | Same as above for some modems | | at+qccid | Query to obtain the Integrated Circuit Card Identifier | | at+cimi | Query to obtain the International Mobile Subscriber Identity | ## System requirements These requirements are believed to be the minimum needed to be added to the official Nerves systems. ### Linux kernel Enable PPP and drivers for your modem: text CONFIG_PPP=m CONFIG_PPP_BSDCOMP=m CONFIG_PPP_DEFLATE=m CONFIG_PPP_FILTER=y CONFIG_PPP_MPPE=m CONFIG_PPP_MULTILINK=y CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC=m CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY=m CONFIG_USB_NET_CDC_NCM=m CONFIG_USB_NET_HUAWEI_CDC_NCM=m CONFIG_USB_NET_QMI_WWAN=m CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_OPTION=m ### Buildroot (nerves_defconfig) Both pppd and usb_modeswitch are needed in the nerves_defconfig: text BR2_PACKAGE_USB_MODESWITCH=y BR2_PACKAGE_PPPD=y BR2_PACKAGE_PPPD_FILTER=y ### Busybox Add the following to your nerves_defconfig: text BR2_PACKAGE_BUSYBOX_CONFIG_FRAGMENT_FILES="${NERVES_DEFCONFIG_DIR}/busybox.fragment" and then create busybox.fragment with the following: text CONFIG_MKNOD=y CONFIG_WC=y