Using ROOter on the GL-X750

0x0BEED3CA · 2019-12-02T06:14:48.134Z

Firstly, I’m on Optus in Australia, and it’s possible I might have a faulty X750 (waiting for feedback).

However it might just be a configuration thing, so…

My X750 has worked with stock firmware and my Optus LTE SIM, which connects via the APN “yesinternet”. Optus requires no further configuration parameters.
’
(BTW the same SIM works on a borrowed Netgear AC800S on stock firmware and factory config).

But I can’t get it to work on ROOter.

To set it up, I restored default settings, installed ROOter (from UBoot), restored default settings, rebooted, set the APN to “yesinternet”, and rebooted again.

It then seemed to connect to the LTE network, but won’t communicate over it and won’t pass the simple internal diagnostics (ping etc).

Any ideas? According to everything I’ve read, this should have simply worked.

These are the relevant statuses and logs:

============== STATUS INFO ============

Network
IPv4 Upstream
Protocol: Not connected
Address: 0.0.0.0
Netmask: 255.255.255.255
Gateway: 0.0.0.0

General Information
Modem : Quectel EP06 Modem #1
Modem ID :2c7c : 0306
Provider : YES OPTUS YES OPTUS
Comm Port : /dev/ttyUSB2
Temperature : 46°C
Protocol : QMI

Modem/SIM Information (redacted)
Modem IMEI : 8681860********
SIM IMSI : 5050257********
SIM ICCID : 896102571940********

Signal Information
Network :FDD LTE
CSQ : 19
Signal Strength : 61%
RSSI : -75 dBm
ECIO : -14 (RSRQ) dB
RSCP : -107 (RSRP) dBm
Connection Monitoring Status : Disabled

Cell information
MCC MNC : 505 02
RNC/eNB ID : 1A06D (106605)
LAC/TAC : E86D (59501)
Cell ID : 0A (10)
LTE Band : B3 (Bandwidth 15 MHz Down | 15 MHz Up)
Channel : 1725
Maximum Qos : -

============== SYSTEM LOG ============

user.notice HOTSPOT-[0.3.0] info : status ::: Hotspot Manager is currently disabled
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Ignoring Unnamed Hub
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 1 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 2 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 3 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 4 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 5 qmi_wwan
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Add : 1-1.2: Manufacturer=Quectel Product=EP06-E Serial=0123456789ABCDEF 2c7c 0306
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * Start of Modem Detection and Connection Information
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * Product=EP06-E 2c7c 0306
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * This device does not have a switch data file
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * Product=EP06-E 2c7c 0306
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 1 usb-storage
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Ignoring Linux Hub
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Found USB Storage
kern.notice kernel: [ 75.363407] random: crng init done
kern.notice kernel: [ 75.366935] random: 6 urandom warning(s) missed due to ratelimiting
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * Switched to : 2c7c:0306
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 1 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 2 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 3 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 4 option
user.notice Log Print : Driver Name : 5 qmi_wwan
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: * ProtoFind returns : 2
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *
user.notice usb-modeswitch: *****************************************************************
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Found Modem1
user.notice usb-modeswitch: Connecting a QMI Modem
user.notice Create Connection: Start QMI Connection
user.notice Create Connection: QMI Comm Port : /dev/ttyUSB2
user.notice Create Connection: WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT is “raw-ip”
user.notice Create Connection: Quectel Unsolicited Responses Disabled
user.notice Get Profile: Default Profile Used
user.notice Create Connection: Pincode in script
user.notice Create Connection: Attempting to Connect
user.notice sms process: SMS Supported
user.notice sms process: Reread SMS Messages on Modem 1
user.notice QMI Connect: WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT is “raw-ip”
user.notice QMI Connect: Waiting for network registration
user.notice QMI Connect: Starting network yesinternet
user.notice QMI Connect: Connection returned : -2119236240
user.notice QMI Connect: status is “connected”
user.notice QMI Connect: GET-CURRENT-SETTINGS is {“pdp-type”:“ipv4”,“ip-family”:“ipv4”,“mtu”:1900,“ipv4”:{“ip”:“10.141.54.131”,“dns1”:“198.142.152.162”,“dns2”:“198.142.152.163”,“gateway”:“10.141.54.132”,“subnet”:“255.255.255.248”},“ipv6”:{},“domain-names”:{}}
user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 Connection returned : “No effect”
user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 status is “connected”
user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 GET-CURRENT-SETTINGS is “Out of call”
user.notice QMI Connect: Handle raw-ip
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is enabled
daemon.notice netifd: Network device ‘wwan0’ link is up
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ has link connectivity
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is setting up now
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is now down
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is disabled
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is enabled
daemon.notice netifd: Interface ‘wan1’ is setting up now
daemon.notice netifd: wan1 (4330): udhcpc: started, v1.28.3
daemon.notice netifd: wan1 (4330): udhcpc: sending discover
daemon.notice netifd: wan1 (4330): udhcpc: sending discover
daemon.notice netifd: wan1 (4330): udhcpc: sending discover
user.notice Create Connection: Connected
user.notice Connection Monitor: Start Connection Monitor for Modem 1
daemon.err uhttpd[1863]: luci: accepted login on / for root from 192.168.1.2

============== MODEM DEBUG INFO ============

AT+QCFG=“nwscanmode”
+QCFG: “nwscanmode”,0
OK
AT+QTEMP
+QTEMP: 53,52,52
OK

Thu Aug 16 08:59:26 2018 : /dev/ttyUSB2 AT+CSQ
+CSQ: 19,99
OK

AT+QENG=“servingcell”
+QENG: “servingcell”,“NOCONN”,“LTE”,“FDD”,505,02,1A06D0A,175,1725,3,4,4,E86D,-105,-14,-72,8,24
OK

AT+QNWINFO
+QNWINFO: “FDD LTE”,“50502”,“LTE BAND 3”,1725
OK

AT+QCAINFO
OK

Thu Aug 16 08:59:27 2018 : /dev/ttyUSB2 AT+CPMS=“SM”
+CPMS: 0,20,0,20,0,20
OK

alzhao · 2019-12-02T07:06:56.811Z

Can you post on ROOter forum as well?

It is here https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2689577&p=-1&#bottom

0x0BEED3CA · 2019-12-02T08:23:17.844Z

I have mate:
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/3vx1k1r3?p=480#r65608253

0x0BEED3CA · 2019-12-05T11:29:59.170Z

In case anyone’s interested:

I was able to get my unit working with ROOter, thanks to some helpful folks on the Whirlpool ROOter thread.

The key is to switch the router <-> modem (EP06 in my case) communication protocol from QMI (the default) to MBIM (an emerging standard supported by Windows).

There’s a problem with the current ROOter release (for the Gl-X750) which, in QMI mode, stops it communicating on the internet once it’s connected to the 4G network. The “Network” part of the main “Status” page will show no WAN IP4 address, despite the “Network Status” page (“Modem” section) showing a radio connection to the 3G/4G WAN.

Hopefully this will be fixed in the future. Until then, switching the modem to MBIM mode sidesteps the issue. To do that, issue the following AT command and then power cycle (a reboot is not enough):

AT+QCFG=“usbnet”,2

You should now see “Protocol: MBIM” on the “Network” part of the main “Status” page, and you should be able to access the internet.

This change is sticky. Power cycling, rebooting, flashing, and resetting the config won’t change it.

To return to QMI mode, repeat the above command (and power cycle) using 0 instead of 2.

Please note that:

the stock GL firmware does not seem to support MBIM mode. If you reflash your unit to stock, you’ll have to return it to QMI mode for it to work on the internet.
this has been done with a sample size of 1 - my unit, and my unit has had many problems (as described elsewhere). It’s possible that ROOter will work out of the box with other units.

alzhao · 2019-12-05T15:09:11.656Z

Good to know. Guys from ROOter team is very nice and helpful.

0x0BEED3CA · 2019-12-09T01:05:27.248Z

Regarding point 1), that has mysteriously started working for me. I’ve been repeatedly flashing different firmwares recently (unrelated), and I noticed that at one stage, when running stock, the unit was communicating over the internet. The modem was still in MBIM mode (I checked this with AT+QCFG=“usbnet"). I have no idea why this hadn’t worked before.

RichP · 2020-08-26T22:28:33.812Z

What features does ROOter offer over the stock firmware?

phenobarbital · 2020-08-29T02:22:53.110Z

0x0BEED3CA:

user.notice Create Connection: WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT is “raw-ip”

The reason is exactly this:
user.notice Create Connection: WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT is “raw-ip”

When you use a modem over QMI and the data-format is “raw-ip” the system needs to know that modem is on “raw-ip”, without that, interface doesn’t get an IP address.

I think the guys on GL-Inet modify the stock firmware to working with Quectel EP06 in raw-ip modem, but on OpenWRT/ROOter or other firmware, you need to change manually the interface to “raw-ip”:
echo Y > /sys/class/net/wwan0/qmi/raw_ip
(or modify the file qmi.sh).

Also, MBIM is buggy for Quectel modems even in OpenWRT 19.07 (snapshot), mostly sometimes modem “freezes” and I need to restart.