# Presence of cellular modem



## balanga (Apr 30, 2021)

How can I tell if my ThinkPad T420 has a cellular modem installed?

There is a SIM slot behind the battery, but I don't know if it is connected to anything.


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## SirDice (Apr 30, 2021)

It's probably in an M.2 slot, so I expect it to show up with pciconf(8). If all else fails you could open up the laptop an look. But that does assume you're comfortable taking it apart. Although a lot of laptops have special trapdoors at the bottom to make it easier to swap things like this in and out, so look for those first.


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## balanga (Apr 30, 2021)

SirDice said:


> It's probably in an M.2 slot, so I expect it to show up with pciconf(8). If all else fails you could open up the laptop an look. But that does assume you're comfortable taking it apart. Although a lot of laptops have special trapdoors at the bottom to make it easier to swap things like this in and out, so look for those first.


I'm comfortable taking them apart, not so comfortable with putting them back together again...  

In pciconf() what class would it be shown as ... network... comms - didn't spot anything although this came up while booting

*ugen1.4: <Sierra Wireless Inc Sierra Wireless MC8355 - Gobi 3000(TM) Module> at usbus1*

which I guess is a cellular modem...


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## Deleted member 30996 (May 1, 2021)

This is the information source for Thinkpads:






						Category:Models - ThinkWiki
					






					thinkwiki.org
				




Here is the page for your T420:






						Category:T420 - ThinkWiki
					






					thinkwiki.org
				



Standard Features​One of the following WWAN adapters:

Gobi™ 3000 Sierra Wireless EV-DO/HSPA WWAN Minicard
There is also a Model number on the bottom of your laptop. Google it to see what that Model came equipped with.


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## balanga (May 1, 2021)

So, it looks like I have a cellular modem, now what do I need to do to use it?

Incidentally another source of info on ThinkPads can be found here which also includes some excellent technical information - Hardware Maintenance Manuals.


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## SirDice (May 3, 2021)

balanga said:


> ```
> ugen1.4: <Sierra Wireless Inc Sierra Wireless MC8355 - Gobi 3000(TM) Module> at usbus1
> ```


So it looks like it's connected through USB. Try loading umodem(4), see if that finds anything useful.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 3, 2021)

SirDice said:


> It's probably in an M.2 slot, so I expect it to show up with pciconf(8). If all else fails you could open up the laptop an look. But that does assume you're comfortable taking it apart. Although a lot of laptops have special trapdoors at the bottom to make it easier to swap things like this in and out, so look for those first.



The T-series don't have a trap door, unfortunately. There are normally 6 or so screws in the bottom and then you have to pop the entire bottom off by working a spudger all around the base and popping the catches - not for the faint of heart.



SirDice said:


> So it looks like it's connected through USB. Try loading umodem(4), see if that finds anything useful.



Different T-series models supported different WWAN cards. I believe the newest one is the Fibocom L850-GL which uses an Intel chipset. The OP has a Sierra Wireless one based on a Qualcomm chipset. They are generally not interchangable as Lenovo uses an annoying whitelist of allowable WWAN modules and older cards are not supported on newer models (or vice versa). My T480 has an M.2 port that can be used either for a WWAN card or a SSD. The MC8355 is a Mini-PCIe card, not an M.2 card, IIRC.

_Edited 4-May-2021 to add:_ Actually, the situation is even worse than that. Both 01AX792 and 02HK709 are Lenovo-branded Fibocom L850-GL cards. But the 02HK709 card is rejected with the dreaded "1802: Unauthorized network card is plugged in - Power off and remove the network card." error, even though it is a Lenovo ThinkPad card. It is used in the Carbon series of ThinkPads. Not even Lenovo's site explains this.

The cards generally expose both PCI and USB functions - there's a lot going on in there. On the Sierra cards, the base modem gets a COM port, there's a firmware download COM port, a NMEA COM port and yet another COM port that responds to AT commands. I don't remember if there is a PCI-to-USB controller in the modem or whether it gets its USB connectivity from pins on the Mini-PCIe socket. In either case, there's a "USB Root Hub" that breaks out the USB connection into the multiple pseudo-devices.

One thing to watch out on the T-series is that they were built as WWAN-preinstalled and no-WWAN configurations. Very few were built as WWAN-upgradable. If it didn't have a WWAN card preinstalled and wasn't built as WWAN-upgradable, the system is probably lacking the WWAN antennas in the lid. Fortunately, you don't have to disassemble the lid to find out - if the antennas are there, you will see 2 coax cables (normally orange and blue on the T-series) routed to near the mainboard connector for the WWAN card.

It is possible (but extremely unpleasant) to purchase the WWAN antennas on eBay / AliExpress / etc. to add WWAN support to a system built without it. This is not recommended unless you're also replacing the display panel at the same time.


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## balanga (May 4, 2021)

Terry_Kennedy said:


> The T-series don't have a trap door, unfortunately. There are normally 6 or so screws in the bottom and then you have to pop the entire bottom off by working a spudger all around the base and popping the catches - not for the faint of heart.



On the T420 the memory cover exposes a memory slot opposite a slot for a WWAN which I suspect could be exchanged for an mSata card. It's very accessible.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 4, 2021)

balanga said:


> On the T420 the memory cover exposes a memory slot opposite a slot for a WWAN which I suspect could be exchanged for an mSata card. It's very accessible.


That's good to hear. My only real experience with disassembly has been on the T480, which is a bit more difficult to work on. 

I guess your system did have a card (and antennas) installed?


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## balanga (May 7, 2021)

Since I'm stuck with this thing not knowing what to do I installed a copy of Windows 10 to see if I could actually make a connection somewhere... After installing a device driver for the modem I got the Network Connections folder up and it listed the Sierra Wireless MC8355 as a Mobile connection, but showed it as Not Connected. A SIM card which works on my WWAN router has been inserted but I can't get it to connect. I can't find anywhere to enter an APN etc. So at this point I can't tell if the modem has stopped functioning or maybe it is locked.

I do recall something about unlocking these modems some time ago but can't remember specifics.

Can anyone give me a clue?

Are there any commands I can issue from a FreeBSD prompt that can give me some idea about the status of the modem? eg can I tell if a SIM card is installed/locked?


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 7, 2021)

balanga said:


> Since I'm stuck with this thing not knowing what to do I installed a copy of Windows 10 to see if I could actually make a connection somewhere... After installing a device driver for the modem I got the Network Connections folder up and it listed the Sierra Wireless MC8355 as a Mobile connection, but showed it as Not Connected. A SIM card which works on my WWAN router has been inserted but I can't get it to connect. I can't find anywhere to enter an APN etc. So at this point I can't tell if the modem has stopped functioning or maybe it is locked.


These cards are best described as "twitchy". You did the right thing (IMHO) by trying it under Windows 10 first. Is the SIM you are testing with from a 4G device? If it is from an older 3G device the card may or may not recognize it.

It is also possible that the MC8355 card had firmware for a different carrier loaded onto it. New-out-of-the-box cards load firmware that matches the SIM at boot time (which is why brand new cards with no SIM installed boot-loop).

You will likely need to install the vendor-specific driver for your card (which you may already have done). After that, with a SIM inserted, your PC should display a message in the Windows 10 notification area saying something like "Configuring your mobile broadband card - do not turn off your computer". When that finishes (and possibly after a reboot) when you click on the network icon in the Windows 10 tray, you should see something like this:







Of course, it will show your carrier name if you're not using Verizon, and "Not connected". It may also say "getting ready" but you can click "Connect" when when it says that.

If you do all of that and it still says you can't connect and wants an APN, etc. it generally means that your cellular provider wants IMEI registration for devices (in other words, they need to know you moved the SIM to a different device).

Another diagnostic tool you can use is "Mobile Broadband SMS Toolkit" from here. As long as your modem is detected you don't need a cellular connection to use it to display useful information. This is what its "Status" screen looks like:






Post back with your results and I'll try to help out more.


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## balanga (May 7, 2021)

I'm using a 4G  SIM which works fine in ThinkPad X1 Carbon, as well as a TP-LINK 4G router. I just downloaded the driver from Lenovo eaarlier today. Previously the device was not recognised. Now in Network connections it shows Mobile but not connected. If I click on it it shows another screen where I can select Mobile from a list of interfaces. If I click on that nothing happens, it shows that it is turned off. On my X1 it says 'Insert SIM' when I select Mobile. Clicking on Properties -> Configure -> General it says the device is working properly.

Not sure what you mean about installing a vendor-specific driver for the card.

I remeber Phishfry telling me about some program a few years ago which lifted some restriction on a card I was trying with an X61. I'll try and locate that thread.

I'm staggered by your SPEEDTEST results!


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 7, 2021)

balanga said:


> I'm using a 4G  SIM which works fine in ThinkPad X1 Carbon, as well as a TP-LINK 4G router. I just downloaded the driver from Lenovo eaarlier today. Previously the device was not recognised. Now in Network connections it shows Mobile but not connected. If I click on it it shows another screen where I can select Mobile from a list of interfaces. If I click on that nothing happens, it shows that it is turned off. On my X1 it says 'Insert SIM' when I select Mobile. Clicking on Properties -> Configure -> General it says the device is working properly.


What exactly do you get when you click on the Network icon in the system tray? Do you see the name of your cellular carrier there (as shown in my first photo)? If not, verify that your SIM is inserted the correct side up and orientation (there should be an indentation in the case near the SIM slot that shows the correct orientation). My T480 takes a Nano SIM - if yours takes a larger SIM, you'll need an adapter unless your SIM is already that size. It isn't possible to reliably position a too-small SIM in a larger socket.


balanga said:


> Not sure what you mean about installing a vendor-specific driver for the card.


You already installed the Lenovo driver, so you should be good to go.


balanga said:


> I remeber Phishfry telling me about some program a few years ago which lifted some restriction on a card I was trying with an X61. I'll try and locate that thread.


I don't think you're getting far enough for that to be an issue. What does the Mobile Broadband SMS Toolkit I linked to show?


balanga said:


> I'm staggered by your SPEEDTEST results!


They are pretty much the theoretical maximum for the card I have, in the notebook I have (it is a 10-year-old Dell Studio 1558 with the latest available Mini-PCIe WWAN card). I have a Lenovo T480 with an L850-GL card which is a newer M.2 Class 9 card, which should be able to get 450Mbit/sec down (but not here in NYC where the cell towers are running at capacity).


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## balanga (May 7, 2021)

Found it - Thread 61931


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## balanga (May 7, 2021)

Some progress....I found the SIM was inserted upside down! It is the other way round to my X1, also, it is possible to insert it the wrong way round. The diagram on the tab used to help extract the SIM is tiny, also it isn't spring loaded so you need to pull the tab to extract the SIM.

Thanks to the program you mentioned, it showed that the Hardware radio state was off, so I searched around for the switch, not easy to find.. and once it was on I could select Mobile from the list of interfaces, and it turned blue, only to reveal 'Account not active'.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 7, 2021)

balanga said:


> Some progress....I found the SIM was inserted upside down! It is the other way round to my X1, also, it is possible to insert it the wrong way round. The diagram on the tab used to help extract the SIM is tiny, also it isn't spring loaded so you need to pull the tab to extract the SIM.





balanga said:


> Thanks to the program you mentioned, it showed that the Hardware radio state was off, so I searched around for the switch, not easy to find.. and once it was on I could select Mobile from the list of interfaces, and it turned blue, only to reveal 'Account not active'.


When the SIM is in another device, does that one show the account as active? If it does, then you probably need to contact your cellular provider and tell them you are using the SIM in a new device and give them the IMEI from your T420's modem. If it isn't active in another device, then you probably need to get your account reinstated.


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## balanga (May 8, 2021)

The same SIM works without problem in both my X1  and a TP-LINK 4G router. I suspect there is something in the modem blocking access to the SIM card. Think I'll try issuing some `AT` commands via cu() and see what I come up with...


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

I found another WWAN card in my deceased X220 - another Sierra Wireless MC8355, installed in my T420 and booted up Windows 10, got onto the Lenovo site and downloaded drivers and tried to get connected, but am told the account is not active. Searching around lenovo broadband actvation led me here:-

https://support.lenovo.com/gb/en/do...tivation-for-windows-7-32-bit-64-bit-notebook 

Installed it and nothing...still get Account not active, so I guess it's blocked. Any way to confirm this and maybe unblock it from FreeBSD?


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## Deleted member 30996 (May 16, 2021)

balanga said:


> I remeber Phishfry telling me about some program a few years ago which lifted some restriction on a card I was trying with an X61. I'll try and locate that thread.


Are you talking about flashing the custom BIOS for Thinkpads?

I would be asking these questions at the forum you linked to earlier.


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

No, flashing the BIOS was to overcome some whitelist restriction on unsupported modems. In this case the modem is supported but it is likely locked to a particular ISP.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 16, 2021)

balanga said:


> I found another WWAN card in my deceased X220 - another Sierra Wireless MC8355, installed in my T420 and booted up Windows 10, got onto the Lenovo site and downloaded drivers and tried to get connected, but am told the account is not active.


You need a SIM card associated with an activated data plan. As long as the modem is recognized, you're good to go at the OS level. I just tried an AT&T SIM from a defunct account and got this:





Which is the expected "No Service". If I go into Settings / Network / Cellular / View My Account to sign up for service it tells me there is a problem with the SIM card and to visit an AT&T store.



balanga said:


> Searching around lenovo broadband actvation led me here:-
> 
> https://support.lenovo.com/gb/en/do...tivation-for-windows-7-32-bit-64-bit-notebook
> 
> Installed it and nothing...still get Account not active, so I guess it's blocked. Any way to confirm this and maybe unblock it from FreeBSD?


That driver is for Windows 7. Windows 10 uses a completely different architecture for mobile broadband. All you need is the Windows 10 driver for your particular computer and card (which you downloaded from Lenovo with the previous modem) and an active SIM for the cellular provider you want to use.

Once you get it working in Windows 10, it _should_ continue to work in FreeBSD, at least until the laptop is power cycled (some carrier firmware is flashed to the card while others is just downloaded and run).


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

My SIM card is fine, I can use it in an X1 Carbon without any problem. It sounds like the modem is locked.

I did come across this site but wasn't sure about it









						Download Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Mobile Broadband Activation Utility 4.0.0020 for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Vista 64 bit, Windows 7, Windows 7 64 bit
					

Download Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Mobile Broadband Activation Utility 4.0.0020 (Other Drivers & Tools)




					drivers.softpedia.com
				




There's also this which I justcame across:-



			How do I activate my Sierra Wireless MC8355 data card? - Thinkpads Forum


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 16, 2021)

balanga said:


> In this case the modem is supported but it is likely locked to a particular ISP.


That is unlikely to be the case. Carrier lock normally happens on subsidized devices like tablets that you get from the carrier.

However, switching a mobile broadband modem from one carrier to another is not entirely simple. You need a SIM from the carrier you want to use. When you power on the computer with the new SIM installed, the Sierra driver will look for the appropriate carrier firmware in its bundle. In your case, those files are probably in C:\Program Files (x86)\Sierra Wireless Inc\Gobi\Images\5000. There will be a main .cwe firmware image and a carrier-specific .nvu personalization image. Sometimes the Sierra software "forgets" to load new firmware and personalization images. You can force a firmware update by running C:\Program Files\Sierra Wireless Inc\Utils\SwiFwUpdateUI.exe. The modem will disappear and reappear a few times because loading new firmware and personalization reboots the modem.

My T480 uses a Fibocom (Intel) card that behaves somewhat differently, but I have a lot of experience with Sierra cards in Dell notebooks.

In general, I wouldn't trust a driver from one of those 3rd-party driver sites. They often want to install a "driver updater" utility that generally makes things worse. Anyway, that link says it is for Windows XP through Windows 7. As I mentioned above, Windows 10 uses a totally different framework.


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## Phishfry (May 16, 2021)

Using a Sierra Modem in Windows 10 is bad news.
Windows 10 will download new firmware onto your Sierra modem via Windows Updates.
This firmware will leave you with only MBIM protocol.
No AT Terminal present. MBIM only.
This is a disaster for anything but Windows.

Using Windows 7 with Sierra Watcher or Skylight is a good method to get things running.
It should show status of the SIM as well.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 16, 2021)

Phishfry said:


> Using a Sierra Modem in Windows 10 is bad news.
> Windows 10 will download new firmware onto your Sierra modem via Windows Updates.
> This firmware will leave you with only MBIM protocol.
> No AT Terminal present. MBIM only.
> This is a disaster for anything but Windows.


This is controlled by the registry key HKLM > SOFTWARE > Sierra Wireless > QDL > USBCOMP. Changing it from the default of 9 (MBIM only) to 8 (MBIM / DM / NMEA / AT) gets you the full AT command set and enables the GPS. There's also a Linux script called swi_usbcomp.pl if you prefer to boot from a Linux live CD and avoid the Windows registry (assuming you're changing it for use with FreeBSD).

Also, for my MC7355 in a Dell notebook, the modem drivers are provided by Sierra (via Dell):




And the firmware is also from Sierra - as I mentioned previously, the firmware that is loaded into the modem comes from C:\Program Files (x86)\Sierra Wireless Inc\Gobi\Images\5000.


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## Phishfry (May 16, 2021)

Yes I used that perl script to recover a used Win 10 module from ebay.
So balanga should first look at the USB composition of his modem.

I also agree with Terry_Kennedy about locked modem. Most internal modems are not carrier locked.
The external usb stick modems are more likely to be carrier locked. These usually have a FAT partition with software and drivers in mass storage device.


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

Not sure what is meant by USB composition, but if I knew I would look.
If it helps, I'll use a Windows 7 disk and see if I can enable the modem...


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

Terry_Kennedy said:


> This is controlled by the registry key HKLM > SOFTWARE > Sierra Wireless > QDL > USBCOMP. Changing it from the default of 9 (MBIM only) to 8 (MBIM / DM / NMEA / AT) gets you the full AT command set and enables the GPS. There's also a Linux script called swi_usbcomp.pl if you prefer to boot from a Linux live CD and avoid the Windows registry (assuming you're changing it for use with FreeBSD).
> 
> Also, for my MC7355 in a Dell notebook, the modem drivers are provided by Sierra (via Dell):
> 
> ...


I'm now running Windows 7 (God how I hate running Windows!) and the driver is similar - swg3kser01.sys - just downloaded it from Lenovo.

When I open up Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings

then I can see Mobile Broadband Connection Sierra Wireless MC8355 so it has been recognised, but when I click on it it shows Verizon Wireless, but it's greyed out (as you would expect) so the modem is definitely tied up with Verizon. So the question remains, how do I unlock it from Verizon?


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## balanga (May 16, 2021)

Found a link to
Lenovo Mobile Broadband Activation for Windows 7​
of course, it doesn't work in the UK...


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## Phishfry (May 16, 2021)

Terry_Kennedy  showed exactly how to see the USB composition from Windows. You must examine a registry key.

I am unfamiliar with the MC8355 but I will assume it is like the rest of the Sierra line.

You need to establish what the carrier that you want to use (your sim) has for a wireless network.
CDMA or GSM.








						CDMA vs. GSM: What's the Difference?
					

It's time to walk away from CDMA and GSM, two technologies in their twilight years. No matter how much you love your old phone, you need to move to 4G or 5G.




					www.pcmag.com
				




So you will need to flash a firmware onto your modem if you are not using Verizon.
There are a few options. 
A generic firmware Sierra offers might work or perhaps a carrier specific firmware is available.
The Sierra Source site has everything you need.


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