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I've recently been struggling with the problem written in the title. Lenovo sells this Laptop with official Linux support and also allows you to buy this modem for an additional ~$300. However, it cannot be used, as it is FCC-locked (some background on this and what it means): There is a Linux Manual for the T14s Gen 5 which tells you to download the "wwan-linux-fcc-unlock package from the product support page". There is no such package on the product support page. The package exists on GitHub but does not support the T14s Gen 5 for this modem.

How can I use this modem with Ubuntu?

vidarlo
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J. Abrams
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1 Answers1

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The modem is 'fcc - locked' which means that you won't be able to use it unless you send some special command to the modem everytime you boot up your machine. The good news? It's super-easy. If you know the command. Here's some more background information:

  • The ModemManager (where this explanation is from) already includes some unlock commands.
  • It also includes the command for the Quectel EM120R-GL, but not for the Quectel RM520N-GL.
  • The command for the Quectel RM520N-GL turns out to be the exact same one. However, it's a different modem, so ModemManager won't recognize it and won't trigger the magic command. In other words, just using the procedure described on the ModemManager homepage won't work. You need to manually run that command.

And here's what you have to do to use your modem:

  • Find out what your modem is called internally (its 'primary port'). This can be done by opening a console and typing mmcli -L which gives you a list of modems. You should only have one - it should have ID 0. If that's the case, type mmcli -m 0 and find the 'primary port'. You only need to do this a single time, the port will usually remain the same.
  • Now, every time you reboot, run the following command once:
  • sudo mbimcli --device-open-proxy --device="/dev/YourPrimaryPort" --quectel-set-radio-state=on
  • This is the 'magic command' that unlocks your modem and makes it usable.
  • If you want to find out if it worked, run mbimcli --device-open-proxy --device="/dev/YourPrimaryPort" --quectel-query-radio-state before and after executing the command above. The status should change from 'fcc-locked' to 'on'.
  • That's it, enjoy your new mobile connection! You should now be able to connect. Of course, you need to set up your mobile connection first using the network manager in the task bar.

Some notes:

  • Apparently, some of these unlocking procedures don't work with US Sim Cards, at least according to the Lenovo Forums and the package I've linked above. I'm not living in the US, so I can't test that.
  • Sometimes, the modem magically disappears from the list of modems. Either wait until it magically comes back or reboot your PC in that case.
J. Abrams
  • 151