Posted on

How to configure Citycell Zoom USB Modem for Linux (EC325)

Today I have configured the CDMA USB modem (HUWAEI EC325) provided by citycell with their zoom connection to use in my linux distro (Mandriva Spring 2007) – Heres how to-

Attach the modem with your pc/laptop

1. check if the USB device is detected properly
cat /proc/bus/usb/devices

you will get some output like this

…..
…..
T: Bus=02 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=05 Cnt=02 Dev#= 4 Spd=12 MxCh= 0
D: Ver= 1.01 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS=16 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=12d1 ProdID=1001 Rev= 0.00
S: Manufacturer=Huawei Technologies
S: Product=Huawei Mobile
S: SerialNumber=HUAWEI EC3X1
C:* #Ifs= 2 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=100mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff Driver=pl2303
E: Ad=81(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS= 16 Ivl=128ms
E: Ad=8a(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms
E: Ad=0b(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms
I: If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff Driver=pl2303
E: Ad=83(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms
E: Ad=06(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS= 64 Ivl=0ms
…..
…..

2. Now probe for this USB device
modprobe usbserial vendor=0x12d1 product=0x1001

3. Now check with dmesg if it has been successfully probed
dmesg

you will get some output like this

[ 2315.412106] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial
[ 2315.412508] drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial support registered for generic
[ 2315.461938] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial_generic
[ 2315.461945] drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial Driver core
[ 2315.480382] drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial support registered for pl2303
[ 2315.480414] pl2303 2-6:1.0: pl2303 converter detected
[ 2315.480608] usb 2-6: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
[ 2315.480620] pl2303 2-6:1.1: pl2303 converter detected
[ 2315.480691] usb 2-6: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB1

4. Now configure your wvdial.conf as shown here.
vi /etc/wvdial.conf

[Modem0]
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
Baud = 230400
SetVolume = 0
Dial Command = ATDT
Init1 = ATZ
FlowControl = Hardware (CRTSCTS)
[Dialer cdma]
Username = waps
Password = waps
Phone = #777
Stupid Mode = 1
Inherits = Modem0

Now save this file

You are done!!

Now you can connect to internet by applying the following command in shell

wvdial cdma

Thats it!

118 thoughts on “How to configure Citycell Zoom USB Modem for Linux (EC325)”

  2. No Omi, You are wrong.

    I have been using GP’s EDGE from the very first. The service drastically varies from location to location. In Shamoli these days I get around 2-4killo byte/s

    I need a good connection to keep myself alive – so finally I’d switched to zoom and yeah, I am happy with almost 17killo byte/s

    For the time being Citycell providing much better service than GP’s EDGE

    Reply

  4. Nice post but I am totally upset to use wireless connection and I have an bad experience about it and I just waste my papa’s money, nothing else.

    I used Banglalink’s GPRS service. They told me on average I got 47 kbps. Whereas I got 2 to 3 kbps. Sometimes I got 2 or 4 bytes. Can you imagine? And also on customer care I was talking about that… they tried to miss guide me about internet speed and they also understand they couldn’t managed me. After that I terminated my BL SIM. And promised that, never ever I use in our countries wireless connecteion. Because, they know only money and quietly nonsense about customer service. Right?

    Now I got 30 kbps all time and sometimes it corss 47 kbps and on rare case I got 10 kbps. oh 😦

    Better, talk with ZIP and you have to invest 15000 tk (for setup everything) and per month 1500 tk. But, on area based they some strick terms. Maybe you get better service from citycell and other services.

    Inshallah, In future I’ll setup my own internet connection…no sharing …. 😉

    Reply

  5. Zip isn’t a good choice Sakib. I’d Zip lin and its really cool for first 2/3 month. Then it sucks! I heard same thing happened to some of my friends too… better use BOL or AGNI…

    Thanks a lot Hasin bhai…. I will change my GP net… GP service getting very bad day by day…Seems citycell is good.. but there is a very bad thing is b/w limitation… whatsoever… if anybody wanna use citycell this article helps lot… so good job 😀

    Thanks~

    Reply

  6. Thanks hasin bhai for the useful post. Since we both live in the same area, you can easily understand my GP edge experience.
    I think I should switch to zoom too. Can you write some tips about switching? 😀
    That’d of great help.

    Reply

  8. hasin vy, congrats for new modem.
    actually you people are saying that GP EDGE service is going down. I am also another victim. they are increasing their customer without increasing their quaility. I sent some feedback on newspaper. but all newspaper are their “Dalal”. they did not publish those.
    but i still think both citycell & GP are vampire as per last decade. gp’s EDGE service quality decreased day by day. and I am quite sure same will happen to citycell within very short time. and their offer is really funny.how can I measure how much data i am transferring.from last week each day I download at least 500MB using GP, yep believe me. so what will be my bill in citycell for this?rubbish.
    but still i think as their speed is good now, it can be a good temporary solution who can afford it;).

    Reply

  10. Thanks Hasin vi and all for your discussion about internet speed. I wanted to get a Zoom connection. The modem is very costly for me. My brother is in citycell. He suggested me to wait. The cost will be deducted to 3000/- . I am waiting for that. Recently Dhaka phone launched in Dhaka City area. They are giving internet line with their connection. A dhakaphone connection with a set they charge 2500/- then 500/- for internet connection. I talked with them about their speed. They said they will give 230kbps and no use no bill option. I am interested. I did a query for Babar road. They said dts tower is not yet set up in Mohammadpur area. That’s why I will not get internet facility right now. Again I am waiting …

    Reply

  11. thanx guys.recently i got a laptop.so i m thinking 2 use gp or citycell’ intrenet connection but i m confused.some of my frds suggested 2 use gp again some suggested citycell.i dont know which one is better.urs comment gave me an idea.i m also 4m shamoly(p c culture).so can u really suggest me which one is better.

    Reply

  12. Well, I am from Wari, Dhaka. I have been using GP Edge for quite some time. As Hasin bhai posted, the speed of Edge varies from one place to other.

    And, like others I would say, the service of GP has been deteriorating drastically, at least in perspective of the ISP service.

    I use both, Desktop & Laptop in my home. I generally use Laptop for my emergency online uses, or sometimes when I need to stay online for at least 20hrs at a stretch. Though previously it worked with GP, but these days it’s even hardly possible. Worse, during midnight, sometimes it’s not even possible to get connected.

    As I am writing these, I am currently using the GP Edge, and am having a really hard time to even browse the simple websites, let alone do anything else. If it continues like these, the future does not look so promising for GP.

    Reply

  13. i have tested another service provided by “Global Online Services Limited” they use citycell network but provides their own Bandwidth.

    i got 64kbps where citycell network is very poor and got 136kbps where citycell has full network.

    Price one time 1000/- and monthly 1300/-
    if you interested to avail this service you can contact with Global Online or with me.

    Reply

  15. Hello,
    I am using GP’s internet service. Will your driver configuration work on Anik’s edge modem and on GP?

    I am using GNU/Linux
    BTW: i am getting 20 kbps dl speed with GP \;)

    Reply

  20. I am opting for Citycell Zoom USB modem to connect to net from my laptop. I will be staying in Shidheshwari area. Can anyone give any idea what kind of speed I can expect in that area? ( during evenings and past midnight)
    Thanks.

    Reply
  22. 1st of all some of ur seeming confuse about the different between kbps & KBps . 1KBPS=8kbps. & if u have trouble with gp edge in linux email me. I am using UBUNTU(7.10) & HOIMONTI. Also for edge always use edge modem not gprs modem or u will g says:

    http://www.bdlinux.com

    Reply

  24. Guess what?
    I had to reinstall my Fedora 8 for a reason, and this time I didnt do any of the things mentioned above. I just add a new modem using Network Manager, and pointed the modem device to /dev/ttyUSB0. Then I activated the device, and I got connected.
    It seems that I dont need to do anything mentioned above to connect my Zoom 🙂

    Reply

  27. i brought citycell Zoom pakage with huawei CDMA5320 handset.but my driver software did not work. It show MSVCRTD.dll file missing.what iam doing.

    Reply

  28. I’m using motorola v3i razr , but mu modem is not detecting in linux – redhat 5.

    Using # sudo wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf

    Any suggestion?

    -Sujit

    Reply

  29. Hi
    I have a pb with my huawei ec325 connection. I configured the file wvdial.conf; i obtained an IP ADRESSE and a DNS IP adresse ; I can ping the FAI DNS; but when I lunch google under mozilla i get nothing.
    any body has idea for help

    Reply

  30. Hi,
    I am using Anik’s Edge Modem (with GP’s unlimited package P2) for the last six months in Windows smooth and steady and am satisfied with the service.
    Now want to configure the modem to work in Linux (not Ubuntu).
    I did many things like ‘wvdial’, but it can’t detect my modem. When I plug in the modem, it connects in /dev/ttyUSB0. I tried to configure KPPP, it gets the modem, but the ‘initializing the modem’ screen never ends. I read a blog where (I guess ‘salahuddin bhai’ mentioned about ‘udev’), what actually he mentioned was not clear to me. So I am quite at a loss. What to do, can you help me please?

    Ashis

    Reply

  31. hey guys i m really confused with ur comments………everyone is telling different things…….can anyone tell me that should i use zoom or agni. If zoom then where can i get it in gulshan and what will be the average speed??? PLZ HELP ME IN THIS…!!!

    Reply

  33. Hasin Bhai,

    I fallow ur instruction and setup GPRS (TeleTalk) USB modem FC8 . Now it works. But i can’t browse in Firefox. Here i show u my configuration and wvdial status. I use SIEMENS
    CX70 GSM Mobile.

    [Modem0]
    Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
    Baud = 115200
    SetVolume = 0
    Dial Command = ATDP
    Init1 = ATZ
    Init3 = ATM0
    FlowControl = CRTSCTS
    [Dialer gprs]
    Username=waps
    Password=waps
    Phone=*99***1#
    Stupid Mode=1
    Inherits=Modem0

    [root@localhost ~]# wvdial gprs
    –> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.60
    –> Cannot get information for serial port.
    –> Initializing modem.
    –> Sending: ATZ
    ATZ
    OK
    –> Sending: ATM0
    ATM0
    OK
    –> Modem initialized.
    –> Sending: ATDP*99***1#
    –> Waiting for carrier.
    ATDP*99***1#
    CONNECT
    ~[7f]}#@!}!}#} }9}”}&} }*} } }’}”}(}”}%}&X[16]#z}#}%B#}%(}4~
    –> Carrier detected. Starting PPP immediately.
    –> Starting pppd at Wed Feb 13 01:24:07 2008
    –> Pid of pppd: 3235
    –> Using interface ppp0
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> local IP address 172.18.64.159
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> remote IP address 192.168.254.254
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> primary DNS address 192.168.145.101
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]
    –> secondary DNS address 199.202.55.10
    –> pppd: �E�[08]�E�[08]�O�[08]

    This is the last connecting stage.

    How do i sure that i am connected. If my configuring is right than what can i do for browsing? Tell me please.

    Thanks again.
    Mithu

    Reply

  35. In firefox go 2 edit>preference>advance>network & select automatic proxy configuration. without this f.fox cant go internet using edge/gprs/zoom

    Reply

  36. Nice post there, I’m gonna try the method you outlined. However i have a similar problem as Ashis // January 25, 2008 at 3:55 pm . my converter detects but i cant seem to add a standard modemto the /dev/ttyUSB0 port here as well.
    i tried the network-config utility but it only has for ttys and ttyacm (i think) but definately no usb. How can i add the usb port and use the modem on it…

    Tanx in advance

    Reply

  38. Hi,
    Thanks Hasiv vai, using your guide to use citycell zoom, I have connected the Mobidata USB EDGE modem in Linux.

    Here’s what I did,

    1. cat /proc/bus/usb/devices [as told by Hasin vai]

    2. Search for the following lines in output:

    P: Vendor=10ce ProdID=ea6a Rev= 1.00
    S: Manufacturer=Silicon Labs
    S: Product=MobiData EDGE USB Modem

    3. modprobe usbserial vendor=0×10ce product=0×ea6a

    4. dmesg

    At the end of the output you will find this:

    usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial
    drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial support registered for generic
    usbserial_generic 3-2:1.0: generic converter detected
    usb 3-2: generic converter now attached to ttyUSB0
    usbcore: registered new interface driver usbserial_generic
    drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial Driver core

    5. Instead of ttyUSB0, there may be ttyUSB1/ttyUSB2..

    6. Now like Hasin vai, I didn’t use wvdial, instead I use KPPP [you will find it in the menu]

    7. Click on configure
    8. In the Accounts tab, click on new->manual setup
    9. Give any connection name, for example ‘GP’
    10. add a dial number, “*99***1#”, then OK
    11.click on Modem tab
    12. new->give a modem name, for example,”Mobidata”
    13. Select modem device as “/dev/ttyUSB0” [or in your case what you find in step4]
    14. OK
    15 use any name and password for login ID and Password. This has no significance in our case, KPPP requires that.

    16. Hit on Connect, you are done 🙂 [Using KPPP any dialup modem can be connected.]

    Sory for my long comment 🙂
    Have a nice day.

    Reply

  40. can anyone help me with the installation of citycell zoom connection in ubuntu 8.04? my laptop is dell inspiron 1420 and modem is alcatel music provided by citycell.

    Reply
  44. Pingback: Configuring Citycell Zoom with Nokia 3155 CDMA for Ubuntu 8.04 (hardy) « Junal on the run

  46. hi guys anybody 0f you who lives in dhanmondi meena bazar area/road no. 7A area who uses National phone Internet service can you confirm me how much speed you are getting?and is the speed stable or constant meaning is speed goes up and down or stay same always?

    and is speed on national phone depends on time of the day?if so when you get more and less speed?

    please let me know cause i want to buy a national phone connection .But it costs 3000 taka.So i want to know if its any good.I dont want to buy anything that might prove to be a waste of my money.
    I already used GP and teletalk but both are bad and in Dhanmondi too many people are using GP EDGE or other mobile internet service so its very slow speed here.

    many thanks.

    Reply

  47. I am using Huawi EC325 modem with linux Fedora 15. I have got nice speed wich is better than windows

    Reply

  55. Bhaia,

    I have heard a lot about you. I have a problem and hope you can figure that out. About me: I m studying in Electronics ans communication ENG. at Khulna university and have completed CNAP (Cisco networking academy program). I have somewhat knowledge about linux.

    At Home I have tried to share an internet connection on a LAN through the WIN XP’s Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service. My PC is connected to the internet via a Wireless USB EDGE Modem. I have used dynamic IP configuration (DHCP) to the PC’s in the LAN. After sharing the connection, for a few minutes everything works fine. But after that A dialog box appears with the title “Generic host process for Win32 services” and the MODEM gets disconnected, so the internet connection. I have talked to many people but have not found a solution. .I require a steady shared connection at my home in windows platform preferably Win XP.

    I use a Mobidata USB EDGE MOdem. Can u tell me how can i install it in linux/unix platform (Preferably ES 4). Because If i can make things work in linux i would stick to that.

    Please let me know the solutions for both WIN and LINUX platforms and work things out.

    Thanking u.
    Ruhu

    Reply

  56. So far so good. I have tried a number of services before – but could not stick to them, on average, more than 4 months. I have been zoomed on for over a year now. Looking forward to a much faster service in future.

    Taher.

    Reply

  62. I have a national phone internet connection. When I use this phone it shows 230 kbps and utilize 40%. Is this the real spead?
    How can I know the real speed?
    Is citycell zoom better than NP?

    Reply

  64. do not fuss anymore.. i am using zoom in comilla kandirpar area at a good>better speed at 17-29KBps… previously i used gp-EDGE and got 6-10KBps so far.. sometimes it sucked 0.5-1KBps too….so judge by yourself

    Reply

  65. Hi everybody,
    Still mobile companys are playing with customers. I am from S. Korea now. Here internet speed over 2mbs and monthly cost about 20$. Everyday I use skype video chat with my family, they are using GP monthly fixed 1150tk and getting unlimited and speed 460kbs that is top most. You can test your speed using this website. http://us.mcafee.com/root/speedometer/test_0600.asp
    To get high speed you have to use 3G mobile set. You can see on nokia website. As I know lowest price of 3G mobile phone is Nokia 5200 model and thats price about 8000tk.

    Thank u.

    Reply

  69. I followed your guidelines.(copyand paste your entire commands including user name/password).But at the end of the process some error message has been shown as follows.
    ATZ
    OK
    –> Modem initialized.
    –> Sending: ATDT#777
    –> Waiting for carrier.
    ATDT#777
    CONNECT 230400
    –> Carrier detected. Starting PPP immediately.
    –> Starting pppd at Sat Feb 14 23:13:45 2009
    –> Pid of pppd: 6067
    –> Using interface ppp0
    –> pppd: `?[06][08]`?[06][08]??[06][08]
    –> pppd: `?[06][08]`?[06][08]??[06][08]
    –> pppd: `?[06][08]`?[06][08]??[06][08]
    –> pppd: `?[06][08]`?[06][08]??[06][08]
    –> pppd: `?[06][08]`?[06][08]??[06][08]
    –> Disconnecting at Sat Feb 14 23:13:52 2009
    –> The PPP daemon has died: Authentication error.
    –> We failed to authenticate ourselves to the peer.
    –> Maybe bad account or password? (exit code = 19)
    –> man pppd explains pppd error codes in more detail.
    –> I guess that’s it for now, exiting
    –> The PPP daemon has died. (exit code = 19)

    Reply
  71. Pingback: Configuring Citycell Zoom USB Modem on Fedora Linux « ….~Reflections~…..

  73. hi,
    i have just seen this site and come to know some experience . i am using GP’s explore P2 package in mandriva 2007 discovery with nokia mobile phone using blootooth device. i am in Sylhet. the most astonishing fact is that my download speed has been 20 to 26 kbps since i bought my sim. isn’t it interesting! currently i am downloading mandriva 2009 free dvd(4.3 GB) and it’s almost finished, it took me only three days to complete. i am very pleased with the speed that i am getting. but the main fact is that this mobile phone is my friend’s so i have to buy a edge modem. can anyone tell me which modem i should buy? i tried to configure mobidata edge modem in mandriva one 2009 (in my friend’s PC) but i was not able to configure it. whenever i tried it i saw the message no device found. but the product says it supports mandriva, fedora, and ubuntu. if anyone knows how to configure mobidata in mandriva 2009 please help me.

    Reply

  74. Hello!
    Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
    PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language 😉
    See you!
    Your, Raiul Baztepo

    Reply

  75. Hi, Hasin Bhai,

    I am a complete Ubuntu Noob! so I am not sure where to enter the first thing you said to do:

    1. check if the USB device is detected properly
    cat /proc/bus/usb/devices

    I tried to enter this in Terminal, but it won’t take it. Please help? Thanks!

    Reply

  76. Hi !! ^_^
    My name is Piter Kokoniz. oOnly want to tell, that I’v found your blog very interesting
    And want to ask you: what was the reasson for you to start this blog?
    Sorry for my bad english:)
    Thank you!
    Piter Kokoniz, from Latvia

    Reply

  78. bhaia ami LINUX ar new user…ami Linux a national phone dia net use kor tay chai??Ami some idia paisi but kaj hoi ta sey na…
    1st question:: where and how can i check cat /proc/bus/usb/devices…..{{amar new hardware option a modem show koray}}
    2nd question:: after then where i will probe USB device.
    {{modprobe usbserial vendor=0×12d1 product=0×1001}}

    3.then where i will check with dmesg

    Reply

  79. terminal a {{{cat /proc/bus/usb/devices}}} or #cat /proc/bus/usb/devices dilao kaj hoy na…plz joldi help usssssssssssss……….

    Reply

  81. when i start using zoom i got 1 or 2 kbps all the time.ami 5gb offer niacilam but after using one month ami 402 mb use korta parsi.and now i still hate citycell.

    Reply

  83. I use GP net and it is fine with me and I usually get download speed 22 to 28 kbps (sometimes 30-40 kbps). I live in Dhanmondi.

    Reply

  86. to install Huawei EC325 All what you need is Ubuntu 9.04
    1- go to system-preferences-network connections
    2- click Mobile Broadband you will find a connection at this tab one click on it
    3-click Edit
    4-enter your information phone Number & User name & Password
    5-click Apply
    6-on the top-right of desktop you can see a network connection icon one click on it
    7-chose your connection and wait for seconds you will get a connecting
    forgive me for my English

    Reply

  88. i am using ubuntu 9.04.i m trying to use mobida modem with GP.i typed the command “cat /proc/bus/usb/devices” but the result is “cat: /proc/bus/usb/devices: No such file or directory”
    i dont know what is the problem.what should i do?

    Reply

  93. “good job Cary on….

    i am using ubuntu 9.10

    also using GP internet
    when i plug my modem
    computer show me the
    Message
    “A job is pending on dev/sr1”

    now what should i do ???????
    please help me

    Reply

  94. Hasin Bhai or anyone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, HELP ME. I want to know how can i setup my modem in WINDOWS 7. Almost at the end of the setup it says installer.exe stopped working. HELP ME PLEASE.

    Reply

  95. Just want to say what a great blog you got here!
    I’ve been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!

    Thumbs up, and keep it going!

    Reply

  96. i m suffering with gp modem in windows 7 64 bit.
    can anyone pls help me how to configure it 😦

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  98. Pingback: Ubuntu install করার পর যা জানা প্রয়োজন | Ashraf's space

  100. Dear Hasin ,
    I bought Sentar ST880u 3G EVDO Modem with Citycell Zoom Ultra connection . I try some ways but cann’t connect to internet in Ubuntu 8.10-10.10. The OS cann’t detect the Modem. It only mount the driver drive on my EVDO modem. It works fine in Windows but I Like Linux Most .Will it work in Slax ?
    Wishing there is solution of it and you know it.

    Reply
  102. Pingback: Ubuntu install করার পর যা জানা প্রয়োজন « Ashraf's space

  109. Dear Sir,
    I have started using Ubuntu 9.10 for the first time, having no idea about linux platform. But I am interested in it. As per your suggestion I don’t know how to check : cat /proc/bus/usb/devices . When I insert Zoom, an icon appears on the desktop. Then I follow the PDF file provided by the zoom. But I have found the instruction to have some mistakes. If you please help me, then it will be a pleasure for me.

    Thanking You
    Sajal

    Reply

  110. Can any one tell me how can i connect HARVILON ED 269 citycell Modem in Linux (Linux Mint) Based operating system.

    Reply

  111. Can any one tell me how can i use citicell zoom rim on Huawei EC121 Rangstels modem CDMA modem. plz its urgent

    Reply

  117. I have successfully connected my ZTE AC682 modem in 10.10 and previous versions. But when I try the same method in 12.04,it does not work. Ubuntu does not recognize it as a modem. As far as I know it is not detected due to a change in the kernel. (And I guess it is happening from 11.10.)

    I have also posted about this here:
    https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/207272

    I have searched many times but I could not connect. please help!!!

    Reply

Leave a reply to robiul Cancel reply