Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem Setup Guide

In this guide, we will set up and configure the Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem with a suitable Linux device to connect to the Soracom network.

Requirements

To follow this guide, you will need the requirements listed below:

• A Soracom account, with a valid Payment Method registered
• A Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem with a Soracom Air for Cellular eSIM, pre-inserted Nano SIM, or a separate Nano SIM
• A Linux device with a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 (recommended) port, such as a Raspberry Pi or Linux computer

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SIM Registration

Registering your Soracom Air IoT SIM card to your Soracom account both activates its service and enables you to access Soracom features.

Soracom SIM cards come in a variety of form factors, such as embedded or pre-inserted in a device, or separately as part of a connectivity kit. If you have not already done so, take a moment to follow the instructions in the SIM Registration documentation to see how to register a variety of Soracom SIM cards to your account.

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Hardware Setup

If your Onyx modem came with a separate Nano SIM, follow the steps below to insert the SIM card:

1. Carefully remove the Soracom SIM card from its outer packaging.

   

2. Slide the rear cover open to access the SIM slot.

   

3. Insert the SIM card into the SIM slot, paying attention to the orientation notch.

   

4. Slide the rear cover back into place.

Your Onyx modem is now ready to be inserted into a USB port on your device for the software configuration.

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Software Setup

The Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem uses a Quectel EG25-G modem internally, which is natively supported in Linux kernel versions 2.6 and above. Due to this no additional driver installation is required. However, you must configure an application to establish and manage the cellular connection.

While many applications can do this, NetworkManager and WvDial are two of the most popular and reliable options. For most devices (such as Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, LattePanda, and others), we recommend using NetworkManager as it will take care of detecting and configuring the Onyx modem automatically and can be easily configured for a variety of use cases. However, if you prefer to use a more traditional PPP connection, or if NetworkManager is not available for your specific Linux distribution (such as embedded gateways or routers), you can use WvDial instead.

Using NetworkManager

When using NetworkManager, the Onyx modem is fully managed, enabling automatic internet connections without manual dialing. It's widely used across Linux distributions for handling network configurations, including mobile broadband.

Automated Installation

For your convenience, we provide a simple shell script that automates the process of installing NetworkManager and configuring it for use with the Onyx modem and the Soracom network and services.

1. SSH into your device and download the setup script:

   sudo curl -O https://soracom-files.s3.amazonaws.com/connect/setup_eg25.sh

2. Next, modify the file properties so that it can be executed:

   sudo chmod +x setup_eg25.sh

3. Run the script and follow the prompts:

   sudo ./setup_eg25.sh

Once the script finishes installing, your device should automatically connect to an available cellular network using the Onyx modem. You can then control the connection by using sudo nmcli con up soracom and sudo nmcli con down soracom commands.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install NetworkManager separately (such as to integrate it into your device provisioning script), you can follow these steps to install NetworkManager and configure it with the Onyx modem. The following instructions assume you are using a Debian-based distribution, but can be adapted for other systems.

1. Install NetworkManager:

   sudo apt-get install network-manager

2. Insert your Onyx modem and confirm that it is detected by your device:

   lsusb
   >
   >Bus 001 Device 001: ID 2c7c:0125 Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. EC25 LTE modem

   As the EG25-G module is part of Quectel's Ex25 modules, it will appear as "EC25".

3. Confirm that ModemManager (a part of NetworkManager) has also detected your device:

   mmcli -L
   >
   >    /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 [QUALCOMM INCORPORATED] QUECTEL Mobile Broadband Module

4. Add the Soracom APN settings:

   sudo nmcli con add type gsm ifname "*" con-name soracom apn soracom.io user sora password sora

   After a few moments, NetworkManager should establish the cellular connection automatically. You can then control the cellular connection using sudo nmcli con up soracom and sudo nmcli con down soracom commands.

By default, NetworkManager will treat cellular connections with lower priority and continue to route network traffic using WiFi, Ethernet, or other network interfaces. To change this behavior, you can modify the soracom connection to create custom routes or change the interface metric:

5. If you want network traffic for Soracom services (such as Beam, Funnel, Funk, or Harvest) to use the Onyx modem but all other traffic to use your WiFi or ethernet connection, create a custom route:

   sudo nmcli con modify soracom +ipv4.routes "100.127.0.0/16 0.0.0.0 0, 54.250.252.67/32 0.0.0.0 0, 54.250.252.99/32 0.0.0.0 0"

   If you prefer to route all traffic using the Onyx modem instead, modify the connection metric directly:

   sudo nmcli con modify soracom ipv4.route-metric 0

   If you configure your device to use the Onyx modem's network interface by default, please note that all traffic will use the cellular connection even if WiFi, ethernet, or other network connections are available. Take care to disable the cellular connection using sudo nmcli con down soracom when installing additional software, performing upgrades, or other high-bandwidth actions.

Using WvDial

When using WvDial, the Onyx modem's USB serial port will be used to dial the modem, and the resulting connection will be made available as a ppp0 network interface. As the default PPP configuration will not change any routing behavior, you may need to perform additional configuration to other parts of your Linux system as described below. The following instructions assume you are using a Debian-based distribution, but can be adapted for other systems.

Manual Installation

1. Install WvDial:

   sudo apt-get install wvdial

2. Edit the default WvDial configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/wvdial.conf

   [Dialer Defaults]
   Modem = /dev/ttyUSB2
   Baud = 460800
   Init1 = AT+CFUN=1
   Init2 = ATZ
   Init3 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","soracom.io"
   Phone = *99***1#
   Dial Command = ATD
   Username = sora
   Password = sora
   Auto DNS = 1
   Check Def Route = 1
   Carrier Check = 0
   Stupid Mode = 1
   Dial Attempts = 3
   ISDN = 0

   By default, the Onyx modem's USB serial port will be available at /dev/ttyUSB2. If you are connecting other USB serial devices at the same time, this port may change, and you may need to modify this according to the Setting the Modem Port instructions below.

3. Insert your Onyx modem and confirm that it is detected by your device:

   lsusb
   >
   >Bus 001 Device 001: ID 2c7c:0125 Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. EC25 LTE modem

   As the EG25-G module is part of Quectel's Ex25 modules, it will appear as "EC25".

4. Run WvDial to verify the connection. If connected, you should see output similar to the following:

   sudo wvdial
   >
   >--> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.61
   >--> Initializing modem.
   >--> Sending: AT+CFUN=1
   >AT+CFUN=1
   >OK
   >--> Sending: ATZ
   >ATZ
   >OK
   >--> Sending: AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","soracom.io"
   >AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","soracom.io"
   >OK
   >--> Modem initialized.
   >--> Sending: ATD*99***1#
   >--> Waiting for carrier.
   >ATD*99***1#
   >CONNECT 150000000
   >--> Carrier detected.  Starting PPP immediately.
   >--> Starting pppd at Fri Mar 1 13:48:20 2024
   >--> Pid of pppd: 123
   >--> Using interface ppp0
   >--> local  IP address 10.123.45.67
   >--> remote IP address 10.64.64.64
   >--> primary   DNS address 100.127.0.53
   >--> secondary DNS address 100.127.1.53

While WvDial is running, you can verify that a ppp0 network interface is now available using the ifconfig command in a separate terminal window.

Routing Traffic

Although WvDial will set up the ppp0 network interface, by default it will not modify any network routing rules. As a result, all network traffic will continue to use WiFi, ethernet, or other network connections. To send data using the cellular connection, you must modify the routes.

5. To change the routing rules, edit the /etc/ppp/peers/wvdial file to add the following option:

   sudo nano /etc/ppp/peers/wvdial

   replacedefaultroute

With this option, WvDial will replace the default network route (WiFi, ethernet, or other network interface) with the ppp0 interface whenever it is connected. Now when you run sudo wvdial, all network traffic will use the Onyx modem.

Adding WvDial to ifupdown

As manually running WvDial to start the connection is inconvenient, you can add a network interface definition to the ifupdown system (a standard part of most Linux distributions) to specify that wvdial should be used to configure the interface.

1. Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file to add the following definition:

   sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces

   allow-hotplug wwan0
   iface wwan0 inet wvdial

This will add a wwan0 interface which will be used to run WvDial in the background, which in turn will create the ppp0 interface when connected. You can then manage the cellular connection using sudo ifup wwan0 and sudo ifdown wwan0 commands.

Setting the Modem Port

By default, the Onyx modem's USB serial port will be available at /dev/ttyUSB2. However, if you are attaching other USB serial devices, this number may be different, and may also change each time your device is restarted.

To work around this inconsistency, you can use the Udev system within Linux to check if a USB serial device matches the Onyx modem, and then create a symlink that will always point to the correct port.

1. Create a new file in the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory (such as 30-eg25.rules) and add the following rule to the file:

   sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/30-eg25.rules

   KERNEL=="ttyUSB*", ATTRS{../idVendor}=="2c7c", ATTRS{../idProduct}=="0125", ATTRS{bNumEndpoints}=="03", ATTRS{bInterfaceNumber}=="02", SYMLINK+="modem", ENV{SYSTEMD_WANTS}="ifup@wwan0.service"

2. Reload the rules:

   sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

3. Modify your /etc/wvdial.conf file to use the symlink path instead:

   [Dialer Defaults]
   Modem = /dev/modem
   ...

With this rule configured, whenever a USB device is attached, Udev will check if it matches specific parameters (vendor ID, product ID, and specific port number), then it will perform two actions:

• Add a symlink /dev/modem which points to the detected port
• Run ifup wwan0 as a service

Now whenever you restart your device or plug in other USB devices, the Onyx modem USB serial interface will always be accessible at /dev/modem, which will allow WvDial to use the correct interface to establish a network connection.

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Testing your Onyx Modem

You can test your Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem by utilizing the Ping Response Service provided by Soracom. This is a simple service that responds to ICMP echo requests (commonly known as "pings") and is only reachable when connected to the Soracom network.

From the terminal of the host device configured with the Onyx modem, run the following command to send a ping request to the Ping Response Service:

ping -c 4 pong.soracom.io

If the Onyx modem is connected and configured correctly, you should see a response similar to the following:

PING pong.soracom.io (100.127.100.127) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 100.127.100.127 (100.127.100.127): icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=58.7 ms
64 bytes from 100.127.100.127 (100.127.100.127): icmp_seq=2 ttl=63 time=54.9 ms
64 bytes from 100.127.100.127 (100.127.100.127): icmp_seq=3 ttl=63 time=66.5 ms
64 bytes from 100.127.100.127: icmp_seq=4 ttl=63 time=57.9 ms

--- pong.soracom.io ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3415ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 54.926/59.525/66.535/4.288 ms

Congratulations! Your Onyx modem is connected and ready to send data to the Soracom platform. Check out Next Steps for ideas on how to take advantage of all the Onyx modem has to offer.

If you do not receive a response or the ping request times out, review the Troubleshooting section for guidance on how to resolve common issues.

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Next Steps

The Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem can be used for a variety of applications, from simple data transmission to advanced IoT projects. We have included some examples of this below.

Using Built-in Protocols

The Quectel EG25-G modem that is included with the Onyx provides additional functionality. This includes advanced network configuration and various built-in application protocols (such as TCP, HTTP, MQTT, and more) that can be utilized by simply sending AT commands directly to the modem.

For more information, refer to the AT Command and Application manuals on the Device Drivers page. The Application manuals provide detailed information and examples on how to use the built-in application protocols, while the AT Command manuals provide a comprehensive list of AT commands that can be used to configure the modem.

Data Collection using Soracom Harvest Data

For applications that require simple data storage without further processing, integrating Soracom Harvest Data into your setup is an efficient solution. This service allows you to collect and store data transmitted from your Linux host device through the Onyx modem, facilitating easy access and management.

Soracom Harvest Data has a number of entry points for data collection, including HTTP, TCP, UDP, SMS, and USSD. This makes it highlight compatible with many common communication methods of IoT devices. Whether you're monitoring environmental sensors, tracking device locations, or collecting any other telemetry data, it can be easily transmitted to Harvest Data using one of the available entry points.

To get started, follow the steps on the Harvest Data Configuration page to enable the service and begin using it to collect data right away. To help you get started we also provide steps to Send Data to Harvest Data using curl for HTTP, or telnet for TCP and UDP.

Visualize Data with Soracom Lagoon

For applications where you want to visualize and analyze the data collected through your Onyx modem, you can add Soracom Lagoon on top of Soracom Harvest Data.

Lagoon provides powerful dashboarding and data visualization tools that you can use to, for example, track the battery level or the signal quality of the host device over time and create alerts if thresholds are reached.

While Lagoon's data visualization capabilities work best with devices that collect types of variable sensor data (such as temperature, humidity, accelerometer, and so on), you can still use it to build a functional dashboard for keeping track of other metrics. And because Lagoon integrates directly with Harvest Data, there are no servers to configure or set up. Simply follow the steps on the Lagoon Configuration to enable the service and begin using it to build dashboards right away. We also provide steps to Create a Sample Dashboard to help you get started.

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Frequently Asked Questions

This section aims to provide straightforward answers to common questions you may have about the Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem.

What do the LED lights mean?

The Onyx modem has two LEDs which combined can create different colors and blink patterns to indicate the modem's status. Green and blue individually, or cyan when both green and blue LEDs are on at the same time.

The LED status light on the Onyx modem has the following color and blink patterns:

• Short blue blink followed by LED off - Disconnected, not scanning for networks.
• Long blue blink followed by LED off - Scanning for networks.
• Long cyan blink followed by short green blink - Connected, but idle and waiting to transmit data.
• Blinking blue - Transmitting data over 2G or 3G.
• Blinking cyan and green - Transmitting data over 4G/LTE.

What is the power consumption?

The power consumption of the Onyx modem is typically 35mA when idle and can typically reach 600mA while transmitting data. The Onyx modem is designed to be powered by a USB port, but not all devices with a USB port may be able to supply sufficient power.

If your device only has USB 2.0 ports, we recommend using a powered USB hub to ensure the stable operation of the Onyx modem. If your device has USB 3.0 ports, we recommend utilizing these as they can deliver sufficient power without requiring a separate powered USB hub.

What antennas are compatible?

The Onyx modem has two built-in antennas and two CRC9 connectors for external antennas. The built-in antennas are located on the top and bottom of the device and are designed to provide a good signal in most environments.

The two CRC9 connectors allow external antennas to be connected. In a bad radio environment, you may extend cables and place antennas away from the Onyx modem for better connectivity. The connector furthest from the USB is the main antenna, with the connector closest to the USB being the auxiliary antenna. You can connect a single antenna to both ports or two individual antennas. If connecting only a single antenna to a single port, it is recommended to connect it to the main antenna port.

At this time, Soracom doesn't provide any recommendations on specific antennas, but any antenna that supports the LTE bands used by the Onyx modem should work. Additionally, considering that the Onyx modem supports 2G/3G fallback, choosing antennas that also cover the 3G UMTS and 2G GSM bands listed will ensure the device maintains connectivity across different network environments. A table of the supported bands can be found on the Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem product page.

Does it work with third-party SIM cards?

The Onyx modem comes in different versions, such as with an eSIM, pre-inserted Nano SIM or with a separate SIM included. Due to the nature of the eSIM version, no physical SIM card slot is present, and it is not possible to use a third-party SIM card with this version. However, versions with a pre-inserted or separate Nano SIM included are not vendor-locked and support standard Nano SIMs (4FF).

What does the reset button do?

The reset button is located on the inside of the Onyx modem and can be accessed by removing the cover. This offers a hardware-level reset of the modem. It should be used only in cases where the Onyx modem becomes unresponsive or encounters errors that cannot be resolved through interacting with the modem using AT commands. Pressing it triggers a hardware reset, rebooting the modem to a clean state similar to its initial power-up.

What does the white toggle switch do?

When removing the cover from the Onyx modem, a white toggle switch can be found near the main antenna connector. This toggle switch is a design artifact and serves no functional purpose.

How can I disable 2G and 3G fallback?

To ensure the Onyx modem operates solely on 4G/LTE networks and disables fallback to 2G or 3G networks, you can adjust the network scanning mode via an AT command. The specific command to achieve this is AT+QCFG="nwscanmode",3,1. This command configures the modem to exclusively scan for and connect to 4G/LTE networks, preventing it from switching to 2G or 3G networks in areas where LTE coverage may be limited or unavailable. This setting is particularly useful for maintaining consistency in network performance, especially in regions with strong 4G/LTE infrastructure.

You can use the command AT+QCFG="nwscanmode",0,1 to reset the modem to its default network scanning mode, allowing it to scan for and connect to 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE networks as required.

Which serial interface can I use to communicate with the modem?

The serial interfaces for communication with the Onyx modem can vary depending on the other connected USB devices. With no additional devices connected, the appropriate serial interface to use for AT command communication under Linux is ttyUSB2. This interface is specifically designated for AT command interactions, allowing for direct communication with the modem to configure settings, control its operations, or query its status. You can find more details on this in the WCDMA&LTE Linux USB Driver User Guide provided by Quectel.

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Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while using the Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem, this section provides guidance on how to troubleshoot common problems. By following these steps, you can quickly identify and resolve issues to maintain a stable connection.

The Onyx is connected but no data is sent

If the Onyx modem is connected but not transmitting data, the problem may be related to the host's network configuration or incorrect or missing APN settings.

• Host Network Configuration: Ensure the host device has the correct network configuration. If you have been following this guide and are using NetworkManager, check the connection settings using the nmcli con show soracom command. If using WvDial, check the /etc/wvdial.conf file to ensure the correct settings are configured as outlined in the Manual Installation sections.
• APN Settings: Ensure the APN settings are correctly configured. If you have been following this guide, review the Manual Installation for the NetworkManager or WvDial for commands to configure the APN. You can also check and set the APN using AT commands for the Quectel EG25-G modem. To check the current APN, use the command AT+CGDCONT?. To set the APN for use with Soracom SIMs and services, use AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","soracom.io", replacing "soracom.io" with the appropriate APN if a third-party SIM is used.

The Onyx takes a long time to connect to a network

The time it takes the Onyx modem to connect to the network can be impacted by a variety of factors:

• Initial Network Scan: The first time you connect or if you've moved to a new location, the Onyx modem may take longer to scan for available networks. This is normal behavior.
• Signal Quality: Suboptimal signal quality can significantly impact connection times. Check the signal quality using the AT+CSQ command. The command returns a value indicating the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of a cellular connection expressed as an integer from 0 to 31, where 0 indicates no signal and 31 indicates the highest possible signal strength. Sometimes, a value of 99 is also possible, indicating that the signal strength is not known or is undetectable. If the returned RSSI is below 14, try moving the Onyx modem to a different location with better signal quality. Additionally, if using external antennas, ensure they are correctly connected and positioned for optimal signal reception.

The Onyx is not detected by the host device

If your host device does not detect the Onyx modem, review the following steps:

• USB Connection: Check the USB connection and ensure the Onyx modem is securely plugged into the USB port. If the problem persists, try connecting the Onyx modem to a different USB port.
• Insufficient Power: Some ports may not provide sufficient power or may have connectivity issues. Plug the Onyx modem into a USB 3.0 port to ensure it receives sufficient power even under high load. If your device only supports USB 2.0, using a powered USB hub can ensure the Onyx modem receives enough power.
• Kernel Messages: For further diagnostics, check the kernel messages for any USB device errors using dmesg | grep USB. This can provide insights into potential issues or conflicts that might be preventing the Onyx modem from being recognized.

The Onyx performs a full network scan on every reboot

A bug exists in older versions of ModemManager (a component of NetworkManager used to detect and control modems) that mistakenly causes some Quectel modems, including the Quectel EG25-G modem found in the Onyx, to unnecessarily perform a full cellular network scan each time the Linux device is rebooted, when a modem is unplugged and reconnected, or when ModemManager itself is restarted, during which time the modem is unable to send or receive data.

Once the modem has finished the network scan, the device and modem will resume normal operation. However, if your Linux device is restarted frequently, or your application requires periodically disabling and re-enabling the modem or restarting ModemManager, the network scan caused by the bug may introduce unacceptable delays in establishing cellular connectivity.

To see if your device is affected, run the mmcli --version command and check if you have v1.14.0 or later. If you have an older version, you may need to update ModemManager.

In particular, the previous version of Raspberry Pi OS (such as Buster) has not updated its ModemManager package since v1.10.0. However, newer versions of ModemManager are available from the Debian backports repository. To manually install the latest version of ModemManager, run the following commands to add the Debian backports repository, update the package list, and install a newer version of ModemManager:

echo "deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-backports main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list
wget http://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/d/debian-archive-keyring/debian-archive-keyring_2021.1.1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i debian-archive-keyring_2021.1.1_all.deb
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -t buster-backports modemmanager

Once installed, repeat the mmcli --version command to check that your ModemManager has been updated. If the version is v1.14.0 or later, the bug should be resolved and the Onyx modem will no longer perform a full network scan on every reboot.

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Additional Resources & Support

For further device and advanced troubleshooting steps, please see our Troubleshooting guide.

For additional technical and product information, please visit the Soracom Onyx LTE™ USB Modem page.

For complete information on using the Soracom User Console, SIM management tools and APIs, Soracom platform services, and additional capabilities, documentation is available on the Soracom Developers website.