ZoomCell 4650 Setup Guide

Requirements

To get set up, you will need the following:

• A Soracom account
• A Soracom SIM card
• The ZoomCell 4650 LTE Cat-M1 USB modem
• The device that will use the modem, such as a Raspberry Pi or Windows PC

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SIM Registration

If you have not already done so, take a moment to follow the instructions in the SIM Registration documentation and register your Soracom SIM card to your account.

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Hardware Setup

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

   

   The plan01s SIM is a 3-in-1 design that allows you to conveniently break out the SIM card into standard/mini (2FF), micro (3FF), and nano (4FF) form factors. As the Zoom 4650 uses the micro (3FF) size, take care to remove the micro SIM card size when removing it from its packaging.

   If you have already broken out the SIM card to a smaller size, you can use a SIM card adapter (sold separately) to change the form factor back to micro (3FF).

2. Unscrew the SIM slot cover screw and remove the SIM slot cover in order to access the SIM slot.

   

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

   The Zoom 4650 SIM slot uses a spring-loaded retention mechanism. Ensure that you insert the SIM card into the slot until you hear a click, indicating that the SIM has been fully inserted.

4. Replace the SIM slot cover and screw.

For best performance, you may also want to attach an external antenna to the Zoom 4650 at this time.

Your Zoom 4650 is now ready for software configuration.

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Linux Installation

The Zoom 4650 uses a Quectel BG96 modem internally, which is natively supported in Linux kernel versions 2.6 and above, and therefore does not require any additional driver installation. However, you must configure an application to establish and manage the cellular connection.

While there are many applications that 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 Zoom 4650 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

Automated Installation

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

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

   sudo curl -O https://soracom-files.s3.amazonaws.com/connect/setup_bg96.sh

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

   sudo chmod +x setup_bg96.sh

3. Run the script and follow the prompts:

   sudo ./setup_bg96.sh

Once the script finishes installation, your device should automatically connect to a cellular network using the Zoom 4650. 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 own device provisioning script), you can follow these steps to install the Zoom 4650 and configure it. 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 Zoom 4650 and confirm that it is detected by your device:

   lsusb
   >
   >Bus 001 Device 001: ID 2c7c:0296 Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. BG96 CAT-M1/NB-IoT modem

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

   mmcli -L
   >
   >    /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 [Quectel] 0

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 Zoom 4650 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 Zoom 4650 instead, modify the connection metric directly:

   sudo nmcli con modify soracom ipv4.route-metric 0

   If you configure your device to use the Zoom 4650 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 Zoom 4650'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 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 Zoom 4650'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 Zoom 4650 and confirm that it is detected by your device:

   lsusb
   >
   >Bus 001 Device 001: ID 2c7c:0296 Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. BG96 CAT-M1/NB-IoT modem

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 Wed Jun 17 13:48:20 2020
   >--> 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 Zoom 4650.

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 Zoom 4650'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 inconsitency, you can use the Udev system within Linux to check if a USB serial device matches the Zoom 4650, 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-bg96.rules) and add the following rule to the file:

   sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/30-bg96.rules

   KERNEL=="ttyUSB*", ATTRS{../idVendor}=="2c7c", ATTRS{../idProduct}=="0296", 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 Zoom 4650 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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Windows Installation

The Zoom 4650 uses a Quectel BG96 modem internally, which requires installation of the appropriate Quectel drivers as well as cellular network configuration within Windows.

1. Download the ZoomCell 4650 Windows device drivers from the Downloads section.

2. Extract the zip file, run the installation program, and follow the installation prompts.

   

3. Insert your Zoom 4650. You can optionally check that your computer has correctly detected the dongle by right clicking the Start menu, selecting Device Manager, and verifying that Quectel USB Modem appears in the list of devices underneath Modems:

   

4. Next, click the Start menu, open Settings, then select Network & Internet:

   

5. Click the Cellular network settings tab. The Zoom 4650 cellular connection should appear. Change the Data roaming options setting to Roam.

   

   By default, the Let Windows keep my connected option will be enabled, and Windows will automatically connect to a cellular network every time your device is started. You can disable this option if you prefer to manually connect each time.

In newer versions of Windows 10, Windows will automatically detect the correct APN settings so no further setup is required. You should see that your cellular connection is Connected, roaming.

If your Zoom 4650 is not connected, you may need to manually configure the APN settings below:

6. Click the Advanced options link underneath the cellular connection.

   

7. Scroll to the APN settings section and click the Add an APN button.

   

8. Enter the following APN settings:

   

   • Profile name - A friendly name to identify the connection, such as Soracom
   • APN - soracom.io
   • User name - sora
   • Password - sora
   • Type of sign-in info - PAP or CHAP
   • IP type - IPv4
   • APN type - Internet

   Then click the Save button.

Now Windows should be able to connect to a cellular network using the Zoom 4650.