Telstra 4G (MF821) mobile broadband

I got this USB 4G mobile broadband modem from Telstra last year, wanting better coverage inside the various hospitals I found myself in way too often.  It does the job, especially after I purchased an external antenna as well.

Here are my notes for configuring it (for Ubuntu 12.04.1 Precise) transcribed from the second time I did it:

To the /etc/modules file, append

usbserial

Create an /etc/modprobe.d/telstra-4g.conf file, it looks like this:

# Set up options for Telsta 4G connectivity under linux
options usbserial vendor=0x19d2 product=0x0257

Create an /etc/usb_modeswitch.d/19d2:0257 file, it looks like this:

# Telstra ZTE LTE 4G modem
# Pre-paid Telstra USB 4G (MF821)
DefaultVendor= 0x19d2
DefaultProduct=0x0166
TargetVendor= 0x19d2
DefaultProduct=0x0257

MessageContent=”55534243123456782400000080000685000000240000000000000000000000″

CheckSuccess=20

At this point you will need a restart to get all the various daemons to restart in the correct order.  I know, that’s a very winblows way to do it, but it would have taken longer to figure it out than the reboot time.

Your Network Manager config looks like this:

Method: Automatic (PPP)
Number: *99#
APN: telstra.internet

Now you restart Network Manager, and you should be in business.  Note that there can be a delay of up to a minute between plugging it in to a USB port, and it appearing in the NM networks list.