4G SIMCOM Module Driver Installation Guide for Linux/Windows

1. Types of operation modes of 4G modules and how to switch operation modes

The 4G modules support the following basic drivers:

• 4G LTE Cat 1: ECM,EEM, NCM, RNDIS (WWAN)
• 4G LTE Cat 4: MBIM, NDIS, RNDIS(WWAN), QMI

Depending on the type of module, there are different ways to switch (refer to the command manual and Linux USB Application Note of each company:

Document Reference:1. Types of operating modes of 4G modules and how to switch operating modes

The 4G modules support the following basic drivers:

• 4G LTE Cat 1: ECM,EEM, NCM, RNDIS (WWAN)
• 4G LTE Cat 4: MBIM, NDIS, RNDIS(WWAN), QMI

Depending on the type of module, there are different ways to switch (refer to the command manual and Linux USB Application Note of each company:

Refer to the documentation:

A76XX Series_Linux_USB_Application Note_V1.00.pdf

SIM7500_SIM7600 Linux NDIS User Guide_V2.01.pdf

https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/SIM7600G-H_4G_DONGLE

For example:

• A7672S/A7600/A7680C: (AT+DIALMODE=1 can be combined to turn on the internet automatically)
  • RNDIS: AT$MYCONFIG=”usbnetmode”,0
  • ECM: AT$MYCONFIG=”usbnetmode”,1
• Quectel (Depending on the module line) (AT+QNETDEVCTL=3,1,1 can be combined to turn on the internet automatically)
  • AT+QCFG=”usbnet”,0 # set QMI or RMNET mode
  • AT+QCFG=”usbnet”,1 # set ECM mode
  • AT+QCFG=”usbnet”,2 # set MBIM mode

• LTE Cat 1 RNDIS will be supported on both Linux and Windows, ECM and EEM are not supported on windows
• LTE Cat 4 can use QMI or MBIM for optimal speeds.

1. Windows

• For windows, just install the driver below to be able to connect to the internet and have an AT Command/GPS/Debug port: https://github.com/TDLOGY/SIMCOM_USB_DRIVER
• On windows supported drivers: RNDIS,NDIS, MBIM,QMI do not support ECM, EEM. Therefore, depending on the module, it is necessary to switch to the appropriate mode
• You may need to switch to RNDIS mode to get it running, and turn on the automatic network mode

2. Ubuntu/Raspberry pi

• For ubuntu (>20.04)/Raspberry pi regular supported drivers for 4G modules
• Same basic drivers: RNDIS,ECM,EEM,WWAN,QMI
• Serial Port Test:

ls /dev/ttyUSB*

• Connection Test:

IP A // Check if there is a USB* interface ping 8.8.8.8
-Iusb0

• Note:
  • If you don’t have a serial port, you may need to rebuild the driver
  • Communication with the serial port (/dev/ttyUSB*) can be done using a minicom or microcom
    • minicom: sudo apt install minicom . Then connect to the port
    • microcom: busybox microcom
• Some sim modules may need to send commands to active internet – Just do it 1 time:
  • Quectel: AT+QNETDEVCTL=3,1,1
  • SIMCOM: AT+DIALMODE=1

3. Orange pi/build root/yocto/Android/Openwrt

• Depending on the type of distro, whether the company supports it or not, you can see the build section to build directly from the kernel (if there is a kernel source)