EM160R-GL on linux in ECM mode does not work

EM160R-GL · April 11, 2024, 12:02am

I tried to flash/update the firmware from the oldest to the newest (the newest one is from 2022… OLD!) and all the firmware does not respond to DHCP requests when I am using ECM mode and the commands to solve this problem do not work because they give me ERROR.

I tried these firmware:

EM160RGLAUR02A04M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A05M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A07M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A07M4G_BETA0923 (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A08M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A09M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A10M4G (Do not respond to DHCP requests and also try factory reset old and new method)
EM160RGLAUR02A12M4GA (Do not respond to DHCP requests, I updated this latest firmware about 7 times and tried factory reset about 20 times with new and old method)

Factory Reset (AT Commands)

OLD
***
AT+QPRTPARA=3
AT+QPRTPARA=1
AT+CFUN=1,1

NEW
***
AT&F0
AT+CFUN=1,1

I’m going to break the modem and you don’t give me a solution to this problem.

The AT commands below are the possible solution, but I can’t use these commands because they give me ERROR and these commands were added in the new firmware versions in 2023 and the EM160R-GL support for fixing bugs and adding new features via firmware updates was abandoned/dropped in 2022.

Anyone who has worked with RM500U-CN?

Ok, now
AT+QCFG="ethernet",0
AT+QCFG="usbnet",1
AT+QCFG="nat",0
at+qnetdevctl=1,3,1
at+cfun=1,1
Then check with AT+QNETDEVSTATUS and try DHCP (with the proper interface name).
Please do not use pictures to display textual information.

When the modem is back just run your DHCP client and see whether it will work without additional commands.

I just realised that I suggested the wrong sequence of commands in my earlier post.
Reset command should be used before at+qnetdevctl, not after and at+qnetdevctl should be issued after the modem is back after reset.

RM521F-GL able to connect to LTE only, but won't pass connection along to router?

I would recommend ECM mode if you are using the RJ45 board by Ethernet. Seems to be pretty stable. Any other usbnet mode you need to make sure AT+QMAPWAC=1 or it won’t auto connect the radio to the rest of the interfaces. In ECM this just happens automatically.

AT+QCFG=“usbnet”,1
then reboot

For IP passthrough there’s 3 levels of IPPT

DMZ method (not a true IP passthrough)
Set the modems DHCP to only hand out one IP address with AT+QMAP=“LAN”,192.168.225.2
If that errors on you then you don’t have that command on that firmware revision so use this to define the whole dhcp range and gateway AT+QMAP=“LANIP”,192.168.225.2,192.168.225.2,192.168.225.1,1
Then, set that IP as the DMZ with

AT+QMAP=“DMZ”,1,4,192.168.225.2

Actual IPPT
AT+QMAP=“MPDN_rule”,0,1,0,1,1,“FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF”
If you want the DNS from the provider to pass through as well: AT+QMAP=“DHCPV4DNS”,“disable”
You should still be able to access 192.168.225.1 if you have a web server running on the modem still.

I haven’t messed too much with this yet because it disables local access to the gateway address (192.168.225.1) but it’s the final step to a true IPPT mode.
AT+QMAP=“IPPT_NAT”,0

First time I ran that I went…oh crap I can’t access my admin page any more!
(I have a webserver running on the modem serving a management page that accepts AT commands and shows signal stats)

P.S. If you run AT+QMAP=“WWAN” it’ll show you both the IPV4 and IPV6 address assigned from the carrier.

I hope you can help me to solve this problem somehow, it is not possible that you have abandoned a modem that costs more than 160 dollars and can not give me an official solution to this problem.