Linux love for the Verizon EVDO USB720
Update: Some additional good info here.
So… have you seen the USB720 EVDO dongle from Verizon Wireless? Have you wanted to enjoy some EVDO goodness from your linux laptop? Well here is the way to make it happen:
#1. Use a newish kernel.
I am not sure at what point support was incorporated into the kernel, but for 2.6.22 and 2.6.23 that I tested the device itself worked right out of the box. Plug it in and then perform the following configuration.
#2. Edit
/etc/modprobe.d/options
add the folowing text and save:
# Options for u720 options usbserial vendor=0x1410 product=0x2110 options airprime endpoints=1
#3. Edit
/etc/modules
add the folowing text and save:
usbserial airprime
#4. Create the following file
/etc/ppp/peers/verizon
add the folowing text and save:
noauth connect “/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/ppp/peers/verizon_chat” defaultroute usepeerdns ttyUSB0 230400 local debug -detach
#5. Create the following file
/etc/ppp/peers/verizon_chat
add the folowing text and save:
‘’ ‘ATZ’ ‘OK’ ‘ATDT#777' ‘CONNECT’ ‘’
#6. Now issue the following command as super user to connect:
pppd call verizon
*Optional*
You can add ‘pppd call verizon’ to your startup script to automatically
connect on boot. This has been tested with an ubuntu and a kubuntu 7.10 ditribution.
Works great, fast too.
on 
on
verizon evdo usb720… after pppd call verizon I get “connect failed” in Mepis 7.0 rc1 with 22.6.x kernel. When using paste & cut to enter the code in /etc/ppp/peers/verizon, the quotes show up as ?s and the error is that option -v is not recognized. After changing the ?s to quotes, I get the connect failed error.
If you copy and paste, you have to replace the quotes with quotes in /etc/ppp/peers/verizon, and you have to replace the apostrophes with apostrophes in /etc/ppp/peers/verzion_chat.
Once I did that, I had no problem connecting.
Thanks,
Russ
Hey thanks Russ for jumping in and helping out mervgol…
I’ll try using some better [ CODE ] tags to make this better for cut and paste use.
Thanks
–Tom
When I ran the sudo pppd call verizon command i got the following message; “pppd: in file /etc/ppp/peers/verizon: unrecognized option ‘ttyUSB0″. Any ideas?
I had to activate my dongle by running VZ Access under Windoze XP. After it was activated, it worked well under 64-bit Kubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.
Bhaskar–thanks for that tip about activating under Windows first. Probably should add that to the beginning of the post.
Also thanks for letting us know that it worked fine under 64-bit Kubuntu.
I am using the 2.2.26 kernel on fedora 8. When i after i fixed the apostrophes and quotes, then run ‘pppd call verizon’, i get “connect script error”. Any help!
Thank You
Mike
Correction — using 2.6.23.8-63.fc8 kernel
Mike - Sorry I can’t provide much help for Fedora ..
but try giving this link a look and see if it can help.
–Tom
Thanks for the tip, works like a charm!
Finally a way that works. I kept running into other sites that had me run a command that was supposed to detect the modem and tell me something about it. I never got past that 1st piece of instruction. This way works great. I am using Ubuntu 7.10. -J
Tested and working on Edgy, Feisty, and Hardy Alpha.
Although, Hardy has a problem with disconnecting after about 2 hours on it. I have it starting at boot. Trying to find a fix for this and when I do I will post.
Hey Jay and Fr33d0m - Thanks for the info on working instances. The more info we can gather the better off we will be.
–Tom
I just hooked up a linksys router to use for other reasons then the internet. It seems that it is taking priority over my Verizon internet and will no longer let me connect unless I reboot with the ethernet cord to the router unplugged. Does anyone have any ideas so I can use both?
What about using a 2nd computer and connecting through the router and getting online through the 1st computer’s Verizon internet?
-J
Same for me. Got rid of the -v in verizon, replaced the apostrophes from the paste and it rocks. It’s so cool.
I was wondering if you have compared the upload and download speeds in Linux vs. windows for this device. The software for Windows, “VZAccess Manager” uses compression at the source and mostly at Verizon’s switch.
What about with Linux ?
Hello, thanks for the code, runs great but still can’t connect. If my hardwire is in place it will not overwrite the default GW, with the hardwire out it doesn’t complain about the default GW but I can never get out to the internet. Any ideas?
Thanks
so i ran the script and it connects, i can use nmap and ping and see the connection but i cannot load up firefox? unless i’m not connected, then i can. i also cannot use konquerer to browse the internet…
please help…
using Backtrack 3 with usb720 verizon card and running it on live cd mode
I am looking to buy this usb card as inside it is a mini pci card and I have a compact pc board that only has mini pci interface running debian linux 2.6.22. Does anyone know if the setup process is the same if it is connected in this way.
Cheers
Heston