voxl-modem

Overview

The voxl-modem package provides software support for the various ModalAI supported modem hardware options, such as:

LTE Modems (Sierra)
5G Modems (Quectel)
Microhard Modems
Doodle Labs Modems

Usage

As with most SDK services, voxl-modem can be configured and enabled to run on boot using it’s configuration script. Usage is as follows:

voxl2:/$ voxl-configure-modem -h
Making new config file /etc/modalai/voxl-modem.conf

Config script for voxl-modem


voxl-configure-modem enable
voxl-configure-modem disable
voxl-configure-modem factory_enable
voxl-configure-modem doodle

show this help message:
voxl-configure-modem help

Running voxl-configure-modem without providing an argument, will execute a wizard with the following options:

voxl2:/$ voxl-configure-modem 
Starting interactive mode
 
What type of modem are you using?

1) v2
2) microhard
3) doodle
4) quectel
#? 

Selecting an option from this menu will trigger more questions catered to that modem type:

voxl2:/$ voxl-configure-modem 
Starting interactive mode
 
What type of modem are you using?

1) v2
2) microhard
3) doodle
4) quectel
#? 4
 
Are you attempting to connect to ModalLink? (not common)
1) yes
2) no
#? 2
 
Which APN is correct for your SIM card?

AT&T - IoT device - APN: m2m.com.attz
AT&T - Laptop or Tablet - APN: broadband
AT&T - Smartphone - APN: phone
T-Mobile - APN: fast.t-mobile.com
Verizon - APN: vzwinternet
Google Fi - APN: h2g2

1) m2m.com.attz	      4) fast.t-mobile.com  7) Custom
2) broadband	      5) vzwinternet
3) phone	      6) googlefi
#?

Going through the voxl-modem configuration process will set up a configuration file located at /etc/modalai/voxl-modem.conf as well as enable the voxl-modem service to run on boot

voxl2:/$ cat /etc/modalai/voxl-modem.conf 
{
	"modem_type":	"quectel",
	"apn":	"h2g2",
    "world": "false",
	"microhard_ip": "192.168.168.100",
	"doodle_ip": "10.223.0.100",
	"modallink":	"false",
	"placeholder": "hello world"
}

voxl2:/$ voxl-configure-modem doodle 
wiping old config file
reloading systemd services
enabling voxl-modem systemd service
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/voxl-modem.service → /etc/systemd/system/voxl-modem.service.
starting voxl-modem systemd service
DONE configuring voxl-modem

It is possible to modify this config file manually in some circumstances, but not recommended.

Tips

When checking to see if a modem is enumerated correctly, it can be helpful to check lsusb to see if the device has been detected:

voxl2:/$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0424:5744 Standard Microsystems Corp. 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0424:2740 Standard Microsystems Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05ac:1402 Apple, Inc. Ethernet Adapter [A1277]
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:2744 Standard Microsystems Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

Another helpful command is ifconfig, which displays the VOXL’s network interfaces and their IP addresses:

voxl2:/$ ifconfig
bond0: flags=5123<UP,BROADCAST,MASTER,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether 2a:f2:52:11:bf:f8  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

dummy0: flags=195<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,NOARP>  mtu 1500
        inet6 fe80::10:e3ba:b70f:f411  prefixlen 64  scopeid 0x20<link>
        ether 3e:a1:0a:d0:b3:40  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 8  bytes 1648 (1.6 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

eth0: flags=4099<UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether 48:d7:05:ea:06:36  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

lo: flags=73<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING>  mtu 65536
        inet 127.0.0.1  netmask 255.0.0.0
        inet6 ::1  prefixlen 128  scopeid 0x10<host>
        loop  txqueuelen 1000  (Local Loopback)
        RX packets 200  bytes 14500 (14.5 KB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 200  bytes 14500 (14.5 KB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

voxl-modem can be disabled from running on boot via. the following:

voxl2:/$ voxl-configure-modem disable
disabling voxl-modem systemd service
stopping voxl-modem systemd service
Done configuring voxl-modem

As with most services, it is recommended to reboot your device after doing so.

To check the status of voxl-modem when it is running, use the following:

systemctl status voxl-modem