Rogers ZTE MF668 3G Rocket Stick Solution

[Brian Carlile]

Hi all,

I just wanted to say hello as a new reader of the TLUG mailing list and 
share something that may be of use to others in the GTA.

A friend, for whom I had set up an MSI Wind U100 to use Unbuntu 9.04, 
asked me for help getting his new Rogers Rocket Stick to work. Of 
course, the sales guy had assured him that he just had to plug it in and 
of course it would work under "what was that?" Linux.

My friend is totally sold on his Linux netbook but really needs the 3G 
connection so this rapidly became a bit of a crusade.

First and obvious routes - there is no manufacturer support and nothing 
online that I could find from Rogers.

The device itself is the ZTE MF668. It has a small amount of memory 
which is used to store an installation image for Windoze, so when 
plugged in to a M$ machine it manifests itself as a USB CD drive. The 
install process helps to lock in the Rogers only impression and 
configures the modem. There is a microSD slot (similar to most smart 
phones) which can be a useful adjunct to the stick.

So we have a multifunction device and the issue is to get the OS to 
recognise it primarily as a USB broadband modem and possibly as a memory 
stick.

There was a lot of rather confusing advice on the net about this sort of 
thing and I had the luxury of two very similar netbooks to work out the 
answer. I followed a number of promising routes and did get the thing up 
and running but not in a consistent manner that would be reassuring to a 
non-techie. (I wanted to avoid a crib sheet and command line instructions)

What I detail below worked perfectly on the test machine and then was 
repeatable on the "clean"machine. The Rocket Stick is identified 
properly when plugged in and unmounts the modem element automatically 
when unplugged. The memory card element auto mounts and can be unmounted 
as one would expect.

I wrote up these notes referring specifically to Ubuntu 9.04 but I 
suspect they will be of some value for other versions and distros. My 
sincere thanks to the guys at http://www.draisberghof.de and 
http://www.greenhughes.com.

Best wishes to all

Brian Carlile

> How to set up Rogers ZTE MF668 Rocket Mobile Internet Stick in Ubuntu 9.04
>
> Overview.
>
> There's a lot of helpful but confusing advice floating about (and of 
> course none of it comes from Rogers)
> but after a lot of careful experimentation this may be the simplest 
> effective solution.
>
> The ZTE MF668 (Rogers' current offering) is a twofold device. In 
> Windoze it presents as a USB CD drive and "auto"
> installs the software from the small amount of built in memory. It 
> then appears as a modem controlled by the Rogers software and as a USB 
> microSD card if an optional
> memory card is inserted in the stick. The same functions are available 
> in Ubuntu, of course. The autorun function may or may work.
> If it does (if you already have Wine running, for example) just cancel 
> any attempt to install and unmount the "CD" drive.
>
> To be sure that the hardware is recognised type "lsusb" (without the 
> quotes) into a Terminal. (should give a result "19d2:2000")
> That's just the hardware as a whole - remember it is a two part 
> device; microSD and modem.
> We need to sort out usb_modeswitch and patch a config file to 
> accommodate our specific hardware.
>
> Method:
>
> Be sure you are running the latest kernel fully updated. This how-to 
> works with 2.6.28-18-generic.
>
> 1. Plug in the Rocket Stick. In a terminal, type
>
> lsusb
>
> One of the entries should read 19d2:2000 (this means that the Vendor 
> code is (hex) 0x19d2 and the product ID from that vendor is (hex) 0x2000
>
> You then know that the Rocket Stick is recognized. (However the target 
> ID for the modem element is 0x0017 not 0x2000)
>
> ********************************
>
> Choose approach a) or b) now.
>
>
> 2. a) Install usb_modeswitch. Get it here: 
> http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/
>
> [Even if you opt for the b) option here I would recommend reading 
> through this webpage for a good background to the issues involved.]
>
> or
>
> 2. b) Download it from: 
> http://www.greenhughes.com/content/zte-mf627-easy-way
>
> [Read through all the directions and follow the process, from the 
> linked pages, of adding source and key to your Software Sources 
> repository). Using this method avoids compiling from source by hand. 
> (You will modify the mf627 config file in step 3]
>
> Notes: Check that you have done the following.
> Download and save the key file.
> Add the [deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/liamgh/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main] 
> to Third Party Software Sources
> Add the [deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/liamgh/ppa/ubuntu jaunty 
> main] to Third Party Software Sources
> Import the Key on the Authentication tab
> The sources will be updated
> run "sudo apt-get install zte-mf627-switch" in a terminal
>
>
> 3. a) In terminal, type sudo gedit /etc/usb_modeswitch.conf
>
> This will bring up the editor. Replace the contents of the file with 
> the following (do not include the ----- ): (this info is from 
> http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswit … =1895#1895 )
>
> ----------------
> DefaultVendor=0x19d2
> DefaultProduct=0x2000
>
> TargetVendor=0x19d2
> TargetProduct=0x0017
>
> MessageContent="55534243123456782000000080000c85010101180101010101000000000000"
> ---------------
>
> 3. b) If you used the version from www.greenhughes.com, in a terminal 
> type
> sudo gedit /etc/usb_modeswitch_zte_mf627.conf
>
> edit to look like this (my working config file)
>
> ########################################################
> # ZTE MF628+ (tested version from Telia / Sweden)
> #
> # Contributor: Joakim Wennergren
> #
> # Also applies to MF627 (Tested 3 UK) JF
> #
> # Also applies to MF668 (Rogers Canada)
>
> DefaultVendor=0x19d2
> DefaultProduct=0x2000
>
> TargetVendor=0x19d2
> TargetProduct=0x0017
>
> MessageContent="55534243123456782000000080000c85010101180101010101000000000000"
>
>
> 4. (may not be necessary) Reboot with the Rocket Stick plugged in and 
> it will appear in the Network Manager
> Double check by typing in the terminal "lsusb" and you should see 
> 19d2:0017
>
> This means that the Rocket Stick is recognised as a modem.
>
> TO CREATE A CONNECTION
>
> If you have not yet created a profile connection:
>
> Go to Network Manager
> Edit Connections
> Mobile Broadband
> Add
> Select Country: Canada
> Select Provider: Rogers
> and you're good to go.
>
> Having two Rogers Mobile Broadband connections in the Network Manager 
> seems to be normal. If you end up with four, i.e. two sets of entries 
> just connect and disconnect to and from
> the internet and delete the version that has not been used when you 
> recheck the Network Manager settings for Mobile Broadband.
>
>
> This process has been tested on two different MSI Wind U100s with 
> Ubuntu 9.04. Connect and Disconnect appear to work correctly and 
> simply. When the modem is unplugged it disappears as an option in the 
> Network Manager
>
>
>
> Last edited (2010-02-23 23:56)

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