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Is there anything like an HCL for USB LTE modems?

I would like to buy one, but grepping the kernel source didn't give me much insight about whether this particular chip is supported.

It is sold as a Softbank ZTE 403ZT LTE USB Stick USB Dongle

The board name is supposedly ZTE MF860E

Is it one of those that create a wifi hotspot to connect to?
Maybe a link to the product page, before we delve deeper?
And what's "anything like an HCL"?

It looks like it isn't supported in the kernel.

There's drivers up on ZTE's site, if they include linux ones, then you're sorted.
Manufacturers go one the following routes for linux support.

1. Have a serious programmer who has his code accepted into the kernel write drivers for everything they make.
2. Do their own packages. These do a 'make -C <your kernel dir> to build with your kernel and produce modules like the nvidia binaries. You can use half-assed programmers here, and some companies do.
3. Ignore Linux and hope it will go away.

I don't know what ZTE does. Using windows drivers in a vm would be messy to set up, and limit your networking to windows. It would be probably better with a nic plug than a usb plug. That would make it easier.

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I found the pdf manual for the SoftBank 403ZT here. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...9MZVwjF7i_JeYk

It only has sections for Windows and Mac so I would stay away from it for Linux.

On another search I found a 4 yr old page on how to install a Huawei 4G LTE USB modem for Ubuntu.

https://trick77.com/setting-up-huawe...erver-desktop/

Perhaps you should have a look at Huawei products. This model appears to be discontinued but there are newer models on Amazon.

If you had it in your hand then use lsusb on it.

I'd be more than 50% sure it would work.

Is there a need for softbank link integration? Your ISP may allow any number of more easily known usb 4G lte modems.

I have used a number of usb lte devices on a router with ease.

OK, since OP hasn't made the purchase yet, let me be clear:
4G modems that don't connect to the PC at all, but create a WiFi hotspot instead, that you can connect to - they used to be all the rage for a short time, some 5 years back or so.
It completely skirts the problem of needing drivers for it (since WiFi is usually already working).
Might be a solution.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...m+wifi+hotspot

"Is there anything like an HCL for USB LTE modems?"

Yes, these small modems and things like phones and hotspots that can tether via usb all tend to be usable on a usb port in linux.
Without some report on some web page that the OP's device works on linux we can't really tell.

The OP could get a wifi based hotspot but asked for a USB version that is unique for a particular ISP. I'd think that a wifi would be easier if one had a working wifi nic. The problem I had with a wifi hotspot was that you had to leave it powered via adapter or router and it almost blew up it's battery in my house. The stick 4g doesn't have that issue. I have a netgear like this. https://www.netgear.com/home/product...ms/LB1120.aspx It connects to router or computer via ethernet.


In the US I'd get the Sprint 5G if I had an extra $650 laying around.

As an aside, LQ has an HCL: https://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/

Frankly, I think the heyday of HCLs has passed. The capabilities of the kernel have improved so much that hardware compatibility is not the issue it once was. Don't get me wrong--it's still an issue, just not as pervasive as it used to be.

Personally, I think 4G & 5G are academic still.

Your modem & PC may be 4G/5G capable; Your isp may give you a good speedtest. But in 99% of cases, your downloads won't get significantly faster, because the internet backbone just can't handle it. I've seen tests here on that very topic. It was a video, or newspaper article so I've no link, but apparently most folks never get to use 100% of the capacity they're offered by their isp.

HCL stands for "Hardware Compatibility List".

So the to this thread is "Yes", this modem is supported with almost zero configuration. I just added a connection with a NetworkManager's GUI, and it all went fine.

There was a problem connecting it to China Mobile, but the connection to China Telecom works perfectly fine, I am writing this message using this very modem.

No, it is not a 'fake wifi', and I wouldn't buy one, since I would obviously like to use hostapd for network sharing. It's something like a PPPoA connection, but again, Network Manager is doing everything by itself just fine.

Maybe in Ireland!

(sorry, I could not resist making this bad joke)

Seriously, the difference between 3G and 4G is definitely felt here in Finland.

Dunno nothing about 5G; I think it's still far from becoming the norm anywhere.

That's just fine. In Ireland we joke about it ourselves. But what became clear is that people don't use the bandwidth they pay for on Broadband. Outside the capital - broadband exists only in theory.

Mobile ISP data rates are crap here - fact of life. And I'm in the capital. In sparsely populated rural zones … it's the pits. 50km (= 30 miles) south of me, there's mobile & tv blackspots in the Wicklow Mountains. I can get LTE, but not rated LTE speeds. In one hospital, I was the only guy able to connect to the patient wifi; even the staff couldn't get it! In another, I could only get 3G in one room. They had a corrugated iron roof

Finland OTOH is totally covered. Well maybe not totally, but considering how sparsely it is populated I marvel at mobile broadband speeds even far outside the capital. I guess it's a legacy from Nokia times. Everybody uses it. Same with phones, nobody even has a landline anymore. Seriously, not even old people. Only companies.