All,

I have just found that Verizon Wireless is requiring users of wireless modems to upgrade the firmware due to changes in their network. Failure to do so will result in being unable to connect February 2007 onwards.

This is a small entry, at the bottom of this page: http://http://support.vzw.com/phones/. For those that would like to get it straight, this link will point you directly to the download area.

Of course, I received no communication from Verizon Wireless, either my e-mail or otherwise, that this is being required. Perhaps there is an option, somewhere, to get it, but I have not found one that would give me just this type of notice (and *no* marketing trash).

Anyway: I had just upgraded to kernel 2.6.20 (which, finally, has the correct driver for the airprime devices), and (after a week working at home with broadband access) found my PPP connections being closed within about 5 minutes from the start. Of course, first suspect was the new airprime.c driver, but I could not see any obvious issues there. A sniff of a connection showed absolutely no weird issues either.

Finaly, almost in despair, I went to the VW site and found the link above. Did it (you *must* do it under Windows) and lo and behold: I was able to stay connected for more than 5 minutes -- about 21 minutes. Also, connection speeds were way up from the average 20kB I was getting.

Obviously, this may not be all of the story -- after all, I still got disconnected, but this is better. BTW, I am getting disconnected by VW (rcvd [LCP TermReq id=0x3]).

As a sidebar, I also found the modem init strings the Verizon software uses on Windows. I do not know exactly what the string does (I do not have the correct manual), so I am adding in the raw log here.

01-23-2007 15:14:15.375 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\unimdmat.dll, Version 5.1.2600
01-23-2007 15:14:15.375 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\uniplat.dll, Version 5.1.2600
01-23-2007 15:14:15.390 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\modem.sys, Version 5.1.2600
01-23-2007 15:14:15.390 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\modemui.dll, Version 5.1.2600
01-23-2007 15:14:15.406 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mdminst.dll, Version 5.1.2600
01-23-2007 15:14:15.406 - Modem type: Novatel Wireless Merlin CDMA EV-DO Modem
01-23-2007 15:14:15.406 - Modem inf path: oem29.inf
01-23-2007 15:14:15.406 - Modem inf section: Modem
01-23-2007 15:14:15.406 - Matching hardware ID: usb\vid_1410&pid_1110&mi_00
01-23-2007 15:14:15.421 - 230400,8,N,1, ctsfl=1, rtsctl=2
01-23-2007 15:14:15.421 - Initializing modem.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.421 - DSR is low while initializing the modem. Verify modem is turned on.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.421 - CTS is low while initializing modem.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.437 - Send: AT<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.437 - Recv: AT<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.437 - Command Echo
01-23-2007 15:14:15.437 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.437 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.453 - Send: AT&F&D2&C1E0V1S0=0<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.453 - Recv: AT&F&D2&C1E0V1S0=0<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.453 - Command Echo
01-23-2007 15:14:15.484 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.484 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.500 - Send: AT+IFC=2,2<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.500 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.500 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.500 - Waiting for a call.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.515 - Send: ATS0=0<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.515 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.515 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.515 - 230400,8,N,1, ctsfl=1, rtsctl=2
01-23-2007 15:14:15.531 - Initializing modem.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.531 - Send: AT<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.531 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.531 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.546 - Send: AT&F&D2&C1E0V1S0=0<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.609 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.609 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.609 - Send: AT+IFC=2,2<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.625 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:15.625 - Interpreted response: OK
01-23-2007 15:14:15.625 - Dialing.
01-23-2007 15:14:15.625 - Send: ATD####<cr>
01-23-2007 15:14:17.859 - Recv: <cr><lf>CONNECT<cr><lf>
01-23-2007 15:14:17.859 - Interpreted response: Connect
01-23-2007 15:14:17.859 - Receive Connect but CD was low, Waiting for signal to go high
01-23-2007 15:14:17.875 - CD has been raised
01-23-2007 15:14:17.890 - Connection established at 230400bps.
01-23-2007 15:14:17.890 - Error-control off or unknown.
01-23-2007 15:14:17.890 - Data compression off or unknown.
01-23-2007 15:14:47.890 - Read: Total: 2804, Per/Sec: 92, Written: Total: 3215, Per/Sec: 105