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+--- Thread: Connect external modem? (/showthread.php?tid=15420)
Connect external modem? - feklee - 11-27-2021
The modem in my PinePhone is very unstable. Sometimes it's up half a day, but sometimes I have to restart it every few minutes. Yesterday, I upgraded to ADSP version 01.003.01.003 and to Biktorgj 0.4.2. Generally I'm happy with the PinePhone, but the modem crashes are really problematic. Often people cannot reach me.
Would it be possible to connect another, better modem via USB?
RE: Connect external modem? - wibble - 11-27-2021
We probably won't know for sure until someone tries it. You'd need to find a suitable 'better modem' first. In theory it should be possible if you can find such a modem, but I'd imagine there will be at least two potentially problematic areas. I'm not sure if the modem would be able to wake a sleeping phone on an incoming call, and you'd need to find out how to change the audio routing to make it work.
RE: Connect external modem? - feklee - 11-28-2021
Thanks! It's good to know that in theory it should work. I was also wondering about the audio routing, know nothing about it.
RE: Connect external modem? - wibble - 11-28-2021
You probably need to investigate alsa UCM profiles (usually under /usr/share/alsa/ucm or ucm2 in a device-specific subdir) and any interaction they have with pulseaudio, or pipewire for the future. I haven't got that far myself so can't give you much more detail. Megi's writeup of the usual audio subsystem is at https://xnux.eu/devices/feature/audio-pp.html
Note that it's all currently routed through the audio hardware, not actually passing through pulseaudio, which is why we can't use the pulseaudio echo cancellation plugin. Your better modem will need to provide a USB audio interface, and you will need to work out a way of routing the mic and earpiece audio there instead of to the built in modem when profiles switch. Everything I've seen with profiles involves changing mixer settings on a single device, not setting up and taking down loopback routes between devices, so this could be tricky.
RE: Connect external modem? - bcnaz - 12-04-2021
(11-27-2021, 09:10 AM)feklee Wrote: The modem in my PinePhone is very unstable. Sometimes it's up half a day, but sometimes I have to restart it every few minutes. Yesterday, I upgraded to ADSP version 01.003.01.003 and to Biktorgj 0.4.2. Generally I'm happy with the PinePhone, but the modem crashes are really problematic. Often people cannot reach me.
Would it be possible to connect another, better modem via USB?
You did not mention which operating system you are using ?
Some OSes have many more modem problems than others.
RE: Connect external modem? - feklee - 12-05-2021
(12-04-2021, 09:59 PM)bcnaz Wrote: You did not mention which operating system you are using ?
Since maybe a month: postmarketOS edge (with SXMO)
Before that I was running postmarketOS stable for several months, no difference in modem stability.
It's weird. Sometimes the modem is stable for several hours, even when I move around the city. Sometimes it crashes every five minutes when I'm at home.
RE: Connect external modem? - bcnaz - 12-05-2021
All of my Pinephones have the same modem OEM firmware, ending in ......A08M2G
I have not experienced any modem type of problem, in a long long time.
Recently tested/testing with Mobian/Phosh - PMOS/Phosh - Arch/Phosh/Dremurs all with usable basic functions
Last time I tried Manjaro/Plasma I had lots of problems....
RE: Connect external modem? - feklee - 12-06-2021
As far as I understand things, postmarketOS should be pretty much the most robust OS for the PinePhone. I hope in my case the issue is hardware related. It already crashed today after just 15 min, and I didn't even leave the house. At the same time I'm awaiting an important phone call.
My PinePhone Pro should arrive today in Berlin (currently I'm in Sweden). The modem in it better be more stable, although I understand it's the same Quectel EG25-G.