Only enable modem when needed with kill switches

[sokolgeo]

Hello!

For privacy reasons I want to keep modem disabled unless I want to make a call or use internet via the modem.

I was expecting operating system on pinephone to find the modem once its powered back by the hardware kill-swich on the back of the device.

Doesn't work: once the modem's hardware kill-switch is "off", the modem does not re-appear in pinephone operating system when the hardware kill-switch is returned to "on" position.

I tried with postmarketOS, ubuntu touch and pure os for pinephone (purism guy says on Librem phone the switches are not requiring re-boot for re-activating the hardware, at least not wifi: https://forums.puri.sm/t/librem-5-pineph...es/8793/12 ). Neither was able to detect modem when its re-enabled by the hardware kill-switch.

Is there any way to bring pinephone modem back to operating mode without system reboot after I flip its hardware kill switch from "off" to "on" position?

Thank you

[onkelfip]

Hi,



on my Linux laptop (not a Pine product) the internal 4G modem sometimes 'disappears' after a suspend. I'm always able to enable it again and have it detected by modemmanager by resetting it using usb_modeswitch -R  -v vendorid -p productid

Update: just checked on my PinePhone, the Quectell LTE Modem is on USB, id:2c7c:0125
as root, running: 
usb_modeswitch -R -v 2c7c -p 0125
Did reset the modem. 



Cheers,



Filip.

[sokolgeo]

Interesting.

I also see Quectell LTE Modem on USB Bus 003, device 002: ID 2c7c:0125 on my PinePhone.

Problem is: when modem is hardware killed with physical switch flipped "off" and then back "on" - the modem does not re-appear in lsusb output.

At this point running as root
usb_modeswitch -R -v 2c7c -p 0125
gives

Code:

Look for default devices ...
No devices in default mode found. Nothing to do. Bye!

It seems that after being killed with hardware kill-switch host has to reset the bus to enable the re-enumeration of the device (source Replicant devs: https://www.mail-archive.com/replicant@o...00700.html)

Is there way to reset USB Bus 003 to force enumeration of attached USB devices?