Using Verizon Motorola V3c RAZR as Wireless Mobile Internet Connection for Debian GNU/Linux System

First of all, just because you have a Verizon phone and calling plan doesn't mean that you can use Verizon's Internet service. I pay $60 a month for the use of this service, and use it I do... Please contact Verizon or your cellular service provider and subscribe to the correct plan for your needs. Failure to do this will result in a huge bill for using the Internet service on a minutely basis... I've heard that they really stick it to you for doing this... Having said that, I find this to be an extremely valuable service, and now that I have it, would really hate to have to go without. I use this connection all the time, at work to check e-mails, VPN to home, etc. But, I primarily use the connection as a passenger on a weekly 10 hour road trip. This gives me lots of time to work on websites, and upload video of the night's events into my video system.

Different Digital Cellular Signal Types

There are two different cellular signal types that your Verizon V3c has access to. There is the traditional 1x digital signal, and the new and much faster EV or EV-DO signals.

EV / EV-DO High Speed "BroadbandAccess"

Verizon calls it's EV network "BroadbandAccess". They advertise the download speed to be between 400 and 700 kbps bursting up to 2 Mbps. That's pretty darn fast if you're riding down the highway, or sitting in the park at lunch. Here is information outlining the speed and coverage of Verizon's "BroadbandAccess" network.

1x "NationalAccess" Network

In areas not covered by the new EV-DO signals, your phone can still be used to connect to the Internet via Verizon's "NationalAccess" network. Speeds are reduced to between 60 to 80 kbps bursting up to a whopping 144 kbps. That's enough to check your e-mail, or do some googling, and ssh into a server to update webpages. It is NOT enough to get the "full" Internet experience... Remember, this is just faster then a 56 kbps modem... So if you are used to a really high speed connection you might get a little frustrated at first.

But, on the bright side of things, you will be able to get on the net just about anywhere. This picture was taken in the middle of a state pine forest...
Satellite P200 Laptop and Motorola V3c on Google in the Forest

Different Ways to Connect to Your Phone

You can either connect to your Motorola V3c via a USB cable or with Bluetooth.

Connecting with a USB Cable

The USB connection to the V3c basically creates another serial port, and through serial communication, utilizes built in modem commands in the phone. Simply put, it uses your phone as a modem.

An additional benefit of connecting your Motorola V3c to a USB port, is that the phone is automagically charged!! This is great, even if you use the alternative Bluetooth connection, as you can leave all the chargers at home, and use your laptop to keep your phone charged.

What Kind of Cable Do I Need??

Your phone needs one of the most common USB cables. If you have a digital camera, or other similar device, you might already have what you need. It's called a mini 5 pin cable.

Whatever you do, don't go to your local Best Buy / Circuit City / Wherever to get one of these cables.

I went to a couple of major electronics retailers one day on my lunch break to see if I could get a cable, as I had left mine at home and my phone was dead. I went to the first place, and asked the guy near the cameras where the cables were. He took me right to the spot, and handed me the cable that I needed... I asked how much it cost. He looked back, and matched the right cable, and said that it was $29.99!!! I told him that I didn't need it that bad, and went to store number two. I easily found the cables at store #2... At least they had a few options... The cheapest, was $20, and I still didn't need the cable that bad either. I couldn't believe that a 6' cable could cost that much, and knew that there had to be something better online. I hurried back to work, got online, and found just what I wanted for $4 a cable. I bought three. ;-)

Bluetooth Wireless

My Toshiba Satellite P200 has built-in Bluetooth adapter, that I use to establish a wireless connection that has about a 20 to 30' range. Connecting to the phone with Bluetooth also seems to provide a slight speed increase over connection via USB.

This is a really slick connection that seems faster then the hard-wired alternative. If you have a computer that is Bluetooth enabled, I strongly suggest investing the time to utilize this method.

Preparing Linux for the Different Connection Methods

I STRONGLY suggest preparing both the USB and Bluetooth connections. On several occasions while compiling kernels on the road where I needed to use the USB connection before preparing Bluetooth.

Most Linux distros including Debian, come with the appropriate kerel options included as modules. Most Linux distros also utilize a package management system that allows you to easily install precompiled programs.

The ppp package is a prerequisite of both connection types.

# apt-get install ppp

Preparing the USB Connection

To use your V3c as a USB modem you must have the CONFIG_USB_ACM option either compiled into the kernel or compiled as a module. I recommend compiling directly into the kernel.

--> Device Drivers
   --> USB Support
      --> USB Modem (CDC ACM) support

To see that your phone is recognized by Linux I suggest running the following command.

# tail -f /var/log/messages

If the kernel has been prepared with the required option, you should see the following appear in /var/log/messages.

Jul  4 12:13:54 localhost kernel: usb 2-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 2
Jul  4 12:13:54 localhost kernel: usb 2-2: configuration #1 chosen from 2 choices
Jul  4 12:13:54 localhost kernel: cdc_acm 2-2:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device

You should also have a new device.

# ls -la /dev/ttyACM0 
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 166, 0 2007-07-04 12:13 /dev/ttyACM0

Preparing the Bluetooth Connection


 

Links to Other Helpful Resources

Here are my most consulted pages during this setup.

BluetoothDialup - Community Ubuntu Documentation


 

The end for now... Good luck!!