Librem5 5G is here! Modem Sim8202g tested successfully

Hardware Librem 5
,
103

Yes, in this case I think we do and I think I have. Reasons being what was said but also because of what antennas are being used. The device has been designed to work with only two (0+3), but it’s beyond me to understand has some bands or functionalities been lost in that. The manual (SIM8202G-M2 Hardware Design V1.00, pages 46-49) states, what the differences are, what each does:

ANT0:

  • Functions: 3G/4G/5G LB/MHB TRX, 4G UHB DIV, 5G n41 DL-MIMO1, 5G n77/n78/n79 DIV
  • Frequency ranges: 617MHz-2690MHz, 3400MHz-3700MHz, 2496MHz-2690MHzm 3300MHz-5000MHz

ANT1:

  • 3G/4G/5G MHB DL-MIMO1, 4G UHB DL-MIMO2, 4G LAA DIV, 5G N41 TRX 5G n77/n78/n79 DL-MIMO2
  • Frequency ranges: 1710MHz~2690MHz 3400MHz~3700MHz 5150MHz~5925MHz 2496MHz~2690MHz 3300MHz~5000MHz

ANT2:

  • 3G/4G/5G MHB DL-MIMO2, 4G UHB DL-MIMO1, 4G LAA PRX, 5G n41 DIV, 5G n77/n78/n79 DL-MIMO1, GNSS
  • Frequency ranges: 1710MHz~2690MHz 3400MHz~3700MHz 5150MHz~5925MHz 2496MHz~2690MHz 3300MHz~5000MHz 1166MHz~1610MHz

ANT3:

  • Functions: 3G/4G/5G LB/MHB DIV, 4G UHB TRX, 5G n41 DL-MIMO2, 5G n77/n78/n79 TRX
  • Frequency ranges: 617MHz-2690MHz, 3400MHz-3700MHz, 2496MHz-2690MHz, 3300MHz-5000MHz
Full table

Frequency Bands / Uplink (UL) / Downlink (DL) / Duplex Mode
WCDMA B1 1920 ~1980MHz2110 ~2170MHzFDD
WCDMA B2 1850~1910MHz1930~1990MHzFDD
WCDMA B3 1710 ~1785MHz1805 ~1880MHzFDD
WCDMA B4 1710 ~1755MHz2110~ 2155MHzFDD
WCDMA B5 824~849MHz869~894MHzFDD
WCDMA B8 880 ~915MHz925 ~960MHzFDD
LTE B1 1920 ~1980MHz2110 ~2170MHzFDD
LTE B2 1850~1910MHz1930~1990MHzFDD
LTE B3 1710 ~1785 MHz1805 ~1880MHzFDD
LTE B4 1710~1755MHz2110~2155MHzFDD
LTE B5 824~849 MHz869~894MHzFDD
LTE B7 2500~2570MHz2620~2690MHzFDD
LTE B8 880 ~915MHz925 ~960MHzFDD
LTE B12 699~716MHz729~746MHzFDD
LTE B13 777~787MHz746~756MHzFDD
LTE B14 788~798MHz758~768MHzFDD
LTE B17 704~716MHz734~746MHzFDD
LTE B18 815~830MHz860~875MHzFDD
LTE B19 830~845MHz875~890MHzFDD
LTE B20 832~862MHz791~ 821MHzFDD
LTE B25 1850~1915MHz1930~1995MHzFDD
LTE B26 814~849MHz859~894MHzFDD
LTE B28 703~748MHz758~803MHzFDD
LTE B29 1/717~728MHzSDL
LTE B30 2305~2315MHz2350~2360MHzFDD
LTE B32 1/1452~1496MHzSDL
LTE B34 2010~2025MHz2010~2025MHzTDD
LTE B38 2570 ~2620MHz2570 ~2620MHzTDD
LTE B39 1880~1920MHz1880~1920MHzTDD
LTE B40 2300 ~2400MHz2300 ~2400MHzTDD
LTE B41 2496 ~2690MHz2496 ~2690MHzTDD
LTE B42 3400~3600MHz3400~3600MHzTDD
LTE B46 1/5150~5925MHzSDL
LTE B48 3550~3700MHz3550~3700MHzTDD
LTE B66 1710~1780MHz2110~2180MHzFDD
LTE B71 663~698MHz617~652MHzFDD
5G n1 1920 ~1980MHz2110 ~2170MHzFDD
5G n2 1850~1910MHz1930~1990MHzFDD
5G n3 1710 ~1785MHz1805 ~1880MHzFDD
5G n5 824~849MHz869~894MHzFDD
5G n7 2500~2570MHz2620~2690MHzFDD
5G n8 880 ~915MHz925 ~960MHzFDD
5G n12 699~716MHz729~746MHzFDD
5G n20 832~862MHz791~ 821MHzFDD
5G n25 1850~1915MHz1930~1995MHzFDD
5G n28 703~748MHz758~803MHzFDD
5G n38 2570~2620MHz2570~2620MHzTDD
5G n40 2300~2400MHz2300~2400MHzTDD
5G n41 2496~2690MHz2496~2690MHzTDD
5G n48 3550~3700MHz3550~3700MHzTDD
5G n66 1710~1780MHz2110~2180MHzFDD
5G n77 3300~4200MHz3300~4200MHzTDD
5G n78 3300~3800MHz3300~3800MHzTDD
5G n79 4400~5000MHz4400~5000MHzTDD

From testing perspective the problem is that I have no way to test what is (2 antennas) vs. what should be (4 antennas) vs. what could be (in general in 5G). But it seems to work ok (here and in this network - but networks differ and not just by the bands they may use).

113

The modem won’t start by its switch. Quickfix:

  1. Delete the second file that provides service. The first script persists.
  2. Create script that authorizes the modem at usb 1-1.2: sudo nano /usr/local/sbin/usb-authorize.sh:

#!/bin/sh

KERNEL_NAME=“1-1.2”

SYS_PATH=“/sys/bus/usb/devices/$KERNEL_NAME/authorized”

logger -t usb-authorize “Trying to authorize USB device: $SYS_PATH”

echo 1 > “$SYS_PATH” 2>> /var/log/usb-authorize.log

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
logger -t usb-authorize “Successfully authorized: $SYS_PATH”
else
logger -t usb-authorize “FAILED to authorize: $SYS_PATH”
fi

exit 0

  1. Make root the owner of the script:

sudo chown root:root /usr/local/sbin/usb-authorize.sh
sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/sbin/usb-authorize.sh

Add udev rule to run the script when usb 1-1.2 connects:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/10-usb-authorize-modem.rules

ACTION!=“remove”, SUBSYSTEM==“usb”, KERNEL==“1-1.2”, RUN+=“/usr/local/sbin/usb-authorize.sh”

Add the rule to link the authorized modem to ttyUSB2 and run it’s init script

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/11-modem-init.rules

ACTION==“add”, SUBSYSTEM==“tty”, KERNEL==“ttyUSB*”,
SYMLINK+=“ttyUSB2”,
RUN+=“/usr/local/bin/init-sim8202g.sh”

reload udev rules

Your modem should fire up in 40 sec after swtiching it ON with the cutoff switch

114

Thanks, very interesting - I will try to test this later this week. The Crimson setup has wrecked the original scripts for some reason and better solution to that original PoC would be great.

How do you find the modem? What kind of network are you in?

116

I love the modem very much. Given we have 4G only here it fits well, the data rates and the battery life is fantastic compared to other modems. Sadly no calls or SMS but this seems to be provider black/whitelist issue and not modem related

117

I (finally) got to test the new method but it did not work for some reason on Crimson at least. I had to revert to giving the modprobe and tee lines manually. Still looking into it…

Also noticed that Crimson still is old and has the old modemmanager, so 4G only.

118

Dear @JR-Fi thanks for the 5G Milestone for L5.

119

I use original Pure OS. Where exactly does it brake? USB to tty?

120

Hopefully the community and Purism can findthe suitable 5g modem to upgrade before 4g really gone, though it ll still take years.

121

Does anyone know where to download the modemmanager or how to install modemmanager ModemManager-1.24.0 for this 5g modem to work? Or do I just run those two scripts, I assume that I need to install the modemmanager first. Thanks.

122

The ModemManager comes with the OS and PureOS is still lagging behind with both Byz and Crim. If you install backports you can get a more updated one, but that’s not official and may have other problems. The old one does seem to work too with 8202g, it just doesn’t show 5G emblem, so it’s hard to say if it’s 4G or 5G. The scrips don’t seem to work automatically (the suggested implementations may have worked but something changed as they haven’t been reliable, at least for me - haven’t taken time to get into them and hoping the updates to OS could help) and you may have to resort to manually (command line) running them (1. and 2. from this seem to do the trick). Sometimes it doesn’t seem to work with the old one (or system has changed in some other way). I’m hoping Crim gets finished soon so people can get on with upgrading the device.

123

I plan to try this 5g modem out. so Run the script 1 and 2 steps from the link? Thanks. Do you have a trusted site to purchase this?

124

It may depend on your location e.g. EU v. US.

125

US East, thanks. I found AliExpress, but I don’t want to order from them.

126

Sorry. Since Purism hasn’t for some reason wanted to get in on this, you have to search for them yourself. You could contact a reputable shop and ask if they can source one for you, I suppose. Also, you may want to check if you can find one used.

[Edit to add: Note that this modem is EOL and that is why it may be harder to find soon. There are newer models, namely Sim8262E and Sim8262A, which are intended for European and American areas/bands, which (maybe) should work too - see comparison table here]

127

I see, well, as long as it is tested, I will do my research I guess. The 5g modem steps is already in the Purism tips and tricks page I think. I just want to make sure that I don’t buy the wrong one. ha. it is not cheap. Thanks for the info

128

Yes, it’s the same that’s in this chat. I’ve been meaning to update that in the community wiki.

129

Still can’t find any sellers. I know purism doens’t want us to get into this, but if anyone does know or has a spare one, please let me know. Thanks.

130

You might try Amazon.fr, but the SIMCOM SIM8262E-M2 is very expensive.

Click here

131

You may also want to check out 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) modems (https://5gstore.com/blog/2025/01/23/what-is-5g-redcap-and-why-it-matters/) for more affordable options. I doubt the Librem 5 can use the full transfer speeds of 5G anyway.