http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/how-do-you-properly-install-a-novatel-turbo-stick-usb-modem-773492/

I used Network MAnager “Mobile Broadband” and entered the APN (“inet.bell.ca”) instead.

These are the important steps:

Step 1:
Connecting the device, it starts as a usb-storage device but at this point the device has the idVendor: 0×1410 and idProduct: 0×5010, Ubuntu recognizes and mounts the device automatically and puts the icon on the desktop

Step 2:
Right-click on the mounted icon named “Mobile Connect” and select Eject, now the device will change its idProduct id from 0×5010 to the more re-assuring 0×7030 but somehow Ubuntu doesn’t know it’s supposed to be a usbserial device…

Step 3:
sudo rmmod usbserial
sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0×1410 product=0×7030
and /dev/ttyUSB0, /dev/ttyUSB1 etc.. up to /dev/ttyUSB5 should appear on your file system.

One Response to “Novatel U998 turbo stick on Ubuntu”

1. Christian Jaeger says:

   May 30, 2011 at 2:55 am

   Hi

   Does it work reliably for you? I’ve got a persistent problem that in about half (or a bit more) of the cases where I plug it in, connection will drop after ~45 seconds and then the only thing to revive it is to unplug and replug it. See: http://forum.nginx.org/read.php?31,107067 (you’ll also find scripts that I developed independently for the same workarounds you’re describing above).

   Christian

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