[arch-releng] Support mobile broadband with wvdial

[Ray Rashif]

On 8 December 2010 18:46, Thomas Bächler <thomas at archlinux.org> wrote:
> I want to say this:
>
> 1) We do not need wvdial. This works easily with pppd and chat alone -
> wvdial is just another abstraction layer that doesn't simplify anything
> (you still have to configure everything that you need to configure in
> pppd and chat), so I don't see the need for wvdial at all.
>
> 2) Implement pppd/chat-based mobile broadband as a netcfg connection.
>
> 3) Implement pppoe and pptp as netcfg connections.
>
> 4) Implement support for creating netcfg profiles in AIF.
>
> IMO, this is the way to go. It isn't difficult, it just needs some time
> and someone to do it (it's on my imaginary TODO list which is growing
> and growing - meaning I won't do it any time soon).

That's fine too, I was just concerned that we need something that
actually works in a straightforward manner. This (netcfg method) would
be even better, actually. It's just that I've never tried to dial up
with anything other than wvdial, and I haven't come across much
documentation that uses ppp for gsm.

For eg. I have 2 configuration files that I copied off the net; 1 for
3G modems which I didn't have to edit and the other for cellphones,
which needed only the APN changed. I just issue a 'wvdial' to get
connected with my Huawei E220 or ROKR E8.

I wouldn't know how one would do the equivalent with pppd alone. I've
tried adapting /etc/ppp/options by looking at each line in
/etc/wvdial.conf, to no avail. Thomas, could you provide an example?
I'd like to include that in the wiki and improve existing articles
like [1], effectively solving this without the need to have any new
software/packages introduced.

[1] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dialup_without_a_dialer_HOWTO