[How-To] configure and setup USB Alcatel LTE Link Key IK40 and Alcatel LTE MW40V

Community Builds, Projects & Packages
2

Alcatel IK40 / IK40V
I have added some general details and some adaptions for OpenWRT 21.02/22.03/23.05.rc2 (identical config for both versions):

  1. Install packages:
opkg update
opkg install kmod-usb-net-rndis usb-modeswitch usbutils

  1. Plug LTE stick into router USB (With SIM-PIN1 deactivated, this avoids having to configure the PIN in OpenWRT config files)

  2. Check that the LTE stick can be found:

lsusb

Expected result is a device 1bbb:0195, as this is the identifier for the IK40:
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 1bbb:0195 ....some display text string....

  1. Edit file /etc/config/network

You must modify the DHCP range ipaddr of interface lan to anything other than 192.168.1.x, as the range 192.168.1.1/24 will get claimed by the Alcatel IK40 once configured as interface. E.g. modify existing ipaddr value to:

config interface 'lan'
	...
	option ipaddr '192.168.2.1'
	...

Furthermore at the end of /etc/config/network add the following block:

config interface 'lte'
	option device 'usb0'
	option proto 'dhcp'
	option apn 'internet'
  1. Edit file /etc/config/firewall and locate config zone of option name wan and insert the line list network 'lte' 
config zone
	option name		wan
	list   network		'wan'
	list   network		'wan6'
	# insert the following line to assign the IK40 interface to the wan zone:
	list   network		'lte'
	...

  1. save files, unplug WAN Cable on router, reboot and it's done. Internet will now go via LTE stick.
    Remember that the OpenWRT router now has a new LAN IP address (see step 4)

  2. [optional] check routes on OpenWRT device, to see that Internet stuff now gets routed to usb0:

ip route

Output:
default via 192.168.1.1 dev usb0 src 192.168.1.189
192.168.1.0/24 dev usb0 scope link src 192.168.1.189
192.168.2.0/24 dev br-lan scope link src 192.168.2.1

(update: 07/2023: works unchanged for 23.05.rc2)

3 Likes