Cisco: 881 – 3G Configuration

This configuration example is for use with a 3G WIC card within a Cisco based Router.
This was configured with a Vodafone Network.

Initialization

Place the SIM card into it, then insert the card in the router and power it on.

Create a Profile specific to your mobile ISP

  • Insert the APN told by your ISP (Vodafone UK: ‘Internet’ username: ‘web’ password: ‘web’)
  • Insert the authentication method (chap or pap) and the credentials, also supplied from your ISP

Below is an example of a Vodafone UK Cellar Profile.
Router# cellular 0 gsm profile create 1 Internet chap web web

From the profile you’ve just created, you can review it using command

router# sh cellular 0 profile

Profile Information
====================
Profile 4 = ACTIVE
--------
PDP Type = IPv4
PDP address = 192.168.1.1
Access Point Name (APN) = Internet
Authentication = PAP
Username: web, Password: web 

* - Default profile

Configuration

You need to define a chat script first, which is used for modem setup and call
initialization. If you are familiar with IOS dial configurations, you feel at home.
Please note that the last number in the dial string (1 in the example below) refers
to the modem profile number you hopefully have defined earlier.

!
your chat script
chat-script vodafone “” “ATDT*98*1#” TIMEOUT 60 CONNECT
!
The bare interface config.
Subcommands at the Cellular interface

interface Cellular0
ip address negotiated
ip virtual-reassembly
encapsulation ppp
dialer in-band
dialer idle-timeout 0
dialer string vodafone
dialer-group 1
async mode interactive
ppp chap hostname web
ppp chap password 0 web
ppp ipcp dns request

!

ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Cellular0
dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit

!
This is the async line assigned to the 3G modem

line 3

! you need to specify your chat script here

script dialer vodafone
no exec

!

show command:

Just in case you need it for troubleshooting, here are the show commands to use.

  • show cellular 0 network
  • show cellular 0 hardware
  • show cellular 0 connection
  • show cellular 0 radio
  • show cellular 0 profile
  • show cellular 0 security
  • show cellular 0 all debug commands :

    debug chat
    debug modem
    debug dialer events
    debug ppp authentication

    Rather than reloading the router to restart the module,
    you can actually using CLI to reset or reboot the module     :

    router(config)# service internal
    router(config)# exit
    router# test cellular 0 modem-power-cycle ! for rebooting
    router# test cellular 0 modem-reset ! for resetting

    Remember to create the Cellular Profile, after tftp config to router :
    cellular 0 gsm profile create 1 Internet chap web web

    This is the bare configuration, you will need to add NAT, firewalls etc etc.

    References:
    http://www.davidsudjiman.info/2009/05/29/cisco-881g-and-pcex-3g-hspa-
    configuration-cheat-sheet/