msm8916-openwrt

OpenWrt Project is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices. Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application. For developers, OpenWrt is the framework to build an application without having to build a complete firmware around it; for users this means the ability for full customization, to use the device in ways never envisioned.

This repository

Modern version of OpenWrt working on UZ801v3:

Modem Working
- ModemManager not showing Rx/Tx in Luci
Wifi Working
USB gadget (NCM, RNDIS, MASS, ACM Shell)
- Configure via uci or luci app.
TUN installed
Wireguard Installed
hotplug.d scripts to manage leds, only on/off if iface, no blinking:
- On default Linux Kernel dts, leds are swapped!
- Wifi Led: packages/ledcontrol/files/99-modem-led
- Modem Led: packages/ledcontrol/files/99-wifi-led
~~Firmware is dumped on first boot from modem/persist partition:~~
- ~~Uses the binaries/firmware from the own device.~~
- This will return eventually...
Leaves the luci-app-tailscale package in /root ready to be installed:
- It is not auto installed as it will install tailscale that is a heavy package and not everyone is using tailscale.
- apk add --allow-untrusted /root/luci-app-tailscale*.apk
SquashFS and OverlayFS:
- The image no longer uses ext4 for rootfs, instead it uses squashfs.
- This allows for an overlay ext4 partition to be used and enables firstboot (factory reset) mechanism.

How to build OpenWrt

Docker is required!

cd devenv
docker compose run --rm builder # This will open bash inside a build environment
cp /repo/diffconfig .config # Copies the config on to the working folder
echo "# CONFIG_SIGNED_PACKAGES is not set" >> .config # Optional: Disable APK signature verification
make defconfig
make -j$(nproc)

How to flash from OEM

Install edl: https://github.com/bkerler/edl
Put the device in edl mode: https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Zhihe_series_LTE_dongles_(generic-zhihe)#How_to_enter_flash_mode
Do a full backup: edl rf backup.bin
Run ./openwrt-msm89xx-msm8916-yiming-uz801v3-flash.sh: The script will backup the important partitions specific for your device, will flash everything and will restore de previously saved partitions.

After the succesful flash if you:

Want to enter fastboot, just insert the device with the button pressed.
Want to enter edl, boot into fastboot and execute: fastboot oem reboot-edl.

No Network/Modem Stuck at Searching

First, extract the contents of modem.bin from your firmware dump. You can do eld r modem modem.bin. In linux, its a simple image, you can mount it. Once you have it mounted, navigate to this directory: image/modem_pr/mcfg/configs/mcfg_sw/generic/ and choose the folder according to your region:

APAC - Asia Pacific
CHINA - China
COMMON - Use this if your region is not listed
EU - Europe
NA - North America
SA - South America
SEA - South East Asia

Once you have selected your region, you'll find folders typically representing Telcos in your area. Navigate through the appropriate folder until you locate mcfg_sw.mbn. If your telco is not listed, just grab a generic as it is done in this project for europe:

  # packages/msm8916-firmware/Makefile
  define Build/Compile
      ...
  		::image/modem_pr/mcfg/configs/mcfg_sw/generic/common/default/default/mcfg_sw.mbn $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)
      ...
  endef

To apply the fix:

Transfer the file to your dongle: scp -O mcfg_sw.mbn root@192.168.1.1:/lib/firmware/MCFG_SW.MBN
- Capitalization matters! Modem expects it to be all caps.
Reboot the device.

TODO:

Recover msm-firmware-dumper.
Clean up overview page (eth0 does not need to be there...)
Investigate lpac and eSIM.
Reboot to edl/bootloader from linux/luci.
Swap? Zram?... expand ram with eMMC?

Future:

Custom package server for msm89xx/msm8916
- Any target specific module not present might require to be built from sources. This repo can be used to do that, run make menuconfig before make -j$(nproc) and select it from the menu.
- Feed: https://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/targets/msm89xx/msm8916/packages/packages.adb has been removed from distfeeds file.

Credits

@ghosthgy https://github.com/ghosthgy/openwrt-msm8916
- Starting point for this project.
@lkiuyu https://github.com/lkiuyu/immortalwrt
- Almost all the msm8916 folder + patches + openstick feeds.
@Mio-sha512 https://github.com/Mio-sha512/OpenStick-Builder
- usb-gadget and msm-firmware-loader idea (now msm-firmware-dumper).
@AlienWolfX https://github.com/AlienWolfX/UZ801-USB_MODEM/wiki/Troubleshooting
- For the carriers policy troubleshooting.
@gw826943555 and @asvow https://github.com/gw826943555/luci-app-tailscale
- Application for controlling tailscale from luci.