Showing posts with label ZTE ZXDSL 852 Modem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ZTE ZXDSL 852 Modem. Show all posts

Fixing Firefox Goes Offline Bug on Linux
9:17 PM - Posted by SanJ Wijeratne - 6 comments
This was a big headache for me when I upgraded to Ubuntu 8.10 from Ubuntu 8.04, that my Firefox Web browser happened to go off-line whenever I connected to the Internet using my home Internet connection. But it worked perfectly when I connected from the university or using other wireless access points. After googling for few minutes, I was able to find what went wrong for me. It was something to do with Firefox configuration for not to check the network management applet in Linux for available networks, whenever Firefox connects to the Internet. Though this bug is reported, it is not been handled nor assigned to anybody at BugZilla, so it is still remains as a bug in Firefox under Linux, unless you run this fix.

Usually with the introduction of Firefox 3, the developers have developed the famous Web browser in a way that when it runs under Linux variants, it checks the network management applet to check whether the computer has already been connected to a network and adjusts its mode of operation according to that, meaning Firefox will operate in on-line mode only if the Linux box is connected to a network. But the network manager comes with Linux has some issues with identifying PPP connections that uses USB modems to connect to the Internet. Due to this erroneous behavior of the network management applet, it tends to complain by saying it is not connected to a network though you are connected to the Internet using your USB ADSL modem (ZTE ZXDSL 852 in my case). Now with this erroneous behavior if you are using Firefox 3, since Firefox checks the network management applet for available networks, it will fail to recognize that you are connected to the Internet as network management applet fails to detect your ADSL Internet connection. This causes Firefox to operate in off-line mode, so you will be not be able to browse the Internet.

The easiest way to fix this issue is by changing your Firefox browser settings to not to check the network management applet before connecting to the Internet. This can be done in few easy steps:

  1. First open a new Firefox Web Browser and type about:config at the address bar. Then you'll get a page saying changing advanced settings can harm your computer, believe me, this won't do any harm. Just click on the button "I'll be careful, I promise".
  2. Now type "toolkit.networkmanager.disable" at the filter bar you get there, which will show you the Firefox setting for toolkit.networkmanager.disable property. In your case, this should be set to false.
  3. Now double click on toolkit.networkmanager.disable which will set toolkit.networkmanager.disable's value to true. Thats all you have to do. Now restart Firefox.

toolkit.networkmanager.disable is the Firefox setting which allows you to control Firefox's communication with network management applet in Linux. Setting this property's value to true makes Firefox to not to use network manager to detect on-line/off-line status. Therefore if the network management applet controls active network connections incorrectly, this setting lets you avoid the problems caused due to such issues with network manager and guide Firefox to use its status as on-line. So you won't get "work off-line error page" while you are connected to a network.

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Download Vista Drivers for ZTE ZXDSL 852 Modem - 32 Bit and 64 Bit
1:51 AM - Posted by SanJ Wijeratne - 27 comments

Since I came to notice that there’s considerable amount of traffic coming to this site seeking for Windows Vista Drivers for ZTE ZXDSL 852 modem, I thought of uploading the Vista driver I have with me for that modem and make it available for download through this site. You can find the Vista Driver for ZTE ZXDSL 852 modem here. I got this driver from Sri Lanka Telecom, who is my Internet Service Provider but they recommend ZTE ZXDSL 852 modem to be best use with Windows XP rather than Windows Vista. But this driver works well for me and I hope it will help you too to sort out your problems with ZTE ZXDSL 852. Drivers for Vista 64 bit and XP 32 bit Operating Systems are also included in the download pack.

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Installing ZTE ZXDSL 852 Modem Driver on Ubuntu Linux 8.04
12:58 AM - Posted by SanJ Wijeratne - 16 comments

I bought an ADSL Broadband Home Express package from SLT few days back for my personal use and I wanted it to be installed on Ubuntu Linux. At the time of purchasing, I forgot to specifically mention that I'm planning to use it on Ubuntu. After having a nice chat with the demonstrator provided to me to clarify the matters I had on choosing the right modem that suits me from a range of products, I chose to go with a ZTE ZXDSL 852 modem. After coming home and failing to find the drivers for Ubuntu Linux on the driver CD came with ZTE ZXDSL 852, I was able to contact a technical assistant from SLT over the phone to ask that "dumb question" I forgot to ask at the purchasing time, "Does this run on Ubuntu Linux?". I got the answer that suprized me the most when she replied me back with "Sorry Sir, Currently we don't support any Linux variants", with her sweet voice. But It was not the end of my dream of a high speed Internet connection, thanks to Adrian Lubic, who is the founder of UbuDSL driver for ZTE ZXDSL 852 on Ubuntu. I know some of my friends who bought ADSL connections from SLT with 4-port routers to be used with Linux variants, just because they knew the fact that SLT doesn't provide drivers for ZTE modems, but you don't need to spend additional bucks on routers as UbuDSL does exactly what you were looking for (i.e. Provides an Interface to use ZTE ZXDSL 852 modems with Ubuntu Linux).

Installing UbuDSL is pretty simple. First you have to download the latest stable version of UbuDSL from SourceForge. You need to unpack the deb package and it will install UbuDSL to your Ubuntu box. Then you need to follow the following steps to configure your ZTE ZXDSL 852 modem with UbuDSL.
  1. Go to System > Administration and Open the UbuDSL Configuration panel
  2. Then simply follow the instruction appears on your screen. For your simplicity, it is described below.
  3. First, you need to unplug your ADSL modem, if it is already connected. Then click the next button at the bottom of the configuration window.
  4. Then a second configuration screen will appear where you need to insert the username and password provided by your service provider (i.e. SLT). Then select Sri Lanka from the country drop down box which will automatically sets the service drop down box to SLT. Set the combo boxes given according to your preferences. I chose "OpenDNS" and "Strat Connection while user plugs the modem" check boxes.
  5. In the next screen, you will be asked to plug your modem and after that, install your Ubuntu CD to install the additional packages it needs. If the configuration window takes a lot of time to goes to the next step after you inserting the Ubuntu CD, you might have to manually install the required packages from the Ubuntu CD. This happens due to absence of additional packages that UbuDSL is looking for at the configuration time. If it is the problem with you, its worth checking this link out because it carries all the information that is required for a newbie like me to install the additional packages manually. After installing the additional packages manually, you need to again start from the step 1 to configure your modem. Others can proceed to fourth configuration screen where it asks you to reboot your system.
  6. Now reboot the system and try to connect to the Internet using UbuDSL Applet. You can find it in Application > Internet. Hurrah... You just configured your ADSL connection correctly. Now enjoy surfing!!! ;-)
  7. If you still have connection problems, please make sure that the /etc/modprobe.d/options file is configured correctly. You can open that file using the command "gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/options". Locate the line starts with "options unicorn_usb_eth" and make sure it has something similar to "PROTOCOL=pppoe ENCAPS=lllc-encaps". Now you can reboot the system and start surfing!!! :-D
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