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List of Mobile Broadband devices, that may be used to connect to the Internet, using Windows 7

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While installing mobile broadband software on Windows7 or connecting to the internet using the installed mobile broadband software, the user may experience one of the following issues with some devices:

· Installation failure of the mobile broadband software

· Failed to detect the mobile broadband device

· Unable to connect to the internet

All mobile broadband devices that connect to the internet with Windows Vista should continue with Windows7.

Below is the list of devices that are known to connect to the internet with Windows 7.

AT&T devices

· AT&T USB Connect Mercury (x86 only)

· AT&T USB Connect Quick Silver (x86 only)

· Option Wireless GT Ultra Express

· Sierra Wireless Aircard 881 (x86 only)

· Sierra Wireless Aircard 875 (x86 only) *

· Sierra Wireless Aircard 875u (x86 only)

Sprint devices

· Novatel Wireless Merlin EX720 *

· Novatel Wireless USB727 (AMD64 only)

T-Mobile devices

· T-Mobile E160 USB Stick Modem

Verizon devices

· Verizon Wireless AirCard 595 (AMD64 only)

· Verizon Wireless KPC680 ExpressCard

· Verizon Wireless PC5750 PC Card

· Verizon Wireless UM175 USB Modem *

· Verizon Wireless USB727 Modem (x86 only)

· Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard

Vodafone devices

· Huawei E172 USB Stick *

· Novotel Wireless Ovation MC950D (x86 only)

· Vodafone E3730 Card with 3G Broadband (x86 only)

· Vodafone K3520 USB Stick (x86 only)

· Vodafone K3565 USB Stick

· Vodafone K3715 USB Stick (x86 only)

* Devices with known problems and workarounds

Device: AT&T Sierra Wireless Aircard 875

Problem: The Cingular Communication Manager InstallShield Wizard is blocked from progressing by a warning message that is not easily visible.
Workaround: User needs to move the InstallShield Wizard window to another position on the screen to uncover the warning message and click on 'OK' on the warning message.

Problem: Launching Cingular Communication Manager pops up a Program Compatibility Assistant dialog showing message "This program has known compatibility issues".
Workaround: Select "Don't show this message again" and click "Run Program" to run program successfully.

Device: Sprint Novatel Wireless Merlin EX720

Problem: Warning message during installation "Motorola driver installer does not recognize your Operating System"
Workaround: Click OK and ignore. This has no impact on internet connectivity with the device.

Device: Verizon Wireless UM175 USB Modem

Problem: Error message “OS not supported” displayed during installation of mobile broadband software. Driver installation fails.

Workaround: Right-click on the installer application, click on properties and select the ‘Compatibility’ tab. Check the box ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:’ and select ‘Windows Vista’ from the drop down dialog box. Click on ‘OK’ button. Run the installer application again.

Device: Vodafone Huawei E172 USB Stick

Problem: Software does not install correctly from the device.
Workaround: Install software from the CD instead.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Qualcomm's Gobi HSPA+EV-DO chipset drivers fail to install or work properly under Windows 7. The driver MSI installer stops, and rolls back the installation. This is an issue both with Qualcomm Gobi's driver package customized for Lenovo and for HP (both version 1.00A and 1.00B). Qualcomm Gobi based cards are OEM cards, rebranded by the computer manufacturers (it goes with names like HP un2400 mobile broadband card) A different method to try was to install Gobi drivers under Windows Vista, then upgrade to Windows 7. This way the driver remains installed, but the card works sporadically, after a sleep the originally installed "HP un2400 MBB Modem" and "HP un2400 MBB Ethernet Adaptor" devices disappear, and the device is re-recognized as a "HP US-USB Qtloader (COMx)" device under the Ports section of the device manager. After this, the card never works again. Any help with this? :(

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Well, this blog seems abandoned... Anyway, my findings about the Qualcomm Gobi drivers, as I had some free time to dig into the issue:

  • if I extract the HP WWAN installer, I find two separate MSI installers made by Qualcomm. One installs the so called "Gobi images" which seem to be settings for the various WWAN service providers (like Verzion, etc. and european UMTS providers). The other one installs the drivers and the QDLService ("Qualcomm Gobi Download Service"), which seems to be a loader of some sort, which has the task to load the correct "Gobi image", depending on the current provider. This latter installer is the one, which fails with a generic error.
  • If I dissect and debug the MSI installer (I used the Qwerty.msi tool for this), it is clear, that the installer fails and rolls back, because it detects that the QDLService cannot be started correctly. If I remove the custom action which checks the status of the QDLService from the installer sequence, and rebuild the installer, the installation proceeds to the end without error, and not only all drivers are installed correctly, but QDLService is also registered and seems to be running fine as a Service.
  • However, this doesn't mean that the card will work, because every time the computer is put to sleep (or wireless card is turned off and on), the card forgets the loaded Gobi image, and the Modem and Ethernet Adaptor devices are removed from the device manager, only a "HP HS-USB QDLoader" device appears (in the Ports section of the Device Manager). Apparently, this triggers the QDLService which then tries to load the required Gobi image to the device, but under Windows 7 the service hangs (the service cannot be stopped or restarted anymore, a manual hard reset is needed to restart the computer). On Vista however, the service correctly reloads the Gobi image after a sleep (I tested it by stopping the QDLSerice on Vista, putting the computer through a sleep/resume cycle - the result is the same as in Win7, only the HS-USB QLoader device is present, but when I start the QDLService, the correct Gobi image is immediately loaded onto the card, and the Modem & Ethernet Adaptor devices appear under the Device Manager).
  • Interestingly, if I make a dual installation (Install Vista on one partition, and Win7 on an other), then if I boot to Vista (where the QDLoader loads the correct image), then I reboot to Win7, the Modem and Ethernet Adaptor devices appear under Win7 correctly (until a sleep/resume cycle, when they disappear, and never appear again, until the Gobi image is reloaded in Vista).
  • If the Gobi image is loaded onto the card (by dualbooting to Vista) and the Modem device is present in Win7, the device still cannot be used correctly, because the HP connection utility (which manages the WWAN connections) is also totally broken under Win7, producing horrible GUI artifacts, rendering it  unusable. There is a workaround however: in the device manager, on the advanced tab of the Modem device, the following init string must be added: +CGDCONT =1,"IP","apn" (note the space after CGDCONT), where the apn is the access point name of the internet service given by the UMTS provider (for example 'internet' for T-Mobile). Then a standard dial-up connection must be created (choose the gobi modem device) , the dialed number must be "*99#". This way the modem connects correctly under Win7 (I tested the speeds, it was well over 4mbps in Europe). All this goodness will however break after a sleep/resume cycle forever (unless you can dualboot to Vista and restore the Gobi Image onto the card). Obviously this is not good for day-to-day use. So all in all, this thing does not work very well. Qualcomm and HP doesn't provide any support, which is sad (why would they care, I suppose?). Qualcomm's Gobi driver is as complicated and broken as it can be (in other aspects as well, like why does it want to install only to a QUALCOMM folder directly under the root directory??), the HP connection manager is a disaster as well (as if they were deliberately trying to break as much Windows UI design guidelines as possible)...

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    I have been having an issue with my at&t Arcard 875U on Windows 7 RC (bld 7100 & 7201).  The Windows 7 RC install was an inplace upgrade over Vista Business, and everything seems to work well.  The 875U connects and works fine, but on the Network and Sharing Center window, it says that it is an "Unidentified Network", and I cannot change it.  On Vista, I was able to mark the network connection as "at&t" and set the profile as public for the proper firewall and security settings.  But as Unidentified Network, I cannot do that, and I'm not sure that security settings are.  I assume that firewall is protecting my connection, but not sure.  Is there anyway that I can change the network connection profile type for this connection?

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    drsnuggles, Gobi does not work under Win7 x64, the firmware loader ("qdlservice") hangs. I don't know about x86, it works according to your report. Gobi does not work under the RC either. My workaround is to do the firmware uploading in a virtual machine with XP or Linux if I need 3G (the Linux solution is documented here:http://marc.info/?l=linux-usb&m=123874553630076&w=2) Qualcomm recemtly introduced the new Gobi 2000 board (not in stores yet), which they advertise to work natively with Win7 as well (probably utilizing NDIS 6.2), but still no info or driver for the existing Gobi card. Qualcomm is a very secretive company: no beta drivers, no word on any update, no answers, just silence... The following story indicates that somebody somewhere must be carefully hiding a working Win7 driver: "Gian Wilson, product manager, Mobile Communications Business, demonstrated Windows 7 running on a new HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition netbook PC, with the Qualcomm Gobi 3G module embedded. With such a configuration, users only need to introduce a 3G sim card and activate their mobile broadband, Wilson explained. In this regard, Microsoft underlined that it had aimed to make the connecting experience as simple as possible." (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-Will-Do-for-3G-What-XP-Did-for-Wi-Fi-108610.shtml)

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    It seems like the Dell cards (which are essentially rebranded Novatel cards) can be installed by extracting the msi, and installing the drivers manually. Qualcomm Gobi cards (like HP's un2400) however cannot be installed this way, because some sort of internal protection that requires a licensing service running in order to enable some parts of the hardware (like the modem and ethernet adaptor) to be displayed in the device manager. Dumb, dumb dumb! Qualcomm does not offer any help, nor does HP. Sweet. :(

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Telit MX-20 (3G modem) works fine. Sold in Israel by Cellcom. Would be good if it would work directly via Windows and not only via the Telit utility, which takes 2 - 3 minutes to load. Once it has been loaded, it can afterwards be disconnected and reconnected via Windows, but the first connection after a new boot can only be made through the utility. Same in Vista and 7.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Sprint 5720 mini pc card, installed 64 bit version, went without a hitch and connected immediately.  Dell xps m1530 with windows 7 ultimate x64, with 8 gb of ram.  Will have  modify registry for the gps feature to work. Default is set to no gps.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Wow, joshperry, this is supergreat! I'll try it asap, thanks!

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Do have the Compaq Mini Q (702 EG PC) With a little help of one of the Developers for Win7 i fixed it for my Hardware. I tried the following:

  1. Reinstalled the HPWMI Package
  2. I did a repair on the Qualcomm Gobi drivers and afterwards it appears in the Device manager. (QCUSBDRIVER)
  3. Did a repair of the Qualcomm Gobi Images for HP
  4. During the startup the Device “HP HS-USB QDLoader (COM3)” was found and installed with ready to use Error was still the same. Then I set again the Vista Compatability Mode for the HP Connection Manager 1.1 and it is WORKING NOW!

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi Steve,   Sorry for the delay in the reply. Just wanted to let you know that we are working on the HP Gobi issue for Windows 7.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi, Dell 5520 WWAN software does not seem to install for me. The installer rolls back half way through. You can bypass the installer and install the three device drivers manually as explained here: http://www.gottabemobile.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7178&PID=47618 However even that leaves just the device enabled eg as a normal dial up modem without the Dell software showing signal strength, SMS, GPS etc. It would be nice if you could get Dell to update the software.  Dell software ref R159896. Regards, Andrew

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hello to everyone trying to get the Qualcomm Gobi working on Windows 7.  I've done something similar to the Linux loaders referenced in Steve123's post. I've posted my findings and a tool to load the firmware to my blog at (http://blogs.6bit.com/josh/2009/05/qualcomm-gobi-wwan-card-on-windows-7/).

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Is there any hope for a working Qualcomm GOBI driver for Windows 7? In fact, the lack of WWAN support is the only thing that keeps me from using Windows 7. And, in fact, it keeps me also from sending in bug reports and telling about my beta experience. I'm not the only one waiting - you get a great loss of information that way. It's a shame that Windows 7 fails on GOBI - it's the most advanced architecture for WWAN at all. Steve123 reported the failure a whole three months(!) ago and supplied you with exhausting in-depth detail. What else do you want us users to do? Do you care at all?

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    On Windows 7 I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 with an internal Dell Wireless 5720 Sprint Mobile BB card.  The latest drivers will go through the installation but then roll everything back then give an Installation Failure message.  The latest driver per Dell's site is 2.09.01.44 Build#023,A01.  The previous version, 2.09.01.44 Build#015,A00 had the same issue.  However, the original version 2.06.02.44 Build#62,A04 installed flawlessly.  I tested the device using this driver and was able to connect without issue.

  • Anonymous
    January 19, 2011
    i need a driver for MTK6225 device to runon my window park 3

  • Anonymous
    July 27, 2011
    can i use dell mobile broadband manager to use internet in my dell inspiron 1420 windows 7 by using a 2G or 3G sim card inserting below battery ....in India..?

  • Anonymous
    August 16, 2011
    Yes present using mobile broadband devices that connect to the internet with Windows Vista should continue with Windows7.

  • Anonymous
    October 15, 2015
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  • Anonymous
    December 15, 2015
    i have used my mobil as a wi-fi to use at my computer so i have internet.but i was klikking on the wi-fi app on the setting and now i can get it back the wi-fi app.how to do?