Lenovo S10-3T: Adding 3G
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:15 pmMy favorite hack on a netbook is adding a 3G modem in it. I like to have everything in one go. No dongles, loose USB wires, or wasting a USB port on something that you can install inside the netbook in the first place. It's the reason why I usually go for netbooks with a WWAN mini pci-e slot. USB dongles nowadays are cheap; less than 1k for the whole package. But I want it my own way.
The Lenovo S10-3T I got two days ago, and the S10-3 that monchter got yesterday, both have a WWAN mini pci-e slot. You can opt to buy and use the newer, and expensive (and even unconfirmed) 3G modems mentioned in some site namely;
WCDMA/HSDPA:
1. Ericsson F3607gw
2. Huawei EM770
3. Qualcomm GOBI
EVDO:
1. Huawei EM660
or using a cheap alternative that does exactly the same, connect to the internet.
WCDMA/HSDPA:
1. Unlocked Sierra Wireless MC8775 3G modem (HP HS2300)
As we all know, Lenovo and other manufacturers such as Toshiba, Dell, and HP, lock their BIOS to only approved hardware. Be it WWAN, or Wireless LAN, or maybe even the Bluetooth module. IMO, this is pretty stupid and selfish on their part. Why? Because they basically use the same hardware on their products but end users like us cannot just use them interchangeably. That is clearly a monopolization. I hope they get sued for that. And the sad part is, it's not cheap as compared to slightly used modems you can buy on eBay. They sell it for at least $150. What a rip off! Samsung and MSI are the only manufacturers I know who don't limit their customers how to upgrade their netbooks by locking their BIOS.
Luckily, there are some workarounds and cheaper modems. These 3G modem will work perfectly on our netbooks if not for that stupid whitelist they put in their BIOS. Today, I will be discussing how I managed to get an unapproved 3G modem to work on my S10-3T.
Since the S10-3/T already has the 3G antenna laid out, all I needed is a 3G modem (Sierra Wireless MC8775 / HP HS2300) which I bought a while back, and a little bit of BIOS hacking to include its VID and PID on the whitelist. Installing the unapproved modem without hacking the BIOS will give you an error (unauthorized device installed) and your netbook won't boot unless you uninstall it first.
Before hacking the BIOS, I scoured the net for any resources I could find. I found a tutorial on how to hack an HP BIOS to alter the whitelist. It's a Phoenix Insyde BIOS which is the same as the S10-3T BIOS. I needed to know the VID/PID of the modems allowed in the whitelist. I found a forum where a user posted just that;
BIOS have lock VID/PID.
1. Ericsson F3607gw: 0BDB_1905, 0BDB_1907
2. Huawei EM770/770U/770W: 12D1_1003, 12D1_1001, 12D1_1404
3. Qualcomm GOBI: 05C6_9204, 05C6_9205
4. Huawei EM660: 12D1_1001 12D1_1404
where the 1st four digits i.e 0BDB are the Vendor ID (VID) and the second four digits i.e. 1905 are the Device ID (PID). Using Phoenix BIOS Editor and winhex applications, I was able to confirm the existence of the Ericsson F3607gw and Huawei EM770/770W/770W VID/PID on the whitelist. This is safe to say the those 3G modems will work with the S10-3T. However, I since I already have the Sierra Wireless MC8775 (HP HS2300) 3G modem, and I already know its VID/PID from my previous BIOS hack (HP Mini 1000TU), it's just a matter of replacing one of the F3607gw VID/PID with MC8775 VID/PID using winhex. When done, I just saved it and rebuilt the BIOS firmware using the Phoenix BIOS Editor.
I then flashed the freshly built firmware into the BIOS and PRAYED that it will boot. It DID! If not, then it's going to be tough re-flashing the BIOS using Phoenix's BIOS recovery app (Luckily I haven't tried it yet). It's a big gamble since flashing your BIOS with corrupted firmware can render your netbook unusable. It will be a very expensive paper weight.
After confirming that the netbook boots normally, I turned it off again, opened the back panel, and installed the modem. Then I booted it up again, and once more, it DID! It means the BIOS accepted my 3G modem. When I got to Windows proper, all I had to do is install the drivers and the Sierra Wireless Connection Manager (3G Watcher).
I inserted a SIM card in the SIM slot and Presto! My work is done! Pictures below!
Unlocked Sierra Wireless MC8775 3G modem (HS HP2300)
Only one antenna cable is used since the 3g modem only needed one (MAIN)
Nice and clean installation of the 3G modem
SIM slot with my Smart SIM inserted. It's located inside the battery bay area to prevent accidental removal of SIM while the modem radio is on (will ruin the modem)
All the needed drivers are installed successfully.
The Sierra Wireless Generic Connection Manager (3G Watcher) doing its thing.
Connection successful!
The Lenovo S10-3T I got two days ago, and the S10-3 that monchter got yesterday, both have a WWAN mini pci-e slot. You can opt to buy and use the newer, and expensive (and even unconfirmed) 3G modems mentioned in some site namely;
WCDMA/HSDPA:
1. Ericsson F3607gw
2. Huawei EM770
3. Qualcomm GOBI
EVDO:
1. Huawei EM660
or using a cheap alternative that does exactly the same, connect to the internet.
WCDMA/HSDPA:
1. Unlocked Sierra Wireless MC8775 3G modem (HP HS2300)
As we all know, Lenovo and other manufacturers such as Toshiba, Dell, and HP, lock their BIOS to only approved hardware. Be it WWAN, or Wireless LAN, or maybe even the Bluetooth module. IMO, this is pretty stupid and selfish on their part. Why? Because they basically use the same hardware on their products but end users like us cannot just use them interchangeably. That is clearly a monopolization. I hope they get sued for that. And the sad part is, it's not cheap as compared to slightly used modems you can buy on eBay. They sell it for at least $150. What a rip off! Samsung and MSI are the only manufacturers I know who don't limit their customers how to upgrade their netbooks by locking their BIOS.
Luckily, there are some workarounds and cheaper modems. These 3G modem will work perfectly on our netbooks if not for that stupid whitelist they put in their BIOS. Today, I will be discussing how I managed to get an unapproved 3G modem to work on my S10-3T.
Since the S10-3/T already has the 3G antenna laid out, all I needed is a 3G modem (Sierra Wireless MC8775 / HP HS2300) which I bought a while back, and a little bit of BIOS hacking to include its VID and PID on the whitelist. Installing the unapproved modem without hacking the BIOS will give you an error (unauthorized device installed) and your netbook won't boot unless you uninstall it first.
Before hacking the BIOS, I scoured the net for any resources I could find. I found a tutorial on how to hack an HP BIOS to alter the whitelist. It's a Phoenix Insyde BIOS which is the same as the S10-3T BIOS. I needed to know the VID/PID of the modems allowed in the whitelist. I found a forum where a user posted just that;
BIOS have lock VID/PID.
1. Ericsson F3607gw: 0BDB_1905, 0BDB_1907
2. Huawei EM770/770U/770W: 12D1_1003, 12D1_1001, 12D1_1404
3. Qualcomm GOBI: 05C6_9204, 05C6_9205
4. Huawei EM660: 12D1_1001 12D1_1404
where the 1st four digits i.e 0BDB are the Vendor ID (VID) and the second four digits i.e. 1905 are the Device ID (PID). Using Phoenix BIOS Editor and winhex applications, I was able to confirm the existence of the Ericsson F3607gw and Huawei EM770/770W/770W VID/PID on the whitelist. This is safe to say the those 3G modems will work with the S10-3T. However, I since I already have the Sierra Wireless MC8775 (HP HS2300) 3G modem, and I already know its VID/PID from my previous BIOS hack (HP Mini 1000TU), it's just a matter of replacing one of the F3607gw VID/PID with MC8775 VID/PID using winhex. When done, I just saved it and rebuilt the BIOS firmware using the Phoenix BIOS Editor.
I then flashed the freshly built firmware into the BIOS and PRAYED that it will boot. It DID! If not, then it's going to be tough re-flashing the BIOS using Phoenix's BIOS recovery app (Luckily I haven't tried it yet). It's a big gamble since flashing your BIOS with corrupted firmware can render your netbook unusable. It will be a very expensive paper weight.
After confirming that the netbook boots normally, I turned it off again, opened the back panel, and installed the modem. Then I booted it up again, and once more, it DID! It means the BIOS accepted my 3G modem. When I got to Windows proper, all I had to do is install the drivers and the Sierra Wireless Connection Manager (3G Watcher).
I inserted a SIM card in the SIM slot and Presto! My work is done! Pictures below!
Unlocked Sierra Wireless MC8775 3G modem (HS HP2300)
Only one antenna cable is used since the 3g modem only needed one (MAIN)
Nice and clean installation of the 3G modem
SIM slot with my Smart SIM inserted. It's located inside the battery bay area to prevent accidental removal of SIM while the modem radio is on (will ruin the modem)
All the needed drivers are installed successfully.
The Sierra Wireless Generic Connection Manager (3G Watcher) doing its thing.
Connection successful!
