[STICKY] Install latest modeswitch packages for 3g dongles

A lot of users have problems with their 3g dongle to be recognized and working in linux.

The reason for that is because the 3g dongle is recognized as usb storage and not as a 3g modem. The program responsible for this conversion and forces linux to recognize the stick as 3g dongle is called modeswitch.
Every now and then new types of 3g dongles come up in the market and we may need the latest version of modeswitch in order to get our 3g modem to work.

I have prepared a guide in which I explain how to get the latest version.

We go here: http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/#download and we download two packages:
1) usb-modeswitch-2.0.1.tar.bz2, and
2) usb-modeswitch-data-20131113.tar.bz2

These packages will normally be downloaded in our Downloads folder. Using nautilus, we navigate to the Downloads folder, we right-click on the two above packages and select "extract here". Two new folders will be extracted named "usb-modeswitch-2.0.1" and "usb-modeswitch-data-20131113"

We then open terminal (ctrl+alt+T) and we install 2 more packages that we need. (You will need internet for this step - either wifi or ethernet).

Code:

sudo apt-get install libusb-dev
sudo apt-get install tcl

After the above packages are installed, we proceed in the installation of the new modeswitch version. In terminal we give the following commands:

Code:

cd /home/$USER/Downloads/usb-modeswitch-2.0.1
sudo make install

After the above step is finished, we clear the terminal with:

Code:

cd

and then we also install the new modeswitch lists:

Code:

cd /home/$USER/Downloads/usb-modeswitch-data-20131113
sudo make install

We reboot and then we write in terminal the following command to check that the new version of modeswitch has been installed.

Code:

usb_modeswitch --version

We plug in our usb 3g dongle and wait to see if the window will pop up that asks for our pin, so as to create the new broadband connection.
At the time I write this guide, the latest modeswitch version is 2.0.1. If a new version comes up, then you need to adjust the above commands accordingly.

a lot of people, like myself, cannot get "regular DSL"
so, there is always some one asking how to get their 3g modem working.

- some say to use the script from sakis3g
http://www.sakis3g.org/

while this does work, the better option, - is to upgrade the mode_switch.

Sakis3g works very good as well. The only problems are:

1) It does not get updated like modeswitch. I think the project is a little old. So some of the new dongles may not be recognised. (Unless sakis3g actually is based ans uses modeswitch as well).
2) It is not cooperating with network manager. So you will get 3g connection but the status of NM will show that you are not connected...

Other than that, sakis3g is a very good program with easy interface. I use it myself a lot of times.

Hi madvinegar - some overdue blue jewels for you - have 120 on me! (I made your post a [STICKY] so it gets to the top of the tree!