I have a TRB160 router that I wanted to use together with a Linux fiber/ethernet router. However, the Bridge mode on TRB160 is very clunky and partly broken (see TRB160 IPv6 not routed to internet from ethernet ). So I would like to just use only the modem part and connect it directly to the Linux router through USB. I see that the EG060K module supports QMI/MBIM protocols and USB master and slave modes. So it would be great if I could use some kind of tricks or custom firmware that expose the modem protocols through the USB-C interface. All the other features of TRB160 are not really interesting to me. That would allow me to plug it into whatever I need and manage the modem through ModemManager.
This functionality is not natively supported, as the USB port operates as a virtual network interface. Because of this, there are no serial utilities that can be configured to provide direct access to the modem.
I will confirm with our Research and Development department whether this is a hardware limitation or a software related one. If it turns out to be software related, it may be possible to achieve the functionality using the SDK. However, developing and troubleshooting a custom implementation would fall outside the scope of our technical support.
I am looking forward to the response from R&D. When I look at the Quectel hardware integration guide and the Teltonika PCB, it seems like the Quectel USB interface is exposed directly on the TRB160 USB port.
As mentioned before, the USB is configured as a networking interface. If QMI/MBIM were to be added, the entire setup would need to be reworked. In that case, the TRB16 device software we provide would be unable to handle many of its current features, similar to the limitations seen with modem control via RS on TRB1 devices.
The suggestion to implement QMI/MBIM mode has been forwarded to our R&D team, however, please note that this would require significant time to develop.
It would likely be easier to resolve the issues you’re experiencing with Bridge mode. Could you please confirm whether this is still the same issue described in your other forum post?TRB160 IPv6 not routed to internet from ethernet
Thank you for forwarding the suggestion to the R&D team.
I am aware that most of the features on TRB160 would not be available when the device is working as a MBIM modem. That is perfectly fine with me. I only need a stable and robust LTE modem that I can connect to my laptop or a mini-PC. A modem-only MBIM USB interface is perfect for that use case. I do not need any of the other gateway functionality like VPN, OPC, MODBUS, MQTT, monitoring etc.
The forum post TRB160 IPv6 not routed to internet from ethernet explains my problem, yes. I get the same problem in NAT mode, Passthrough mode and Bridge mode. It is also quite inconvenient to configure Bridge mode, since I need to update the MAC address into the web-interface when I connect a new device. But you are correct, my problems would go away if Bridge mode had worked properly. But since Bridge mode does not work properly with IPv6, I do not have any more options.