verizon-netgear aircard 791L (USB) + debian jessie
I am pleased to report that the newly-available (October 2015) Verizon
791L "Jetpack" (aka Netgear "AirCard") appears to be compatible in
tethered mode (USB) with Debian Jessie i386 with the Xfce desktop and
NetworkManager.
The sequence of events was:
(1) Immediately out of the box, and without configuration, the AirCard
provided Internet access via Wi-Fi to an i386 system running Windows 7
"Home Premium".
(2) Next, the AirCard Wi-Fi was turned OFF and a USB cable (or "tether")
was used to connect the Aircard to the computer. The AirCard web
administrative interface at 192.168.1.1 was accessed and settings could be
changed, but Windows appeared to be confused when attempting to connect to
the Internet through the USB cable, even after restarting the machine.
However, after ten to fifteen minutes, a connection magically was made,
after which the system worked normally, so that web sites could be
browsed.
(3) Then, after Wi-Fi was turned on again, the AirCard provided Internet
access via Wi-Fi to an i386 system running Debian Jessie.
(4) Finally, a USB cable was used to connect the Aircard to the computer.
The AirCard web administrative interface at 192.168.1.1 was accessed and
settings could be changed; also, web sites could be browsed via the USB
connection.
The AirCard manual says that drivers must be downloaded for Windows XP;
the manual makes no mention of Linux compatibility. In the Jetpack manual
which may be downloaded from the Verizon web site, the names "Netgear" and
"AirCard" appear often.
Beware: Verizon still has in stock the previous version of the "Jetpack",
at the same price ($200 without contract). But the older version is by a
different manufacturer and cannot be used worldwide.
Russ
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