Installation and Usage of 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool

Notes

Current Version: A

Revision History

Version	Description	Date
A	Initial Version	2025.03.27

1 Overview

This document describes how to install and use the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool on ED-IPC and ED-HMI series devices.

Some users of ED-IPC and ED-HMI series devices experience unstable 4G connectivity due to failures in automatic redial after disconnections. To address this, we developed the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool to ensure reliable 4G reconnection. Our 4G Redial & Reconnection Software Package supports dialing via Quectel-CM or NetworkManager, with the following key features:

Supports automatic 4G reconnection
Controls 4G status LEDs
Customizes 4G network names
Adds dependency on gpiod (for GPIO control)
Configures APN (Access Point Name)

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The tool defaults to using Quectel-CM for dialing, with DEBUG mode disabled.
The tool will undergo continuous development and updates.

1.2 Applicability

This guide applies to all ED-IPC and ED-HMI series devices with 4G functionality. The specific product models included are as follows:

Product Series	Model
ED-IPC	ED-IPC2000 ED-IPC2100 ED-IPC2200 ED-IPC2400 ED-IPC2600 ED-CM4SEN ED-CM4IND
ED-HMI	ED-HMI2020-070C ED-HMI2020-101C ED-HMI2120-070C ED-HMI2120-101C ED-HMI2220-070C ED-HMI2220-101C ED-HMI2630-101C

2 Configuration Guide

The following steps use the ED-IPC2100 as an example to demonstrate installation and usage.

2.1 Installing the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool

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If an older version of the tool is already installed, simply install the new version—no uninstallation is required.

Preparation:

The ED-IPC2100 has a properly installed 4G module, antenna, and active SIM card.
A 12V 2A power adapter (3.5mm Phoenix connector) and Ethernet cable are ready.

Steps:

Ensure the ED-IPC2100 is powered on and connected to the network.
Add the edatec apt source by executing the following commands in the terminal.

curl -sS https://apt.edatec.cn/pubkey.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb https://apt.edatec.cn/raspbian stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/edatec.list
sudo apt update

WARNING

If line breaks appear when pasting copied commands, remove them and replace with spaces at those positions.

Execute the following command to install the 4G Redial & Reconnection Software Package.

sudo apt install -y  ed-ec20-qmi  ed-lte-tools

Execute the following command to verify the installation of the 4G Redial & Reconnection Software Package. Successful installation is confirmed if the output matches the content highlighted in the red box within the accompanying figure.

2.2 Using the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool to Connect to the Network

This section explains how to use the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool on the device.

2.2.1 Without APN Configuration

After installing the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool, SIM cards that do not require APN configuration will automatically connect to the 4G network. Connection status can be verified through the following indicators:

4G LED indicator is on: Indicates a successful 4G connection.
4G LED indicator is off: Indicates no network connection.

Additionally, use the ifconfig command to check if the wwan interface is assigned an IP address, as shown in the figure below. An assigned IP confirms the 4G network is active.

2.2.2 With APN Configuration

After installing the 4G Redial & Reconnection Tool, SIM cards requiring APN configuration must modify the tool’s configuration file and restart the device.

Steps:

Execute the following command to access the configuration file.

sudo nano  /usr/share/ed-lte-tools/ed_config.ini

As shown in the figure below, enter the APN value after apn= and save the file. The APN value must be customized by the user based on their carrier settings.

Execute the following command to restart the device.

sudo reboot

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If the device is equipped with a 4G indicator, after successfully connecting to the 4G network using the 4G dial-up reconnection software, the status of the 4G indicator can be used to determine network connectivity:
- 4G indicator is on: The device has successfully connected to the 4G network.
- 4G indicator is off: The device is not connected to the network.
If the device does not have a 4G indicator, after successfully connecting to the 4G network using the 4G dial-up reconnection software, you can check whether the 4G network has been assigned an IP address by executing the ifconfig command:
- wwan interface assigned an IP address: The device has successfully connected to the 4G network.
- wwan interface not assigned an IP address: The device failed to connect to the 4G network.

2.3 Configuring 4G Network Parameters

After successfully connecting to the network via the 4G dial-up reconnection software, users can configure the following 4G network parameters as needed:

DEBUG mode
NetworkManager dial-up
Whitelist
4G network name
Interval between two ping attempts
4G network priority
Ping-based network connectivity detection conditions

2.3.1 Configure DEBUG Mode / NetworkManager Dial-Up / Whitelist / Network Name / Interval Between Two Ping Attempts

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Unless required, it is recommended to use the default Quectel-CM dialer instead of NetworkManager, as Quectel-CM provides more stable connectivity.

Steps:

Execute the following command to access the configuration file.

sudo nano  /usr/share/ed-lte-tools/ed_config.ini

Refer to the table below and modify the corresponding parameter values as needed.

Item	Description
DEBUG mode	By default, DEBUG mode is disabled. When enabled, the logs will display more detailed information such as AT command detection. To activate DEBUG mode, modify the parameter by changing the value from false to true following the "debug= " entry.
NetworkManager dial-up	To use the NetworkManager service for dial-up, modify the parameter by changing the value from false to true following the "NetworkManager= " entry.
Whitelist	To add IP addresses to the whitelist, append the corresponding IP addresses after "whitelist= ", separating multiple addresses with semicolons (;).
4G network name	To configure the network name, enter a custom name after "connection= ".
Interval between two ping attempts	To configure the interval time between two ping attempts, enter a custom value after "intervaltime= ".

After configuring the parameters:
- Press Ctrl+O to save the configuration file.
- Press Enter to confirm the save.
- Press Ctrl+X to exit the editor.
Execute the following command to restart the device and activate the new configuration.

sudo reboot

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If the 4G connection fails or the configuration does not take effect, execute the command journalctl -u ed-lte-tools.service to view detailed logs for troubleshooting.

2.3.2 Configure 4G Network Priority

A single device may have multiple network interfaces, such as a 4G network, wired networks (e.g., eth0 or eth1), and Wi-Fi networks. If you need to prioritize the use of the 4G network, you can adjust the priority of the 4G network to ensure it is prioritized over other connections.

Steps:

Execute the following command to view the device's current network interfaces and priority parameters.

route -n

As shown in the figure below, the priority parameter "Metric" for the 4G network (wwan0) is set to 700, while the "Metric" for the eth0 network is 100. A lower Metric value indicates a higher priority, which means the device currently prioritizes the eth0 network over the 4G connection.
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Execute the following command to access the configuration file.

sudo nano  /usr/share/ed-lte-tools/ed_config.ini

If you need to prioritize the 4G network, modify the value following "4G_metric= " to a number less than 100, ensuring the 4G network has a higher priority (lower metric) than the eth0 network.

After configuring the parameters:
- Press Ctrl+O to save the configuration file.
- Press Enter to confirm the save.
- Press Ctrl+X to exit the editor.
Execute the following command to restart the device and activate the new configuration.

sudo reboot

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If the 4G connection fails or the configuration does not take effect, execute the command journalctl -u ed-lte-tools.service to view detailed logs for troubleshooting.

2.3.3 Configure Ping-based Network Connectivity Detection Conditions

Steps:

Execute the following command to access the "custom-network-checking" configuration file.

sudo nano  /usr/share/ed-lte-tools/custom-network-checking.sh

Insert your custom script for network connectivity detection conditions within the red box highlighted in the figure below, as indicated.

TFNAME is the 4G network name.
The t_ip parameter specifies the whitelist IP address.
A return value of 0 indicates success, while a return value of 1 indicates failure.

After configuring the parameters:
- Press Ctrl+O to save the configuration file.
- Press Enter to confirm the save.
- Press Ctrl+X to exit the editor.
Execute the following command to restart the device and activate the new configuration.

sudo reboot

Execute the following command to view the log information. As illustrated in the figure below, a log entry stating "success" confirms that the settings have been applied correctly.

journalctl -u ed-lte-tools.service