[MTCB Android Head Units Q&A] TooBusy:
Thank you [MENTION=6359442]patagonia1[/MENTION]. I really appreciate your help. Thanks to your and [MENTION=6401478]abezze[/MENTION]'s feedback I finally got 3G working and learnt something in the process. Even what you describe as erratic behaviour, isn't erratic at all, and makes perfect sense now.

Initially, I wasn't interested in having an Internet connection on HU, but later I thought it might be a good idea. I had a dongle, Huawei E160, with a SIM card, but decided to go with another provider. I did my research, downloaded software including (PC) drivers, unlocked the modem, and as strongly recommended on several forums, including early posts in this Thread, I set the modem to modem-only mode.

The dongle worked fine on my PC, but I had to use the provider's APN settings. When I tried it on my HU, it didn't work. I started asking questions, myself and others, how 3G works on these units, and how do I enter the provider's APN settings. Some people reported that the dongle works just by plugging in, without any settings, so I assumed that there must be some default settings that the HU is using. I tried Mobile Network Settings and similar apps, but no luck. I was getting closer to the conclusion that my dongle was not supported, although it was on the list of compatible dongles that someone posted before in this Thread, and my seller also confirmed it.

After reading your and others' recent feedback, I decided to give it another try by resetting the dongle to defaults, from modem-only mode. To my great surprise, this did the trick. So, first of all, I'd like to stress here, contrary to many posts, including earlier posts in this Thread, Huawei E160 should not be set in modem-only mode. This probably applies to other dongles as well.

Secondly, because of my background, I was comparing head units, a bit too much, to PCs. This is wrong. They should be compared to phones or tablets. So, this is how 3G works, as I see it now:

They are no default APN settings in HU. When a compatible (working) dongle with a valid SIM card is inserted, the unit will automatically start searching for data networks. It will then select one that works and connect. I'm not sure what decides which one will be selected, maybe first one that works. The discovered networks will be stored in the unit, but they are not normally visible (on later Android versions, as far as I know).

Mobile Network Settings and similar apps will reveal this information and allow editing. However, if a working dongle is not connected, these apps will allow creating and saving new profiles, but APNs will not be visible and therefore cannot be edited or deleted. When the dongle is connected again, all these settings will be visible and editable again.

Just another note about PPP Widget: this is a different kind of app, it does not use the same settings, it creates a different kind of Internet connection, which is good for some, but not all, apps/services.

Too much writing; I'm a bit tired now. In summary: if the dongle is good, it should be plug-and-play, no apps needed, but if it doesn't work, an app can reveal what networks were detected, which one is selected and provider APN settings can be verified. If the app doesn't show APN settings, even manually created, then the problem is with the dongle.

If interested, there is a widget on Google Play to quickly turn data On/Off.

---------- Post added at 01:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 AM ----------

Did it work?