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Remember back when...

06 04 07 - 21:12 Remember when I said I'd enable netmonitor mode on my Nokia 6210?

I first read about it and thought "this would be cool", as I generally think of "hidden" features.

I go and buy a datacable for my phone off eBay. While waiting for it to arrive, I mention to a friend about it (who also has a 6210, and data cable). He lends me his data cable until mine arrives (Damn, could've saved myself $20, I thought at the time, as I'd only need the cable once). I then install Gnokii on my PB G4. I mess around, and find the phone won't work in FBUS mode... only the AT command driver works.

Further inspection would reveal it is trying to use 115200 baud on the serial port. My serial port, being a Keyspan USB PDA adaptor, can only do 57600 baud. Damn.

And there's no way of doing it in AT mode at 9600 baud.

Another attempt follows, attempting to connect via IrDA on a friend's laptop. Nope, no go there. Damn. Cable arrives, try again with my exactly-the-same cable, no go again.

Make some attempt to find someone with a laptop and serial port, who can be convinced to install gnokii. No luck there.

File data cable away in bottom drawer. Forget about it...

Fast forward to yesterday. I remember the serial cable. Hey, what device do I have that has a serial port and runs Linux? Ahh, a WRAP!

Download the sources for gnokii. Compile... and half way through the WRAP runs out of disk space. I MUST get a bigger CF card for that thing already... seriously.

Remove some stuff, continue compiling, install.

Now, the serial port is used for a serial console. I realise the console is specified in 3 seperate places. Once in TinyBIOS, once in the Linux Kernel for the boot messages, and once in /etc/inittab for a console once the system has booted.

I don't need the console, I've got ethernet plugged in and can SSH in.

Alright, just edit /etc/inittab.

I go in and comment out the entry for the serial console, and reboot with the nullmodem connected to the computer. As expected - TinyBIOS goes through it's screen, then the boot messages come up... then nothing. The serial port is now free to do what we want.

Edit gnokiirc to point it to the serial port, and select the phone driver.

Unplug the nullmodem cable and plug in the datacable. Run gnokii --identify. Nothing. Run it again. Nothing. Uh-oh, is this going to work?

Look at the phone. Whoops, the other end has to be plugged into the phone. That helps.

Run gnokii --identify for a third time... and it works! Surprise surprise.

Alright, now for the big finish. gnokii --netmonitor devel. It runs through, and unceremoniously dumps me back to the shell.

I hit the menu button on the phone and scroll back through the menus. Nothing special. Hmmm.

Ok, turn the phone off and on again. Look in the menu... and see this:



Wow, finally. After I don't use that phone any more.

It's got some cool functionality - telling you what channel the phone is on, the received signal strength in dbm, the battery voltages, basically tons of internal phone parameters. It's really quite cool, and I wish I had it earlier... :)

Oh, and no, my 3 sim card doesn't work in that phone (the phone displays "Sim card rejected", apparently this is normal as the sim is only meant to work in 3G phones anyway). The vodaphone sim that was in that phone works in my 3 phone (as I got it unlocked :D), but can't make calls (for obvious reasons i.e. credit has long since expired).

Which means I can walk around with the phone... and measure network signal levels :)