How to check bundle balance with USSD (gsm-ussd)

[carelvdm]

Thanks! Got it working! Fantastic!

[Dean]

Download gsm-ussd from here.
I have just tested in Ubuntu 10.10.
.....

Howzit

I'm using an E1820 (I think... that's the Black 21mbps Cell C woosh speedstick right? :P) and Ubuntu 11.04, when I try to install the .deb through Software Centre, it tells me that it doesn't meet quality standards. Should I still go ahead with the install? If anyone has experience using this app or any similar one to track usage, please let me know.

TIA!

[ginggs]

I'm using an E1820 (I think... that's the Black 21mbps Cell C woosh speedstick right? :P)

Cell-C have at least two different black speedsticks, the manufacturer and model should be printed on the modem itself.

...and Ubuntu 11.04, when I try to install the .deb through Software Centre, it tells me that it doesn't meet quality standards. Should I still go ahead with the install? If anyone has experience using this app or any similar one to track usage, please let me know.

Which version did you try and install; the latest stable release (0.3.3) or the development version (0.4.0)?

I installed 0.3.3, I can't recall whether I used dpkg or gdebi, but it wasn't Software Centre. I don't recall any 'quality standards' messages. That may just mean that the package doesn't come from the Ubuntu repository, so Canonical cannot vouch for it's quality.

[Dean]

Thanks, just checked on the physical stick - it's the E1820.

Will install the app now and see what happens :P

[Dean]

I installed 0.3.3, I can't recall whether I used dpkg or gdebi, but it wasn't Software Centre. I don't recall any 'quality standards' messages. That may just mean that the package doesn't come from the Ubuntu repository, so Canonical cannot vouch for it's quality.

Using version 0.3.3 and the E1820,

I tried a few times using Software Centre, and it wouldn't allow it at all - even when I told it to.

So using GDebi, it alerted me, but continued with the install after I said all is good and sudo'd up.

I made the changes as you specified - only one difference being that I had to make it look for USB2 instead of USB3.

Thanks thanks!

[kilkraze]

Hi guys, I tried this with a vodafone Huawei K3765 stick, on Fedora 14. Problem is, I get the error that it cant lock the device, in my case ttyUSB0. It would make sense if the modem is in use, I suppose, but how would I go about using it then? I have version 0.40 of gsm-ussd and I am on a vodacom data bundle. I am not even sure if the vodacom ussd code, *100# will even give me the correct thing, but it is worth a try, if I can just get it going.

[kilkraze]

Hi guys, I tried this with a vodafone Huawei K3765 stick, on Fedora 14. Problem is, I get the error that it cant lock the device, in my case ttyUSB0. It would make sense if the modem is in use, I suppose, but how would I go about using it then? I have version 0.40 of gsm-ussd and I am on a vodacom data bundle. I am not even sure if the vodacom ussd code, *100# will even give me the correct thing, but it is worth a try, if I can just get it going.

Ok, maybe I am going bout this the wrong way. Does it use different a different modemport to send the USSD command as the one it uses to connect? I got the ttyUSB0 from the connection info in my network manager.

[cbrunsdonza]

Thanks guys. Tried this again tonight and got it working now. Issue I had is network manager screwing around with the modem. I've got UDEV rules I was playing around with that I updated to get network manager to ignore the modem and it also forcefully mounts the modem port to a /dev/ttyMODEM3G symlink.

Just checked my balance with *111*502#

[18:17:53] chrisb@compaq: ~ >
$ sudo gsm-ussd -m /dev/ttyModem3G
You have the following remaining balances:

110.67MB Data
[18:18:00] chrisb@compaq: ~ >
$

[cbrunsdonza]

Cool, if you want to send more than one USSD command you can do it:

[18:22:55] chrisb@compaq: ~ >
$ sudo gsm-ussd -m /dev/ttyModem3G *111# 1 5
USSD session open, to cancel use "gsm-ussd -c".
1. Balances
2. Vodacom Airtime/Bundle Transfer
3. Device Setup
4. Passwords
5. WIG Download
6. Content Management
7. Reverse Charge
8. Email
USSD session open, to cancel use "gsm-ussd -c".
1. Account Balance
2. Free minute Balance
3. SMS Bundle Balance
4. MMS Bundle Balance
5. Data Bundle Balance
6. Vodacom Millionaires
7. My Minutes
110.67MB expires on 31/07/2011
[18:23:30] chrisb@compaq: ~ >

[ginggs]

Does it use different a different modemport to send the USSD command as the one it uses to connect?

Yes, this is so you can check the signal strength and send USSD while you are online.

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Thinking about getting the 2g+2g Vodacom deal.
How accurate is the information retrieved by gsm-ussd? - keeping the OOB Shark in mind.
Does the info retrieved indicate what is normal usage and what is night owl usage?

Or will one have to resort to scripted logfile parsing to determine accurate data usage?

[kilkraze]

Have any of you gotten a "Broken Command" response? I just can't seem to get this working. Every time I try this thing I get different results.

[cbrunsdonza]

Thinking about getting the 2g+2g Vodacom deal.
How accurate is the information retrieved by gsm-ussd? - keeping the OOB Shark in mind.
Does the info retrieved indicate what is normal usage and what is night owl usage?

Or will one have to resort to scripted logfile parsing to determine accurate data usage?

I usually use vnstat for 3G modems but the problem with this offer is you have time based caps and vnstat does not do that (would be nice for someone to update it to do that). What I did for my wife who was using my 300Mb VC contract was to set vnstat to update every minute and the poll the results every minute and if she hit the cap to set the iptables to block all traffic. I was able to even cater for rollover and this worked 100%.

[elf_lord_ZC5]

I usually use vnstat for 3G modems but the problem with this offer is you have time based caps and vnstat does not do that (would be nice for someone to update it to do that). What I did for my wife who was using my 300Mb VC contract was to set vnstat to update every minute and the poll the results every minute and if she hit the cap to set the iptables to block all traffic. I was able to even cater for rollover and this worked 100%.

Does vnstat log to a text file one can parse, not that I know how, but I can put something together and let a friend or two look it, and help make it work better ...

[Northender]

Greetings, I am a non-computer person switching to Ubuntu for the first time. I have a Cell C (cheap one) prepaid speedstick. I have downloaded the GSM program and can see it as a download in my "files and folders" from the tab on the toolbar. How do I get in to make the changes and launch it? And this is on a tangent here, but how the f* do I add shortcuts to my desktop?