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T430 and 4G LTE

T430-T490, T530-T590 Series
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Kimi15
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:31 pm
Location: Targu Mures, Romania

T430 and 4G LTE

#1 Post by Kimi15 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:10 pm

Hello everyone
I'm interested in buying a T430 but I'm not 100% sure it can offer what I need, and by that I mean:

4G LTE support (*MUST*)
Dual band AC 867 mbps WiFi support (optional but very preferred)

Does the T430 support the above? How about the X230?
Thank you.

w0qj
ThinkPadder
ThinkPadder
Posts: 1187
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:53 pm
Location: Hong Kong

Re: T430 and 4G LTE

#2 Post by w0qj » Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:41 am

A warm welcome to our ThinkPad forum!

The T430/X230 series was launched in 2012.

The T430 had:

WiFi that connects via 802.11a/b/g/n and connects to networks of 2.4 GHz broadband as well as of 5 GHz broadband.
www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thi ... 802.0.html

~3G Mobile Broadband Option
http://support.lenovo.com/sg/en/solutions/pd024213
***Note: The LCD unit must have the mobile broadband antenna built-in, otherwise no mobile broadband signal due to no antenna. Therefore you should buy only T430/X230 that came native with mobile broadband. ie: Do not try to add in your own mobile broadband card by yourself, as LCD may have no antenna.

~Honestly, I've used mobile broadband for 10+ years on my T42/T410/X1C3/X1C4 now, and for field office work (check emails, browse internet for info),
a 3G mobile broadband is plenty fast enough!

- - - - - - - - - -
IF you are really set for 4G Mobile Broadband, think you need to get anything that is 2015 and onwards.
ie: 4G Mobile Boradband card came out during the 2015 era, for T450/X250 and perhaps X1 Generation 3, pls check with your region's ThinkPad specs.

Have fun deciding!
Daily Driver: (X1E3) X1 Extreme 3rd Gen | mobile broadband (WWAN)
Current Thinkpads: X1E3 | X1E1 | X1C10 | X1C9 | X1C4 | X1C3 | X230
Retired Thinkpads: X250 | T410 | T42 | 560 (circa 1996)

morali
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:43 pm
Location: Warsaw, Poland

Re: T430 and 4G LTE

#3 Post by morali » Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:25 am

Correct me if i'm wrong, but you can only use whitelisted cards, so no 4G modem for t430.
You have two options: replacing original BIOS white Coreboot, which gets rid of whitelist or changing usb ID to the whitelisted one. Other than that you can use any mini pci-e 4G card. I use Sierra Wireless EM7345 in my t470s and after changing its usb ID it's working without problems.

Kimi15
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:31 pm
Location: Targu Mures, Romania

Re: T430 and 4G LTE

#4 Post by Kimi15 » Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:06 pm

@w0qj
Thank you for the warm welcome!
I have 1Gbps internet at home for more than 3 years now, so browsing the web with my 3G connection on the go felt like dial-up every time. Recently I got a new data plan which includes 100mbps+ speeds and hundreds of GB traffic so I really want to make use of it. For a good while now public wi-fi speeds are waay slower than cellular around here, that's why an AC card is not really a must. I almost never use wi-fi on my phone unless I am home.

@morali
So it is possible? How complicated was it? Is it easier to change the card's ID or flash coreboot?
The main reason I'm considering the T430 is the classic keyboard mod but the 4G LTE support is absolutely essential.

morali
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:43 pm
Location: Warsaw, Poland

Re: T430 and 4G LTE

#5 Post by morali » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:15 am

It is easier to change ID.
I recommend buying used Sierra Wireless 4G modem.
Here's blog which helped me with getting my modem to work: https://zukota.com/sierra-wireless-em74 ... vo-laptop/
You will find there useful topics about working with Sierra modems.

I had to install windows, so i took me little longer. Also pin password for modem was changed from "A170" and i couldn't use AT commands to change ID, as instructed on this blog. Your laptop won't boot with modem connected, you need another computer to change ID, without whitelist or hotpluging it to your thinkpad as I did, after booting Windows (it could be dangerous and destroy your motherboard, so be careful).

When you buy modem and password "A170" won't work, there's a script somewhere on zukota site, which can change usb ID without using AT commands.

goodluck!

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