Using mobile hotspot for WAN
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@madbrain Looks like the IPv6 address on Warp 5G might be routable. At least traceroute goes through about 10 hops before it fails. That is better than the IPv4 address. The addressed cannot be pinged. It could be that the phone is blocking ICMP over cellular. Or it could be the carrier doing that, of course. Or both.
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@NollipfSense said in Using mobile hotspot for WAN:
I had plan on trying this with the iPhone but the seller didn't have possession on eBay so I didn't bother...Ethernet to pfSense.
Cool gadget!!! Perhaps I take also one of them!
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FYI, for those who want to follow in my footsteps and try to use a US Mobile Warp 5G SIM (Verizon network) and smartphone for backup WAN, I was not successful at doing that. When at home, my unlocked Samsung Galaxy Ultra 5G, originally for T-mobile, gets 4 bars of GSM (voice/SMS) signal in my home office, but no data whatsoever, whether 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G. Meanwhile, the Verizon 5G Home Internet gateway, model ARC-XCI55AX, gets a perfectly good 5G signal, and is perfectly usable over gigabit Ethernet with pfSense, getting peak speeds of about 105 Mbps down / 12 Mbps up.
The only explanation I have for the gateway having a good data signal, but not the phone, is that they must be operating on different bands. The 5G gateway admin page unfortunately does not list the band, just signal strength.
It's unclear if the issue with the phone is the phone not supporting all the same 5G bands that the gateway does, or if the MVNO is deprioritized and not allowed on those bands. But the result is the same - I cannot use the phone for WAN with pfSense, at least not if it's located in the same room. The phone does get a weak 5G data signal in other rooms, and could potentially be used over Wifi, if I added a Wifi NIC to my pfSense box. But the 5G speeds I achieved on the phone of 1-3 Mbps are so low that it's not really a viable backup ISP. No streaming possible for sure with that setup.
I did get a much better 5G signal with the phone in other cities earlier today - achieved 100 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up. Way better than 0 / 0 at home. -
@madbrain said in Using mobile hotspot for WAN:
FYI, for those who want to follow in my footsteps and try to use a US Mobile Warp 5G SIM (Verizon network) and smartphone for backup WAN
FWIW, my ISP apparently is planning on providing backup over 5G.
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@madbrain
You probably know about this, but there is a wealth of information about mobile internet (both cellular and satellite) here:https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/
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@sarrasine I didn't know about it, actually.
It looks like Verizon might be using a band called n77 in my area. That works fine with the provided 5G Gateway. But does not with my carrier-unlocked S22 Ultra originally for T-mobile. Some are saying I can flash the firmware to the U1 version instead of U version and make it work. I don't think I'm going to bother.
I don't know if any of unlocked 5G modems / gateways support this particular band or not.
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Using a mobile hotspot for WAN (Wide Area Network) connectivity can be a convenient solution in various scenarios, especially when traditional wired or fixed wireless options are unavailable or impractical.
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@madbrain said in Using mobile hotspot for WAN:
Some are saying I can flash the firmware to the U1 version instead of U version and make it work. I don't think I'm going to bother.
Don't do that, it might trip the e-fuse and cripple your phone permanently. There is no way to restore to original state if that happens.
Both the Netgear hotspots (MR6150 and MR6550) appear to support band 77:
https://kb.netgear.com/000065402/What-are-the-specifications-of-the-NETGEAR-M6-and-M6-Pro-mobile-hotspot
But I know you had reservations about them.
The latest Peplink routers have the X62 modem, which guarantees all the necessary bands (n77 as well):https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/next-generation-qualcomm-x62-modems-coming-to-peplink-routers-at-last/#New_Peplink_Modem_Module_Specs
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@sarrasine Thanks for that ! I definitely don't want to brick my phone.
My objection to the Netgear 5G routers is mainly the cost. The Peplink routers look nice, but are even more expensive :-(
I'm also not entirely confident in my operator at this point. The Warp 5G SIM that runs on the Verizon network also had other issues with my Samsung phone. The APNs don't get setup automatically. They have to be added manually. And every time the phone is rebooted, they are lost. It takes a good 10 minutes to add all the APNs. If you don't do it, you get only voice and SMS, but no data.
US Mobile blames it on a Samsung regression. I'm caught in the middle of that. So, I just requested my cell line to be ported back to GSM 5G / T-Mobile.It looks like these 5G internet access solutions are still fairly fragile. I haven't seen an MVNO offering home internet service, much less recommending a particular 5G modem/gateway. This may be a case where the only option for me is the Verizon 5G home internet unlimited service at $50/month. I hope they will add a cheaper limited option in the future. 10-20GB/month would likely be sufficient to cover the Comcast outages. Or perhaps T-Mobile and AT&T will eventually add closer towers in my area and support 5G home service as well. The T-Mobile service costs more, though - $60/month. And AT&T costs $55/month. So it seems that Verizon is the lowest cost, and that's what I have access to. A significant part of the service price must be going towards the cost of these overkill (for-me) router/Wifi AP/modem gateways. But there is no option to purchase the gateway to lower the monthly cost. And no cheaper metered 5G option either.
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I would really have a look to get equipment for home and mobile.
The gadget is good is something occurs at home or for home usage,
but if you leaf the home, there is nothing because in normal you may
take your phone with you.A mobile or LTE modem for home usage would be my way and looking
mor for a cable based internet if it will be able.
