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    4G failover options for pfSense?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    4g failover
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    • R
      riahc3 Banned @akuma1x
      last edited by

      @akuma1x said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

      @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

      Yeah, no

      Yeah, no, what? This is how 4G failover/backup network connections are done.

      Have you ever tethered your phone to a computer or router like this, to get internet in a pinch? It works very well, if you have somewhat decent cell service.

      Ok, so the only other way I didn't talk about is a USB dongle. It first has to work with pfsense and/or your VM host. There might be 1 or 2 of them tested in the real world and working, maybe. Then it still has to have some kind of data plan attached to it to get cell service.

      What kind of budget do you have for this?

      Jeff

      Noone in their right mind attaches a smartphone to a router and uses that as backup. NOONE.

      SIM and/or USB dongle to router and work from there...

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • A
        akuma1x @riahc3
        last edited by

        @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

        Those look ideal but Im not too keen on the idea of putting a 100 Mb device on my network...

        It's on a backup/fallback WAN port, what's the big deal?

        And, since we're arguing about how to get that box connected to the internet, here's how GL-INET suggests you do it.

        https://docs.gl-inet.com/en/2/setup/internet_setting/

        Jeff

        R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • R
          riahc3 Banned @akuma1x
          last edited by

          @akuma1x said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

          @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

          Those look ideal but Im not too keen on the idea of putting a 100 Mb device on my network...

          It's on a backup/fallback WAN port, what's the big deal?

          And, since we're arguing about how to get that box connected to the internet, here's how GL-INET suggests you do it.

          https://docs.gl-inet.com/en/2/setup/internet_setting/

          Jeff

          Like I mention I am not a big fan at all of putting any 100 Mb device on my network.

          Plus, correct me if I am wrong, but LTE hits over 100 Mb correct? Which would be limited then...

          A 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • A
            akuma1x @riahc3
            last edited by

            @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

            Plus, correct me if I am wrong, but LTE hits over 100 Mb correct? Which would be limited then...

            You're in Europe, so you'd have to check with your carrier. Here's some US 4G LTE data. That's why I said it's no big deal.

            https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-mobile-network,review-2942.html

            Jeff

            R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • R
              riahc3 Banned @akuma1x
              last edited by

              @akuma1x said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

              @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

              Plus, correct me if I am wrong, but LTE hits over 100 Mb correct? Which would be limited then...

              You're in Europe, so you'd have to check with your carrier. Here's some US 4G LTE data. That's why I said it's no big deal.

              https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-mobile-network,review-2942.html

              Jeff

              Data that means nothing to me.

              So now I need a 4G device (dongle/router/etc) that can do 1 Gb

              A JKnottJ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • johnpozJ
                johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                last edited by johnpoz

                Where do you think your going to get such speeds on LTE? While EU is ahead of much of the world.. Sorry but not close to 100mbps yet..

                https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2018/02/state-of-lte

                Its a bit over a year old - but 1 year has not tripled LTE speeds.

                but LTE hits over 100 Mb correct?

                There is a big difference between theory limit and what actually real world..

                An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • A
                  akuma1x @riahc3
                  last edited by

                  @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                  So now I need a 4G device (dongle/router/etc) that can do 1 Gb

                  LOL

                  Jeff

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • stephenw10S
                    stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                    last edited by

                    I assume you mean 'has Gigagbit Ethernet' there? Otherwise wait for 5G!

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • johnpozJ
                      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                      last edited by

                      The LTE modems from netgear have gig interfaces
                      https://www.netgear.com/home/products/mobile-broadband/lte-modems/LB1120.aspx#tab-techspecs

                      An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                      If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                      Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                      SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • JKnottJ
                        JKnott @johnpoz
                        last edited by

                        @johnpoz said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                        but LTE hits over 100 Mb correct?

                        There is a big difference between theory limit and what actually real world..

                        I just did a test running Speedtest on my Pixel 2 phone. I got 117 Mb down and 43.5 up, with clear line of sight to the nearest cell site, a few blocks away. This compares with the low 90s down & 11 up on my 75/10 package at home over cable.

                        PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                        i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                        UniFi AC-Lite access point

                        I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                        • JKnottJ
                          JKnott @riahc3
                          last edited by

                          @riahc3 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                          So now I need a 4G device (dongle/router/etc) that can do 1 Gb

                          Not likely.

                          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                          UniFi AC-Lite access point

                          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • johnpozJ
                            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                            last edited by johnpoz

                            @JKnott said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                            Pixel 2 phone

                            Yeah that is great phone for LTE speed.. All comes down to your carrier and your device and who else is on the tower.. The numbers are average.. In theory sure you can get 150 - there is a big difference between that and real world, etc. etc.

                            The modem I linked to can do max 150.. in its specs.. Find a current speed map.. Not like that was for 5g or LTE.. you see the speeds are given as "average" etc..

                            Test that in say a urban setup where you have 100's of other devices all on the same tower. And your not line of site to it ;)

                            Guess you should go with LTE for your main speed then ;) Mine is 500/50 at home, where my cell can do 30-40.. Guess which one I use ;)

                            An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                            If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                            Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                            SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                            JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • JKnottJ
                              JKnott @johnpoz
                              last edited by

                              @johnpoz said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                              Guess you should go with LTE for your main speed then ;) Mine is 500/50 at home, where my cell can do 30-40.. Guess which one I use ;)

                              The problem is in my condo, my signal is so poor, the phone is almost unusable at my desk. Also, my cell plan only has 6 GB of data, vs 500 GB via cable.

                              I rely on WiFi calling for cell phone calls at home.

                              PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                              i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                              UniFi AC-Lite access point

                              I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Raffi_R
                                Raffi_
                                last edited by Raffi_

                                The only network able to provide any useable speed for an emergency 4G connection in our building is Sprint. If I get 10 Mbps on that connection, I'm happy, because the three other major players were only able to give me a fraction of that. Sprint is supposedly the worst network out of the four major networks in the US. So don't base your decisions on what others claim to be the best network. All data is based on an averages. Averages don't tell you what's good for your specific scenario. Do you own testing and find out. You can install roof top antennas pointing at towers and really go overkill with the 4G setup if you like. It all comes down to what you need.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • stephenw10S
                                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                  last edited by

                                  Just as a reference here's what I see using a ppp connection via an internal Sierra modem:

                                  [2.4.4-RELEASE][admin@3100.stevew.lan]/root: speedtest-cli --source 187.30.105.169
                                  Retrieving speedtest.net configuration...
                                  Testing from Three (187.30.105.169)...
                                  Retrieving speedtest.net server list...
                                  Selecting best server based on ping...
                                  Hosted by Structured Communications (London) [2.56 km]: 49.696 ms
                                  Testing download speed................................................................................
                                  Download: 39.69 Mbit/s
                                  Testing upload speed...............................................................................................
                                  .Upload: 18.08 Mbit/s
                                  

                                  Technically it's an LTE device, EM7305, but the PPP connection limits it.

                                  Steve

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                                  • JKnottJ
                                    JKnott @stephenw10
                                    last edited by JKnott

                                    @stephenw10 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                                    Technically it's an LTE device, EM7305, but the PPP connection limits it.

                                    Why would PPP limit it? PPP is the standard way of sending packets over a serial connection. Years ago, we used to use it for dial up connections and more recently I've configured it on T1 & fractional T1 as well as ISDN. In fact, routers from Cisco, etc., can be configured to use PPP over that sort of situation. PPP is also used with ADSL, as PPPoE. PPP is just another protocol that can be used to carry IP. It has no bandwidth limit.

                                    PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                    i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                    UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                    I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                                    • stephenw10S
                                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                      last edited by stephenw10

                                      As far as I know it's not possible to connect over LTE with PPP, you are limited to DC-HSPA at a max of 42MBps. However if that is the case then that 40Mbps result looks pretty good! Also I think there was another user reported a higher value awhile back.
                                      Anyway it would be far better of we could connect using QMI or MBIM but FreeBSD/pfSense doesn't support that. Yet.

                                      Edit: Actually that doesn't appear to be true, can connect over LTE but using PPP does limit the speed. Unclear where the limit is though.

                                      Steve

                                      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • W
                                        webdawg
                                        last edited by

                                        go get an es450

                                        everything else is not worth it.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • JKnottJ
                                          JKnott @stephenw10
                                          last edited by JKnott

                                          @stephenw10 said in 4G failover options for pfSense?:

                                          Actually that doesn't appear to be true, can connect over LTE but using PPP does limit the speed. Unclear where the limit is though

                                          "Download: 39.69 Mbit/s"
                                          "Upload: 18.08 Mbit/s"

                                          That might be the 3g limit. HSPA+ max is 42 Mb down and 22 up, which fits in with what you show. The old 3g supported serial connections, IIRC, but LTE is IP only.

                                          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                          UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • R
                                            riahc3 Banned
                                            last edited by

                                            Just tested from my phone:

                                            ~175 Mbps down and ~60 Mbps up.

                                            That being said, it seems that there is nothing decently priced (+- 100 euros) that have gig interface so I either have to go with 100Mb ethernet (yuk) or find a USB 3 dongle (which I think is impossible)

                                            JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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