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    4G failover options for pfSense?

    General pfSense Questions
    4g failover
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    • 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

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      • stephenw10S
        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
        last edited by

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

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        • 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 2.7.2, 24.11

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          • 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...

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              • 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 2.7.2, 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...

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                  • 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.

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                    • 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

                      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • 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

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                          • W
                            webdawg
                            last edited by

                            go get an es450

                            everything else is not worth it.

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                            • 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...

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                              • 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)

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                                • R
                                  riahc3 Banned
                                  last edited by

                                  D-Link DWR-953 is the only option that seems decent at 117 euros...

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                                  • stephenw10S
                                    stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                    last edited by

                                    The Netgear LTE modems are not that much more, are well tested with pfSense and don't include a bunch of hardware you don't want like wifi. I would get that over a USB device every time.

                                    Steve

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                                    • R
                                      riahc4 Banned
                                      last edited by riahc4

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

                                      The Netgear LTE modems are not that much more, are well tested with pfSense and don't include a bunch of hardware you don't want like wifi. I would get that over a USB device every time.

                                      Steve

                                      I imagine you are talking about:

                                      https://www.netgear.com/home/products/mobile-broadband/lte-modems/LB1120.aspx#tab-techspecs

                                      Well, I can only find the Netgear LB2120 and its at 150 euros.... Kind of a big price spike when Im gonna be using this maybe 1 day every 365 days a year as a failover connection.

                                      Is there something wrong with the D-Link?

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                                      • JKnottJ
                                        JKnott @riahc3
                                        last edited by

                                        @riahc3

                                        First off, what your phone can do is irrelevant. It's what the actual equipment you use is capable of that matters. However, you're not going to get anywhere near 1 Gb with LTE, no matter what you use.

                                        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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