backup 4g provider recommendations
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Can anyone recommend a good wireless 4g provider to use as a backup? preferably a service that would be compatible with hardware that I can connect to pfSense.
I am looking for a service that does pay as you go or pay as you use, not something with a high monthly fee.
my cable internets cable was ripped off the poll this morning by a truck and now I'm scrambling for a solution other than using my phone as a hot spot since it will be days before the cable can be repaired.
need pfsense compatible hardware too so any recommendations on that from would be helpful too.
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I bought this LTE modem for the same reason. Never got around to setting it up as we had our secondary internet circuit installed before any outage on the primary occurred. Should tick your boxes.
Not sure where you are located but we were planning to use this with Verizon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5ASNTE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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OK thanks. I will get that one. Looks exactly like what I am looking for.
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@mhab12 said in backup 4g provider recommendations:
I bought this LTE modem for the same reason. Never got around to setting it up as we had our secondary internet circuit installed before any outage on the primary occurred. Should tick your boxes.
Not sure where you are located but we were planning to use this with Verizon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5ASNTE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yes, that's a very good box. On that same page, they also have a PoE model which I would recommend. The PoE would make it easier to relocate the box if you want to try getting a better signal. One note on that box is that it's compatible with just about any service except Sprint. I learned that the hard way.
It's a really difficult task (at least here in the US) to find a 4G provider that does not charge some amount monthly. If you already have a Google Fi line, then you can get a free data only sim added to your account. By default with Google Fi, you only pay for the data you use, but that would require you to have an existing Fi account. I was not able to find any other providers like that. Another possible option is to go with a very low cost pay-as-you-go plan and get the very minimum amount of data to keep that account alive every month. Check with the provider though because many of them allow you to add data on the fly. So in the event your internet goes out, you can login and add as much data as you want for that time when you need it. That's what I currently have setup.
Edit,
wow looking at the price difference of the non PoE vs PoE one is significant. I don't remember it being like that. It seems like the PoE model is harder to come by now and the price went up as a result. For that big of a price difference, I'd rather give the cheaper one a try and return it if it doesn't work. -
Thanks Raffi.
Which service are you using?
Since it does not work with sprint does that mean it will not work with T-Mobile too?
I thought I had read some reviews before I purchased is saying it did work with T-Mobile but a review doesnt mean much.
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@mhertzfeld said in backup 4g provider recommendations:
Thanks Raffi.
Which service are you using?
Since it does not work with sprint does that mean it will not work with T-Mobile too?
I thought I had read some reviews before I purchased is saying it did work with T-Mobile but a review doesnt mean much.
I am using Tello service which is a Sprint MVNO. In case you wanted to know the details on my experience, why I had to find a different solution and what that solution was,
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/147995/my-solution-to-budget-4g-lte-failover-on-sprintI would say this Netgear device should be a very good option for most people since it works with almost all major carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon.
The Netgear LB1120 does not work with Sprint because Sprint uses bands 25, 26 and 41 which are bands this device does not support.
Here are the bands from the Netgear LB1120 datasheet.
And a quick Google search will show this
Edit,
It's pretty clear from this info the compatibility with networks, but some of the reviews might still say they were not able to get it to work on x or y network. I know some networks might require a bit of extra work like first activating the sim in a phone then transferring it to the Netgear. I think my friend had to do that with Verizon. Some people writing the reviews about it not working may not have known there were extra steps needed or they could have had other issues.Edit part 2,
Sprint is now owned by T-Mobile so I don't know how that changes trying to get a new "Sprint" plan anyway. It may not even be possible. I'm "grandfathered" into Sprint but I'm sure it'll change over at some point down the road. Perhaps T-Mobile will simply absorb Sprint bands 25, 26, and 41? -
the whole t-mobile aquiring sprint is a bit of a worry as far as supported bands.
i havent picked a carrier yet but from my research so far t-mobile seemed like the best fit as far as what their online salesman told me. i couldnt actually find the plan he offered me on their website??? the plan was like $10 or 15 a month with 1gb of data. I am ok with something like $10 a month to keep the account active then purchasing data when I need it.
my internet does not go down very often but when it does the impact is huge for me and my wife since we both work from home.
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@mhertzfeld Sounds like a good plan. Yes, unfortunately paying monthly for a service you will not use 99% of the time is the only option with almost all data plans. If you are interested in T-Mobile look into a T-Mobile MVNO. They might offer lower amounts of minimum data plans for less cost on the same T-Mobile network.
Good luck.
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