Netgate 6100 - Any word on using the SIM card slots?
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Currently running a 6100, everything works great, no complaints.
I do know there is a sim card tray behind the hidden panel and I believe it has an LTE slot, however, even on the latest pfSense release 22.01, I don't see it as an available/assignable interface.
At my location, I am actually using T-Mobile 5G (through a Netgear MR5200) as a secondary/failover WAN connection. It would simplify my setup if I was able to just transfer the SIM from the Netgear unit directly into my pfSense router.
Has there been any more talk/thoughts on enabling this interface?
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The SIM card sockets are wired to the internal m.2 slots but there is no modem present by default so it doesn't appear as an assignable interface. You would need to add your own to use that along with antennas.
Steve
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@stephenw10 said in Netgate 6100 - Any word on using the SIM card slots?:
The SIM card sockets are wired to the internal m.2 slots but there is no modem present by default so it doesn't appear as an assignable interface. You would need to add your own to use that along with antennas.
Steve
Would you be able to break down to me what style/interface modem I need in order to retrofit this functionality (I assume m.2 b key)? In a perfect world it would be a 5G capable modem (attached to whatever style internal interface I need to get). 4G would also work as LTE is still quite capable and will be around for the foreseeable future.
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There is nothing official available yet. pfSense is still limited by the lack of FreeBSD drivers for USB modems. There is no MBIM driver so it can only use PPP.
I have tested the Sierra em7455 there and I would expect any m.2 modem that works in other devices with pfSense will also work there. I have use the Sierra em7305/7355 before.
Both those are commonly available rebranded but they need to be in the default Sierra setup for u3g to recognise them which requires some re-configuring. Try to get a Sierra branded one if you do go that route.Steve
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Thanks. I was reading up on it as well and saw that the interface was limited to PPP, no MBIM. So, for the time being I am going to hold off and stick to my X55 netgear unit. My buddy FWD'd me this to watch: Bug 234578
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Yup, that exactly. You don't need that if you have a factory em7455. And if you habe a Lenovo/Dell branded one that's stuck in mbim only composition and presents the wrong USB IDs you can still 'fix it' in Linux first.
The throughput is not that special but it makes a nice fallback connection.
Steve
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@stephenw10 Hello :D wondering if there are any updates to this thread?
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What sort of updates?
The situation is the same, you can use an m.2 modem in the 6100 and the SIM slots are attached to it. Using an older Sierra device makes it much easier.Steve
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@stephenw10 Thanks for this thread. The modem is easy to find, can you recommend an antenna? Appreciate the support and knowledge share.
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I used whatever random antenna I had to hand (a wifi antenna) and it worked fine. However I'm in a good coverage area, if you have a marginal signal you should get a cell antenna for the frequency you're using.
