Configuring a hot-pluggable USB tethered WAN connection?
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Hi everyone, I'm just getting started using pfSense as the backbone of my home network. I'm using pfSense for more than just firewall and routing, (custom DNS entries for local machines, for instance.) but due to where I live, I'm stuck relying on my cell phone's 4g connection and its USB tethering functionality for internet. I've been able to get it to work somewhat, configuring my pfSense box to default to the ethernet-over-USB connection for WAN, but it's not quite working as I'd like.
How it currently works:
- I Plug in my phone to the machine I've installed pfSense on.
- I turn on my pfSense machine.
- Once my phone detects it's connected to something, I select it's USB tethering option.
- If I was fast enough, and I got the connection established before the pfSense box completed booting, then I have internet access throughout the network as I'd expect.
- If I disconnect my phone from the pfSense machine and reconnect later, I have to reboot the router to re-establish the internet connection.
- If the pfSense machine is booted before I connect the phone, it will not recognize the newly available ethernet over-USB-connection, and will simply message that no WAN connection is available.
What I'd like to be able to do:
- Leave my pfSense box running at all times to perform LAN tasks
- When I need internet, plug in my cell phone to the pfSense machine,
- Select USB tethering on my phone
- Have the router recognize the newly available WAN connection, and open internet access to the rest of the network.
- When I'm done, be able to simply disconnect my phone, and have the router go back to just performing local network tasks.
I figure this should be, if not natively configurable, at least scriptable or something. I just don't have the background in networking to know what to look for/what I'm doing.
I appreciate any help. Searching for topics similar to this brings up many threads about configuring fail-over or mobile hotspots, (which I may use as backup if they ever run decent internet out here.) but there doesn't seem to be much about handling intermittent connections like this as the primary WAN.
Thanks!
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I'm doing this, but my phone is my fail over connection if local service is down. My issue is when phone is plugged in via USB it does not automatically recognize it. Have to go to
Status -> Interfaces
and click on "Renew" button on connection for it to activate.
I also go some of the setup at:
https://brendonmatheson.com/2020/08/07/wan-failover-to-4G-with-pfsense.html