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    Using prepaid 4G service for backup internet?

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    • T
      ttblum
      last edited by

      Hello,

      Is it possible to use a 4G carrier as a backup internet connection?  Is there a prepaid carrier in the US that sells a dongle or device that is compatible with pfSense?

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      • J
        jasonlitka
        last edited by

        Yes and Yes.

        https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,72341.msg394719.html#msg394719

        I can break anything.

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        • T
          ttblum
          last edited by

          On Verizon's website, I see 3 USB modems listed:
          Verizon 551L, Pantech UML290, and Verizon UML295 (out of stock).

          I see the UML290 listed as working on the Known_Working_3G-4G_Modems page, but, going off-topic, I don't see that it's eligible for any prepaid plans on Verizon's confusing website.

          Are there any Verizon-based budget carriers this would work with?

          Apologies for being off-topic.

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          • V
            vbentley
            last edited by

            Is it possible to do this with tiered gateways and 'dial-on'demand'?

            My 3G provider charges me a fixed daily fee for each day the link shows as active. It's the same fee for 1 byte or 1 gigabyte of traffic. To minimize charges I don't want the 2nd tier gateway to go active unless the 1st tier drops out altogether.

            My initial thought was that I would need a router (OpenWRT) for the 2nd tier gateway. It would show pfSense it's ethernet interface as up and I could control dial-on-demand at the router. The 2nd tier gateway router can be an OpenWRT device or similar, or another pfSense box. For my application I would have to locate the radio antenna almost 100m away at the top of the hill in order to get a signal. A 12v battery powered, solar charged 'base station' connected by a CAT5 cable in a duct back to my comms cabinet. In my rural location 4G is a long way off geographically and on timeline. 3G is sporadic, GPRS being probably the reality most of the time.

            Trademark Attribution and Credit
            pfSense® and pfSense Certified® are registered trademarks of Electric Sheep Fencing, LLC in the United States and other countries.

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            • stephenw10S
              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
              last edited by

              You can put the 3/4G device on the lowest tier of a failover gateway group and it won't be used until the other gateway(s) go down. However by default pfSense pings evey gateway once a second so you'd have to disable apinger for that gateway. Even then could you guarantee not a single packet would use it?  :-\ Not sure.

              Steve

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