Huawei e398 LTE max download speed over ppp is 20mbit ?

bravo_prochu

Hello,
Using instructions on pfsense site I set up Huawei e398 usb modem stick as a PRIMARY WAN interface (ppp) on 2.2.4-RELEASE (i386)
built on Sat Jul 25 19:56:41 CDT 2015 10.1-RELEASE-p15
..and it works almost GREAT;

Cell Signal (RSSI) rssi:31 level:-51dBm percent:100% _Cell Mode None, No Service Mode
Cell SIM State Invalid SIM/locked State

The only thing that is confusing me is maximum speed == 20mbit/s
Is it something more advance to set up ? The same location, the same modem but running on mobile partner (windows 8.1) and speedtest.net shows over 40mbit download.. - and that is my goal to achieve on pfsense..
Can anyone point me some suggestions about that ?

best regards
bp_

Well 40mbit seems high as best i could achieve with dual directional yagis was 33mbit. That was with my Sierra GX440. My pfSense Sierra MC7700 tops out around 25mbit. MPD5 protocol is faster than PPP but it has its overhead. Ubuntu modem manager QMI mode is faster. The Sierra GX440 is using the module in QMI mode as well.

What is your external antenna type? Elevated?

I have only tested with one carrier and I am not sure how good they are. I am getting ready to test T-Mobile so I will have something to compare against.

When i compared pfSense speeds to Sierra Windows Watcher I did not see a great deal of difference. Maybe 10-20 percent less.(In DIP mode).

AndrewZ

@bravo_prochu:

the same modem but running on mobile partner (windows 8.1) and speedtest.net shows over 40mbit download

Are you sure your modem operating in PPP mode on Windows?
Check the mobile partner for the operating mode (RAS vs NDIS) or simply forget about mobile partner for a while and setup a regular PPP connection in Windows.
I would expect the 20Mb to be a limitation of the modem in PPP (RAS) mode.

pfSense uses MPD5 and it allow for faster speeds than PPP. Check for yourself..

I will agree that the "Mobile Partner" connection manager has me waiting for a banner ad…Seems too splashy for a connection utility. Does work with lots of modules even Ericsson. I don't like it.

bravo_prochu

Thanks for so quickly reply !

windows uses ndis, I also tried openWRT and qmi - and there is over 40mbit too; (the same equipment, location etc..)

Right now I'm looking for more information about MPD5 protocol (You pointed);
Can You give me any tips how to configure it ?

Its all done automatically. MPD5.script&conf are the configs..PPP.conf is unused in pfSense best i can tell..

AndrewZ

@bravo_prochu:

I'm looking for more information about MPD5 protocol

mpd5 is a user mode PPP daemon, not a protocol
Your modem will still run in PPP (RAS) mode.
My understanding that currently it is not possible to run a modem in NDIS (or NCM) mode in pfSense.

bravo_prochu

..so there is no way to get max LTE speed because pfsense "limitation" ?

Run your Huawei fob in a Router with OpenWRT and plug it in to pfSense port.. 40 mbit/s. You already have it.
You figured it out already if you configured OpenWRT with QMI. Just use pfSense upstream and use OpenWRT as your WWAN modem/WAN

The same location, the same modem but running on mobile partner (windows 8.1) and speedtest.net shows over 40mbit download.. - and that is my goal to achieve on pfsense..

Forget it right now, how should this work? Your Windows 8.1 isn´t doing SPI/NAT and
processing firewall rules. And so the most things wouldn´t right matching as with the usage
with pfSense.

Can anyone point me some suggestions about that?

One thing could be to build your own modem for your pfSense, related to the driver support of pfsense/FreeBSD
and on the other hand the much better Driver support in Linux!
So please buy a small RapsBerry PI2, install Linux on it and stitch in the LTE USB Stick
and then boot the RAPI2, now connect it to the WAN Port of the pfSense and then set up
a static IP address.

so there is no way to get max LTE speed because pfsense "limitation"?

What pfSense limitation we are talking here about? I am able to connect any modem
to a Windows based PC directly and get even the full throughput, but if then I put it
in a Firewall I will not get the same results based on the processing firewall rules!

But this is not owed to the pfSense itself but more to the used hardware, that must be
strong enough to handle and pass the traffic.

AndrewZ

@BlueKobold:

What pfSense limitation we are talking here about?

Lack of NDIS (QMI) support [in FreeBSD though].
Some reference could be found here: http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current/2014-September/052098.html