How to bridge a 4G LTE wireless hotspot to a wireless router?

[irev210]

So I am trying to setup a rural house that has Verizon 4G LTE as its only source of broadband to a home network.

Here is what I am thinking:

Verizon Thunderbolt 4G LTE phone with hotspot feature
to
Wireless bridge
to
Wireless router (home network)

I have to use the thunderbolt (can't use a mifi)


Any suggestions on other setups?

Will this setup even work?

 

[irev210]

Well, I found my answer!

The MBR95 is exactly what I need.

Wifi as WAN (WAW): One of the most exciting feature differences between the new MBR95 and the older MBR900 is the addition of support for WiFi as WAN (WAW). Simply put, WiFi as WAN means that the router can receive WiFi from an external source (for example, campground WiFi at an RV park, free WiFi at McDonald's, or even the hotspot feature from a smartphone like the iPhone) and create a private network that you can access securely through the MBR95 (either via WiFi or ethernet, however you like to connect to your router). Even if you have your own internet connection, the ability to use the MBR95 for WAW can come in VERY handy. WAW is great in the event of an unexpected internet outage - if your primary connection goes down and there is an open WiFi network in range, or if you have a smartphone that can be used as a WiFi hotspot (like the iPhone, EVO, Epic, and many others), the MBR95 can be configured to quickly connect to WiFi and your network will be back online in moments.

 

[thiggins]

Yep, Cradlepoint makes good mobile routers. We reviewed their entry level model.
Cradlepoint MBR900 Mobile Broadband N Router Reviewed

 

[stevech]

I've used cradlepoint's CTR500 (travel router) and the MBR900 - for 2 years. Excellent. Feature set is well beyond mass market consumer routers.

 

[sfx2000]

So I am trying to setup a rural house that has Verizon 4G LTE as its only source of broadband to a home network.

Here is what I am thinking:

Verizon Thunderbolt 4G LTE phone with hotspot feature
to
Wireless bridge
to
Wireless router (home network)

I have to use the thunderbolt (can't use a mifi)


Any suggestions on other setups?

Will this setup even work?

If possible, please don't use the thunderbolt as a full-time WAN connection... it's not meant for it, and you won't be happy in the long run...

it's nice as a emergency hot-spot, I've done that myself, and it works ok, but...

Consider the Verizon LG-VL600 USB modem with a Cradlepoint MBR95 router - very nice combo...

http://www.cradlepoint.com/products/small-business-home-office-routers/mbr95-wireless-4g-3g-router

good stuff...

 

[stevech]

Also, Verizon and most others charge a fee for hotspot (wireless tether) capability. For my Android phone (VZW) I once used a $5 shareware program that connects the phone's USB port to a laptop/PC as a wired tether to share the 3G service. I don't use it though... I use the cradlepoint CTR500 on the road or in hotels. And you can share with others via LAN or WiFi as you authorize.

 

[adnan.ahmad23]

This is how I connected my TPLINK router with 3g hotspot, explaind step by step. Hope this helps as an example.

https://cupntea.wordpress.com/2015/...nge-of-your-phones-hotspot-by-using-a-router/

 

[stevech]

cradlepoint - routers with cellular fail-over or primary. Pro grade used for unattended M2M

 

[sfx2000]

cradlepoint - routers with cellular fail-over or primary. Pro grade used for unattended M2M

Completely agree - one use case that I saw recently - those video screens at the gas pump that offer ads/traffic/weather on a rotating basis - in that install, it was over WiFi from a Cradlepoint Router/AP and a Sprint 4G-LTE connection - runs 24/7 and I've never seen it off-line - I'm sure perhaps they reboot in the middle of the night maybe...

I'm with you on this - Cradlepoint has one of the best, if not the best, 4G implementations out there.

 

[stevech]

Yes, I used them on a project with cellular connections for an unattended device - in dozens of places around the globe. No time for sillyness like rebooting.
Cradlepoints customers demand reliability - and it's hard to keep a 3G/4g cellular link up 24/7 unattended. But they do.
Their main trick is that they do their own firmware and the same baseline is used on all products. Including consumer/SoHo indoor routers they sell.

I recommended Cradlepoint to a friend who's the IT guru for a tri-county alliance of low budget libraries. They had to use cellular for some technical and political reasons. He put the Cradlepoints in and he said they just work. A year later he said, they are not a spot of bother, as my UK friends say.

 

[MKH]

Hi,

I am a novice when it comes to routers and networks so forgive me if I don't explain myself with the correct terminology. This thread has been discussing the exact problem that I have. I also live in a rural area and do not have access to any other Internet connections except for a Verizon hotspot. This is making it impossible for me to use any smart home devices which is quite important for me as I am severely disabled. This is a very old thread so I'm hoping you might still be able to help me find a solution for my problem. Here is what I'm looking for:

I am looking for a device that is able to utilize a Verizon hotspot on both an iPhone and android device and broadcast this connection to other devices. I do not have a preference to using either a wired or a wireless connection between the router and cell phone. I am most concerned with reliability. I need to create a wireless network with access to the Internet in order to use A Switch Hub Plus device. I already know that this Switch Hub Plus is not compatible with WEP and WPS security and can only work with a 2.5 GHz Wi-Fi. The router also needs to have capacity for 3 laptops, a tablet, and one or 2 guest devices. From what I read, CradlePoint routers might have the combination of features I need. Could you please tell me if any of their devices or those of some other manufacturer can do what I need to do? Your help is appreciated.

 

[sfx2000]

GL-Inet has several devices that work well with 4G-LTE as the WAN side...

https://www.gl-inet.com/products/

 

[CaptainSTX]

While the Cradlepoint and perhaps the GL-Inet solution might be the best and provide the most reliable connection I have been able to use either of two ZTE WiFi hotspots and a Sanyo as fall over connections on my ASUS router using Merlin's firmware. The setup for all the devices were pretty much plug and play.

I have never used them for extended periods of time so I can't tell you how stable the connection would be.

Another option is just have your IoT devices using WiFi connect directly with the hotspot. If you need hardwired Ethernet connections you could set up a router as a media bridge and connect up to four devices to the media bridge.

 

[MKH]

While the Cradlepoint and perhaps the GL-Inet solution might be the best and provide the most reliable connection I have been able to use either of two ZTE WiFi hotspots and a Sanyo as fall over connections on my ASUS router using Merlin's firmware. The setup for all the devices were pretty much plug and play.

I have never used them for extended periods of time so I can't tell you how stable the connection would be.

Another option is just have your IoT devices using WiFi connect directly with the hotspot. If you need hardwired Ethernet connections you could set up a router as a media bridge and connect up to four devices to the media bridge.

Thanks for the response. First of all, the problem with connecting the IOT device directly to the hotspot is that I cannot with our data caps route the traffic between the iPad and the device through the mobile hotspot.

I understand that you tried a set up like this with an ASUS router. Which particular router was it? Do I understand correctly that you loaded a different firmware onto that router? Could you perhaps explain how that exactly worked? Like I said, I've never set up a router before and am trying to do a somewhat unusual setup.

Thank you for your patience with a newbie

 

[MKH]

GL-Inet has several devices that work well with 4G-LTE as the WAN side...

https://www.gl-inet.com/products/

Can you perhaps be a little more specific about which router would be the appropriate one?

Thank you

 

[CaptainSTX]

Thanks for the response. First of all, the problem with connecting the IOT device directly to the hotspot is that I cannot with our data caps route the traffic between the iPad and the device through the mobile hotspot.

I understand that you tried a set up like this with an ASUS router. Which particular router was it? Do I understand correctly that you loaded a different firmware onto that router? Could you perhaps explain how that exactly worked? Like I said, I've never set up a router before and am trying to do a somewhat unusual setup.

Thank you for your patience with a newbie

Most of the current ASUS routers can be easily flashed to run Merlin's much improved firmware. I have connected various T-Mobil hotspots to an N66 (now EOL), AC68 and an AC86. Other models will probably work just as well but just be sure that there is a current version of Merlin's firmware (384.9) available . With a hotspot connected using an USB cable the router can be easily configured using the GUI to see the hotspot as either its primary or secondary Internet connection.

The ASUS router will function as a normal router and you wil be able to use your iPad to connect to your IoT devices using the LAN and therefore not using your capped data. Again I have never tried using my hotspot 24/7 because it is capped at 1 - 2 GB and overages can be expensive.

 

[sfx2000]

Can you perhaps be a little more specific about which router would be the appropriate one?

Thank you

The AR300M16 would be a good choice to start out with... it's an N300 class device, with 100BaseT, but it's fast enough over wifi to saturate the wired side...

All the GL-iNet devices are OpenWRT under the hood, so lots of flexibility with regards to SW packages and configurations...

I'm testing their B1300 device, which is an AC1200 class unit with Gigabit ethernet - seems to be good, but with OpenWRT, it's slightly less open - the GL-iNet builds include QSDK, which has some closed source code outside of OpenWRT.

 

[MKH]

Most of the current ASUS routers can be easily flashed to run Merlin's much improved firmware. I have connected various T-Mobil hotspots to an N66 (now EOL), AC68 and an AC86. Other models will probably work just as well but just be sure that there is a current version of Merlin's firmware (384.9) available . With a hotspot connected using an USB cable the router can be easily configured using the GUI to see the hotspot as either its primary or secondary Internet connection.

The ASUS router will function as a normal router and you wil be able to use your iPad to connect to your IoT devices using the LAN and therefore not using your capped data. Again I have never tried using my hotspot 24/7 because it is capped at 1 - 2 GB and overages can be expensive.

How do you load the Merlin firmware onto the router and where do you get it from?

Would you recommend the cradle point or Gl-Inet routers over the ASUS router?

 

[MKH]

The AR300M16 would be a good choice to start out with... it's an N300 class device, with 100BaseT, but it's fast enough over wifi to saturate the wired side...

All the GL-iNet devices are OpenWRT under the hood, so lots of flexibility with regards to SW packages and configurations...

I'm testing their B1300 device, which is an AC1200 class unit with Gigabit ethernet - seems to be good, but with OpenWRT, it's slightly less open - the GL-iNet builds include QSDK, which has some closed source code outside of OpenWRT.

I looked into the devices you mentioned. They our both called mini or travel routers. Would they be nevertheless fast enough to handle half a dozen devices simultaneously?

Flexibility is of course a good thing. But does that mean I would need to make any changes to the set up directly on the programming level? I don't want this setup process to be too complicated as I have never set up a router before.

 

[MKH]

How do you load the Merlin firmware onto the router and where do you get it from?

Would you recommend the cradle point or Gl-Inet routers over the ASUS router?

Hi, could you please get back to me on this when you have some time?