I know Linksys has 3G support on some series. look for WRT54G3G on google.
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Sharing a Mobile Broadband Internet service with local LAN
We are sharing a WRT54G Linksys modem (ADSL) across wired LAN but we need to decommission this service and migrate to a different carrier. To avoid down time we need a temporary internet service. I thought of using a mobile broadband service but I am not sure of the best, easiest and cost effective way to do this. Is it possible to reconfigure the WRT54G to make use of a mobile broadband service (prepaid)? What hardware do I need? Can we hook up a USB modem with active mobile broadband service to existing WRT54G?
Note: The current setup/network is using SBS 2003 server with DHCP enabled/
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Answers
Besides the 3 carrier-specific models Linksys makes of the WRT54G3G...
D-Link makes the DIR-450 for CDMA/EVDO (Verizon, Sprint), and the DIR-451 for GSM/UMTS/HSDPA (ATT, T-Mobile).
Cradlepoint makes numerous models for CDMA/EVDO.
Draytek has 3G USB support as fallback on WAN2 of most of their dual WAN models.
Cisco makes GBICs for both CDMA-based cards and GSM-based SIPs.
D-Link used to make the KR1 for Kyocera; Cradlepoint makes the KR2 for them. Both are CDMA/EVDO only.
Do you know what type of service you have available down there?
GSM/UMTS/HSDPA is the prevalent format in Europe; CDMA/EVDO has better coverage here in the US. HSDPA is the fastest 3G currently available. WiMAX is 5-6 times faster than HSDPA's maximum, but its coverage is currently even thinner than HSDPA here in the americas.
We have GSM/HSDPA service. The WRT54G3G did cross my mind but it looks like an expensive project (also requires a pcmcia card) for something we are going to use short term. If we connect a USB 3G device to one of the PC's on the network, is it possible for the other pc's to share this? Can we configure network to bypass existing gateway?
> If we connect a USB 3G device to one of the PC's on the network, is it possible for the other pc's to share this?
Yes, enable Internet Connection Sharing on the 3G adapter's Advanced tab, share it with the wired ethernet port (if there are multiple adapters besides the one being shared a picklist appears in the ICS section on the Advanced tab), then connect that to a router or a switch, either one... ICS can handle DHCP and NAT if you use a switch (including a LAN port on a wireless router to use it as an AP), but if you want to take some of the load off the machine doing that duty you could connect the ethernet port to a (wireless or not) router's WAN port. To share it with just one other computer (i.e. no switch) on the ethernet port requires a crossover cable. Or you can easily share it with one other via wireless, too.
> Can we configure network to bypass existing gateway?
Usually the gateway will disappear from the routing tables as soon as you lose that connection. But it is possible to bypass a gateway as long as it's not configured with a metric of 1. Open a command window and run ROUTE PRINT. Do any of the lines, with a 'gateway' that you want to bypass, end with the number 1?
Thanks Darr247, I ran the command and yes the gateway (LinksysWRT54G - 192.168.15.1) ends with a metric 1.
Just to clarify: at present our SBS server has the following settings: LAN card is set to 192.168.15.103 and handles DHCP and DNS (DNS server set to 192.168.15.103) and gateway is on 192.168.15.1
We are also using a switch connected to one of the ports on our gateway.
If the SBS 2k3 is handling DHCP, it should be able to change the gateway for everything whenever you need it to... but it sounds like the option of sharing the 3G via ICS and a router would be the way to go. Then you shouldn't need to change anything on the server.
Is the WRT54G already set to obtain an (outside, or WAN) IP automatically from the ISP?
Do you have a PC (with a cat5 cable that runs all the way to the WRT54G,) in a location where you get good signal with the 3G adapter?
If so, that's the one I would use for the ICS machine. Install the 3G adapter, and (from Network Connections, or Internet Options on the Connections tab) in its Properties on the Advanced tab enable ICS and choose the ethernet adapter from the picklist (if the PC has multiple network adapters; otherwise the ethernet adapter will be selected automatically). When you click OK, the ICS setup will disable the windows firewall on the ethernet port (so have it turned on if you're planning on using the firewall) and it will set the ethernet adapter to the static IP of 192.168.0.1.
Next, unplug the cable from your current internet connection feeding the WAN port of the WRT54G, and replace it with the cable coming from the ICS box's ethernet port. If the WRT54G's WAN side is setup to receive its address automatically, the ICS (ethernet) adapter on the 3G box should assign the WAN port on the Linksys 192.168.0.2 or 192.168.0.3 (with the gateway of 192.168.0.1), and the router will handle all NAT'ing between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.15.0 while your SBS goes right on handing out the same scope and gateway as always.
Once it's working, you don't need to uncheck the ICS setting for the 3G adapter when you're not using it - just disconnect the adapter from the ICS computer. So there are 3 steps to switching back and forth...
To change the ICS machine back to 'normal' duty, swap the cat5 from the WAN port back to a LAN port, change its TCP/IP back to 'obtain address automatically' and enable the firewall on the ethernet port again (see attached).
To switch back to 3G again after that, set the TCP/IP back to 192.168.0.1, UNcheck the box next to the ethernet adapter in the firewall, and move the cat5 from LAN to WAN port.
i.e. if you want/need to switch back and forth; If you're staying on the 3G, you don't have to worry about those steps.
Oh, and if you want to setup a manual connectoid for the 3G instead of using a supplied connection manager, it's much like creating one for a POTS dialup modem, except you don't need a username or password (activation takes care of that), and all the GSM/UMTS/HSDPA cards I've seen used either *98 or *99 as the number to dial (sprint/nextel/verizon all use #777 for CDMA/EVDO).
I'm sure I forgot something, so let me know what I missed when you run into it, or what I didn't explain enough. :-)
- Firewall-Ethernet-Interface.png
- 45 KB
ICS would uncheck that one if it's the only other network adapter
Thanks for this, I appreciate the detailed Instructions.
I haven't tried a 3G device for signal strength but connection to LAN shouldn't be a problem.
Current config in gateway is set to use a static IP from ISP (PPPoE).
I must apologize an correct something, I stated the wrong model number for gateway, it's actually a WAG54G V2, I am very sorry. Do your instructions change much?
You mention that the ethernet adapter will be set to 192.168.0.1 this confuses me a little as the current router/gateway is set to different rage (192.168.15.1)?
> it's actually a WAG54G V2, I am very sorry. Do your instructions change much?
Well, the instructions given would work for about any WRT54G* series (and many other brands/models of 11G) wireless router... but the WAG54* series are ADSL modem/gateways... so - no - those instructions won't work with that because you can bridge through a WAG's router and use it only as a modem, but you cannot bridge past the WAG54*'s modem to use them only as a router.
Got any other wireless routers (without a modem in them) available?
hint: used WRT54G (or many other wireless G) routers can be found for under $20 on auction sites, if not free.
> You mention that the ethernet adapter will be set to 192.168.0.1 this confuses
> me a little as the current router/gateway is set to different rage (192.168.15.1)?
Your LAN would continue using the address scheme (192.168.15.0 /24) it's been using; 192.168.0.1 would be the WAN address (replacing the DSL) for which the router would perform NAT to/from. Then the ICS machine would just handle the NAT between 192.168.0.1 and whatever IP assigned to the 3G adapter when connecting to the nearest tower.
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by: MarkDozierPosted on 2009-02-05 at 23:08:02ID: 23567394
If you implement your plan this way you can have limited downtime.Have new carrier
1. Find new carrier.
2. Have new carrier ischedule nstall equiptment and wiring as needed.
3. Frop currnet carrier by pre-prearranging a time to sdtop service such as the day the new carrier makes the u\install
You would be down less the a day.