Looking for recommendations for a 4G LTE router to use with OpenWRT and Wireguard VPN, hoping to get around 40Mbps throughput. Been using a Glinet GL-X750 V2 but fed up with the junk.
get an openwrt capable router with an usb port (usb2 is enough, but usb3 is more futureproof) , and hook up a USB LTE modem to it.
I am testing the EspressoBin-Ultra from GlobalScale...
I have added in it a QUECTEL_EP06-E miniPCIe...
All works fine with the 21.02-RC (actually RC4) !
Thanks for the replies, the EspressoBin-Ultra seems to be not available to buy here (UK).
I tried to look for a separate modem but most searches just bring up USB dongles with no external antenna connectors, do you have any recommendation for a modem?
How about the GL-inet GL-E750 (Mudi)? It's a bit on the expensive side, but for £150, but it's a sturdy little travel router with okay WireGuard performance.
Do you know an USB dongle, which is just a pure modem?
I have an Alcatel IK40V, but it acts as a router. In combination with an OpenWRT router I get double NAT.
What I need is an USB dongle with bridge mode resp. IP-pass-through for the WAN side.
I'm fed up with glinet crap, I currently have a remote GL-X750V2 (350 miles away) which is now offline after an attempt to install a plugin ate the last bit of its miserly 16MB NOR flash. I can remote power cycle it but its not coming online, the Mudi looks even worse, its just a travel router with no antenna connections.
I'm sorry, but your inability to use a piece of equipment properly does not make it "crap". Why would you install a package that clearly puts you beyond the "10% free disk space safety limit"? For ANY embedded device, that's the general recommendation, always make sure there's at least 10% of the disk/data partition free.
As for the Mudi, it has a 16MB NOR flash for the OS only, and a 128MB NAND flash for packages. You'll never have such a lockup issue with it.
Oh, also, if you enabled the GL cloud option on your X750, you should be able to send a remote factory reset command to it even if it's unresponsive.
No need to be a smart arse, firstly there was no inidcation it would reduce the NOR that low and secondly I don't expect a device to fail to boot when simply trying to install a plugin using its own built in firmware scripts. The failure was caused by installing a plugin via its UI.
As for the Mudi, it has no external antenna connections.
What do you think GL cloud will do when the modem won't come online, it is enabled and its absolutely useless because its not coming online!
This is the final nail in the coffin, I have had loads of issues with glinet products in particular the X750 V2 and stand by my statement, they are crap.
A Raspberry Pi could work for this purpose, USB WAN and ETH+WiFi LAN. An old phone could also work instead of a dedicated LTE modem.
indeed.
Huawei E3276, but you'll always be CGNATed by the ISP.
Hi.
Huawei E3372s,( S for serial ), even a E3372h ( H for hilink - dual-nat, but easy to convert as S ). NCM mode running without issue for a couple of years.
Using one as backup connection with fail over ( mwan3).
most likely. But always. is a bit exaggerated. There are mobile operators/services using public routable IPv4 addresses, with or without a firewall.
As for the dongles, I believe it is easier to get an m.2 or mini-PCIe modem and a USB adapter nowadays. The dongles are hard to find and starting to show their age.
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E3372s/h, brand new, easy to find, at least here in Europe, and not expansive, comparing with a EC25 mPCIe.
And as I said, working smoothly with openwrt, out the box following the NCM openwrt tuto.
I'm yet to see a mobile provider give public IPv4 to standard residential contracts. It's an option for business lines, but those tend to cost considerably more (due to increased availability, insurances, you know, the business critical additions that separate business subscriptions from your run of the mill pay monthly).
However @paqs still hasn't told us what the end goal is, and it's quite hard to recommend devices based on what we currently know. Is the LTE connection a fallback/secondary WAN? Is it the main internet connection? Is it for management purposes only?
I also don't see the reason behind the obsession with external antennas. If one needs a high performance 4G uplink, there are many business level solutions that would be more fitting than a DIY OpenWrt box with an LTE dongle slapped on top.
The problem with these dongles is they have no external antenna connections, I need the 2 antenna inputs to connect a cross polarised LP beam.
Has anyone tried the Teltonika routers, they seem to have their own variant of OpenWRT but seem to get mixed reviews concering speed?
I need a reliable solution that has 2 LTE antenna inputs and will support Wireguard with at least 40Mbps throughput, obviously the faster the better.
HI.
No external antenna... really !!! Just google: "crc9 to sma" and E3372 antenna.
Not from google, but from my own stuff:
On top, small adapter crc9 to sma, and lower crc9 to sma with 20cms cable.
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Ok, I didn't realise it had those 2 external ports, looks like most for sale in the UK are the hilink H model, maybe this is the route to go if I can find s firmware for them.
@fonix232 This is not for a business solution, its to control a PC in a remote location using a remote desktop, the LTE is the primary connection, there is no backup although after the recent drama of the glinet shitting itself I may have to add a second cheaper payg LTE to try and fix the primary.
I don't know what state the glinet has got itself into until I get to it. I don't know whether any of its interfaces are up, the 4G is down for sure. If it needs the reset button to be pressed I may even need to resort to having a PI hardwired via a relay hat to remote simulate the reset button being pressed.
The reason for the external antenna is the modem location is in a difficult spot, to get anywhere near line of sight to the mast and avoid a hill the antenna needs to be at the end of a buiding 5m from the modem, with the stock antennas on 5m of LMR240 coax its just about ok, circa 15-20Mbps hence the requirement to upgrade to a better external antenna solution.
HI.
Another low cost option, that one:
I made some tests with the 16/128 mem version ( WE826 T 16M MediaTek MT7620A 580 16, SD 128) ; working nicely with openwrt ( QMI mode ).
You need to chose your EC25 LTE module from the vendor- according to your LTE provider BANDs, the EU version cat4, should provide the needed bands.
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Same connectors are available on the 3276, and it can also be converted to non hilink.