Tip Getting Connected On The Road video

[CaptainGizmo]

Hi gang,

The topic of "internet on the road" has been bantered about very heavily across every forum there is. Though it can be intimidating with all the technical jargon, it's really not that difficult if you're guided along. I've done this in a couple of our own coaches, as well as helped others. So, I decided to make a video to share with everyone in hopes that it will benefit those who have become confused to the point of giving up.

Enjoy!

 

[tetranz]

Good video. I certainly agree with having one network and simply switching the WAN so everything else stays the same.

Call me an alarmist but I'm quite nervous about putting a phone plan in a router, especially if it's postpaid. I know a lot of people do it and I did it myself for a while but I think all the postpaid plans have a clause giving the carrier the right to "switch you to a more appropriate plan" if they detect that you're using it in an unapproved device. That could be a very expensive month if they decide to crack down on this sort of thing. AT&T and T-Mobile wouldn't be so bad these days because they'd probably put you on their 100 GB for $55 or $50 plans which might be a tolerably price depending on how much traffic you used but Verizon still only has official hotspot plans with pathetically low data allowance. You wouldn't want to use several hundred GB and get forcibly moved to that. Prepaid is probably safer. There's not much they can do other than cancel your account and (maybe although I haven't heard of it happening) blacklist your device.

I know if you use a lot of traffic, there aren't many good options if you want to stay legit. This is a situation where, despite their problems with reliability issues and sometimes dubious business practices, I guess using a reseller can make some sense. They take all the risk and do the dirty work of violating terms of service so you can stay "innocent".

 

[lemondrop9344]

Capt. Gizmo, Fantastic job on the video.

 

[Just George]

@CaptainGizmo Thanks for the video. I'm considering a pepwave and have a couple questions for you.

Which unit do you have Cat12?

I understand carriers and plans are a region / personal usage choice but would like to know what plans you have found work in the pepwave max transit . You mentioned T-Mobil, AT&T & Verizon. At the moment the max I would expect to have is 2 and I would probably want to consider pre pay plans so I'm not paying when not in use. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

If I have sim(s) in the router and also a hotspot can the hot spot be connected to the router and included in aggregation.?

 

[CaptainGizmo]

@CaptainGizmo Thanks for the video. I'm considering a pepwave and have a couple questions for you.

Which unit do you have Cat12?

I understand carriers and plans are a region / personal usage choice but would like to know what plans you have found work in the pepwave max transit . You mentioned T-Mobil, AT&T & Verizon. At the moment the max I would expect to have is 2 and I would probably want to consider pre pay plans so I'm not paying when not in use. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

If I have sim(s) in the router and also a hotspot can the hot spot be connected to the router and included in aggregation.?

Thank you.

Yes, I have the dual Cat-12 model, which is the best they offer for a Transit Duo.

I'm not sure if you're asking about a "PLAN", vs. "CARRIER"??? I'll address both, so we don't go back and forth.

Any carrier should work, since the LTE-A modems are fully unlocked for "AMERICAS".

As for plans, as I mentioned in detail on my video, there's no "sure fire" bet in terms of what plan would work...or should I say...which plan would NOT work. Each carrier has restrictions; such as Verizon's pre-paid SIM cards do NOT include Personal HotSpot usage on an iPhone, but the card WILL work in the Pepwaves. I'd suggest that any of the carrier's pre-paid cards are worth a try.

As to using your dedicated "Hotspot" as another "source" for the Pepwave to received a wireless signal? ABSOLUTELY!!!! You connect it, just as you would with any other "Wifi network such as a campground, Starbucks, etc. That SSID (Name) and Password is then stored, and you you use it whenever you need to, as well as set it's Priority. Just understand that you can only have 1 active connection for your Wifi on 2.4gHz and 1 connection on 5gHz.

HTH

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Good video. I certainly agree with having one network and simply switching the WAN so everything else stays the same.

Call me an alarmist but I'm quite nervous about putting a phone plan in a router, especially if it's postpaid. I know a lot of people do it and I did it myself for a while but I think all the postpaid plans have a clause giving the carrier the right to "switch you to a more appropriate plan" if they detect that you're using it in an unapproved device. That could be a very expensive month if they decide to crack down on this sort of thing. AT&T and T-Mobile wouldn't be so bad these days because they'd probably put you on their 100 GB for $55 or $50 plans which might be a tolerably price depending on how much traffic you used but Verizon still only has official hotspot plans with pathetically low data allowance. You wouldn't want to use several hundred GB and get forcibly moved to that. Prepaid is probably safer. There's not much they can do other than cancel your account and (maybe although I haven't heard of it happening) blacklist your device.

I know if you use a lot of traffic, there aren't many good options if you want to stay legit. This is a situation where, despite their problems with reliability issues and sometimes dubious business practices, I guess using a reseller can make some sense. They take all the risk and do the dirty work of violating terms of service so you can stay "innocent".

Oh, I can understand your trepidation, for sure. I actually had AT$T cancel my account for violating their TOS when I was using the card from the Harman SPARK in a Pepwave. Whatever...really stupid, and another reason I don't like AT&T at all.

Let's not get you, or the whole group, confused (or worried) on this issue though. The carriers are attempting to block users from buying a cheap plan, and then using it as a hotspot server and getting away with dishing out broadband to potential customers. Using a SIM in an iPad vs. a Pepwave itself will not raise any flags. Can they "detect" your unit? Sure. But, why block or cancel your account when you're simply using it for email, movies, etc? Makes no sense and I think that companies like T-Mobile get it. So, after 3 successful years, I'm not worried at all and don't think you should be either.

 

[lemondrop9344]

@CaptainGizmo Thanks for the video. I'm considering a pepwave and have a couple questions for you.

Which unit do you have Cat12?

I understand carriers and plans are a region / personal usage choice but would like to know what plans you have found work in the pepwave max transit . You mentioned T-Mobil, AT&T & Verizon. At the moment the max I would expect to have is 2 and I would probably want to consider pre pay plans so I'm not paying when not in use. Any insight you have would be appreciated.

If I have sim(s) in the router and also a hotspot can the hot spot be connected to the router and included in aggregation.?

Someday Came.... I'm a big fan of the Peplink product line. I don't think you can go wrong with any of their products. I would encourage you to go to their forums and search connectivity issues though. Some of the newer products (thinking 5G) have not been certified by all the carriers.
We installed Peplink gear in our home office & use a commercial ISP as primary with AT&T & Verizon as standbys for when the hurricanes arrive (SE NC is prone to those lately). I have a Peplink network in my RV & backup the home office every evening to my NAS. If I were not a full timer, I would install Peplink products in my home.

 

[tetranz]

Oh, I can understand your trepidation, for sure. I actually had AT$T cancel my account for violating their TOS when I was using the card from the Harman SPARK in a Pepwave. Whatever...really stupid, and another reason I don't like AT&T at all.

Let's not get you, or the whole group, confused (or worried) on this issue though. The carriers are attempting to block users from buying a cheap plan, and then using it as a hotspot server and getting away with dishing out broadband to potential customers. Using a SIM in an iPad vs. a Pepwave itself will not raise any flags. Can they "detect" your unit? Sure. But, why block or cancel your account when you're simply using it for email, movies, etc? Makes no sense and I think that companies like T-Mobile get it. So, after 3 successful years, I'm not worried at all and don't think you should be either.

Yeah fair enough. I think you're right that they are more likely to go after heavy users abusing the lower price plans than someone using a higher priced plan in an unapproved device. Unfortunately they're so unpredictable, who knows what could happen. I'm still a little less confident than you on the likelihood that some day the carriers will suddenly decide to crack down on unapproved devices. The frustrating thing is that if a crackdown happens then reasonably honest people doing what you're doing are going to suffer while those blatantly (and some say illegally by FCC regulations) abusing plans with their "magic" routers that have their IMEI set to look like a tablet will get away with it. As far as I know, the carriers have no easy way to detect those.

Fortunately I'm a fairly light user right now. I can get by with a combination of legit 100 GB for $55 plan from AT&T plus tethering a phone and tablet. I have the tethering going into the WAN port of my Pepwave so, as you recommend, everything stays the same whether I'm tethering or using the Pepwave modem.

Of course it's easy to overthink all this too. I know that. There's a point where it makes sense to simply let it go, enjoy life and if bad things happen then so be it. We'll deal with it if and when it happens.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Of course it's easy to overthink all this too. I know that. There's a point where it makes sense to simply let it go, enjoy life and if bad things happen then so be it. We'll deal with it if and when it happens.

Yes, I think you're being your own worst enemy and putting too many negative factors into it.

For example, in terms of honesty and disclosure, don't mistake what my perspective is...I've TRIED to explain to the carriers EXACTLY WHAT I'm using...a "wireless hotspot"; that's EXACTLY WHAT the Pepwave is. It's no different than using your iPad or iPhone as a "Personal Hotspot". When you explain it to them, they've got 2 choices; either say "try it", or they'll recommend a dedicated hotspot plan, to which I politely tell them "I already have my own hotspot and don't want another one."

The issue with the old Mobley or Spark boxes, was that AT&T deliberately tried to go after them by making them extinct because they wanted more money. Getting a legitimate SIM card from a carrier is something that maybe thousands of users are currently doing without issues.

 

[lemondrop9344]

In reading the forums, it appears to me, that a significant amount of the people having issues with connectivity are those who pay for the equipment, but, try to get by without a legitimate SIM card. Why someone would pay hundreds of dollars for a cellular modem & try to feed it on the 'cheap' escapes me.