Mobile 4/5G Routers - Does it work well?

[Alphabetic]

Hi All

I have a customer out in the middle of nowhere with a poor ADSL connection.

They're looking at broadband replacements and can get a 4/5G router from Vodafone or EE.

Vodafone - GigaCube https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/
EE - NETGEAR Nighthawk https://business.ee.co.uk/mobile-broadband/netgear-nighthawk-m2/

My question is - Can I stick an SBC onsite and job done? They wont have a fixed IP and I have no options for port forwarding.

Anyone who's currently got or done this set up i'd like to hear from you.

thanks.

 

[Clément Rousseau]

Hi,
we strongly disapprove this but we were forced to do it temporary for a client we have.
It works, only depends on quality of 4G coverage wich can be a problem more often than you think because thoses kind of clients who can't have fiber and have poor adsl are often subject to poor 4G coverage.

+ sometimes its not the bandwidth wich is the problem but the latency, let little script running for one week day to check for latency just to be sure its ok is better.
Anyways if there is no good connexion at all, poor adsl + poor 4g, then the client should be aware of it, then he will accept a "non-perfect" solution. I know its not ok for 3cx but if you really cant, maybe go to mobile phone or deskphone working with gsm only (we did that sometimes here, in France).

Can you explain a little bit more about the context ? how many phone ? how much simultaneous conversation maximum ?

regards,
Clément

 

[Alphabetic]

Hi Clément

Coverage for 4G is in the "best" category according to the signal checker.

They'll have a 4SC if they went for it with up to 10 phones maybe at a maximum.

 

[StefanW]

I assume the PBX is in the cloud. Why not replace the phones and let them use the 3CX Mobile Apps via the devices mobile plan. The local internet access can still be used to combine mobile apps with the WebClient to chat and co. The main issue on all LTE boxes is that your IP address is most likely to change quickly throughout the day... Each time the SBC needs to reconnect to the PBX

 

[Alphabetic]

Yes the PBX will be in the cloud.

That's definately a possibility.

Do you think I could run 3 desk phones over a 10Mb Down 1Mb up ADSL connection? I can run some QoS on the router.

 

[StefanW]

SBC and QOS on target 5090 port should do. The 1Mb up might get used by half if all are in a call...

 

[AWS2P]

I have several customers with cloud based PBX and SBC behind 4G routers like Huawei B525S-23a
this work like a charm. 4G router use is dedicated to VOIP.
None has static public IP and they are double nated, SBC goes through with ease

Never got any problems and customers were so satisfied to have an internet link with bandwith.
For example the worst case customer got a DSL with 1Mb DL and 128 Kb UL
After install 4G router is now with 100 Mb symetrical line.

 

[Alphabetic]

I have several customers with cloud based PBX and SBC behind 4G routers like Huawei B525S-23a
this work like a charm. 4G router use is dedicated to VOIP.
None has static public IP and they are double nated, SBC goes through with ease

Never got any problems and customers were so satisfied to have an internet link with bandwith.
For example the worst case customer got a DSL with 1Mb DL and 128 Kb UL
After install 4G router is now with 100 Mb symetrical line.

This sounds promising.

So have you got another firewall attached to your 4G router?

what about the dynamic IP side of it? Do you have trouble with it going down?

 

[AWS2P]

I have not used with another firewall but as an alone solution, but B525S has a bridge mode giving you way to use it as simple modem and connect a real router like a pfsense . B525S is a very good model from Huawei, stable, reliable, clear admin GUI,with 4 Gigabytes ethernet ports and 2 sma connector if you want to add external antennas to increase 4G transmission.

In France we have also some business offer where you can subscribe to Static IP over 4G (SFR business) but SBC is leading connection to PBX , so when there's an IP switch SBC reconnect alone. that's completely invisible to me and customers never got any claim about call dropped.

latest location have done this customer use about 15 phones + webclient over a 8SC with one Q for callers, and RGs.
SBC i use are sometimes in Windows 10 oversized for the use (I5, 6G DDR) and other on RPi for smallest install.

It seems your project is only using 3 phones, that's right? if so then a Rpi 3B+ is already very good solution.