3G routers + Aircard combo for wifi sharing in Thailand - any experiences?

[Archie Pelago]

I have been asked to put together a makeshift wifi network for a temporary worksite for 3-4 weeks. There will be around 60 odd people and probably double that in devices, although they won't all be online at any one time.

There is no option to put in DSL/Cable etc, so I'm looking at 3G sharing and want to see if anyone has experience with specific equipment and configurations with the various carriers (I am looking at AIS and DTAC)

There is a TP-link router model TG-W8968 available, it has a USB slot for a 3G modem, and the list of known compatible dongles is here

It mentions a DWM-156 3G dongle from AIS.

Has anyone here set up a similar network? My initial thoughts are to purchase 3-5 routers and dongle sets, but I'd be keen to hear if anyone has any experiences (good or bad) with doing something similar.

Any suggestions of alternative equipment which has been tried & tested would also be appreciated.

Cheers

Edited October 10, 2014 by Archie Pelago

[casualbiker]

Do you want wired or wifi links?

If wifi then look at MIFI units.

http://www.totalaircard.com

Edited October 10, 2014 by casualbiker

[Archie Pelago]

Do you want wired or wifi links?

If wifi then look at MIFI units.

http://www.totalaircard.com

Thanks casualbiker - I've looked at MIFI, however it is a range issue. We need something with a bit of grunt owing to the geography, and equipment that needs to get onto the net. In this case, MIFI is out.

cheers

[RichCor]

Another issue with using MiFi besides the lack signal distance (likely due to no external WiFi antennas) would be most MiFi devices only allow 5 simultaneous WiFi connection.

Is there a reason you're not looking into True-H 3G/LTE to provide the Internet side of the connection?

[GinBoy2]

I use a D-Link DSL-2750U which is a ASDL modem/router with a USB option for a 3G aircard backup. I have a True Huawai modem which kicks in when the DSL dies. Works fine for me, no setup required so if you're not going to have any DSL, it'll work solely from the aircard.

Range is reasonable, it sits in our bedroom and I can happily surf outside in the back yard.

[lomatopo]

I have been asked to put together a makeshift wifi network for a temporary worksite for 3-4 weeks.

Not a lot of detail provided re: budget, apps, bandwidth required, etc. etc., etc.

Is the 30 day requirement firm?

What about local storage? Printing? Intranet? Web hosting?

Have you identified which service providers offer 3G/LTE in the the exact physical location?

I assume you understand that most mobile data plans are capped at 1 ~ 10 GB, after which speeds may be limited to 128 - 384 Kbps, perhaps requiring you to re-subscribe.

For up to 120 devices you'll need some robust routers, maybe look at Cradlepoint and Cisco (series 8xx). Obviously you'll need a number of routers, maybe 4 ~ 10 depending on capabilities; you're asking a lot of the router as it needs to bridge, route, switch and move packets through the 3G/WAN interface to the LAN interface. Some of these consumer-grade options (TP-Link, D-Link, Asus) may not be able to support your requirements. The bottleneck will be the routing (packets pe second) into/out of the 3G "device"

I might also talk with AIS, TOT, CAT, 3BB to see if any wireless P2P/WiFi services are available - typically these have a 12 month minimum but maybe you can negotiate something?

I might also survey the users to see what types of phones they have, and which service providers, to see if some sub-set can "manage" their own mobile hotspot on their phone; reimbursing them for the cost/service.

I might test a few options ahead of time, and even consider different models/manufacturers rather than settling on a single model, which may have some failure mode which remains undiscovered until you are into deployment.

Maybe your current suppliers can help suss out options?

[Archie Pelago]

Not a lot of detail provided re: budget, apps, bandwidth required, etc. etc., etc.

Thanks for responding to this - the questions you have asked are already a huge help.

Is the 30 day requirement firm?

Yes, it is a ship which is visiting for 4 weeks

What about local storage? Printing? Intranet? Web hosting?

AFAIK it is just for the crew to use for basic interwebs and emails, the IT guru on board will instruct the crew that file sharing and larger downloads are not allowed. A couple of the routers will be used to provide an internet connection for the ship's intranet. I need to ask more questions on this.

Have you identified which service providers offer 3G/LTE in the the exact physical location?

I will do a site test over the weekend, coverage maps say the area is just outside the AIS 3G footprint, but DTAC's map says it has 3G coverage.

No LTE that I can see so far.

I assume you understand that most mobile data plans are capped at 1 ~ 10 GB, after which speeds may be limited to 128 - 384 Kbps, perhaps requiring you to re-subscribe.

Yes, was aware of this, & I spoke to both AIS and DTAC so far, and they both have a 12Gb plan available which shapes once that limit is reached. In this case the boat is prepared to recharge for additional packages.

For up to 120 devices you'll need some robust routers, maybe look at Cradlepoint and Cisco (series 8xx). Obviously you'll need a number of routers, maybe 4 ~ 10 depending on capabilities; you're asking a lot of the router as it needs to bridge, route, switch and move packets through the 3G/WAN interface to the LAN interface. Some of these consumer-grade options (TP-Link, D-Link, Asus) may not be able to support your requirements. The bottleneck will be the routing (packets pe second) into/out of the 3G "device"

Understood, thanks for pointing this out. I figured there would be a bottleneck from/to the 3G service. The budget is limited and I've been asked to source readily available equipment. I'll also check out the Cradlepoint & Cisco equipment to see if this is feasible.

I might also talk with AIS, TOT, CAT, 3BB to see if any wireless P2P/WiFi services are available - typically these have a 12 month minimum but maybe you can negotiate something?

Good idea. I did ask AIS and DTAC, but they weren't very encouraging given that it is only a 4 week, one-off gig.

I might also survey the users to see what types of phones they have, and which service providers, to see if some sub-set can "manage" their own mobile hotspot on their phone; reimbursing them for the cost/service.

They are all foreign crew arriving on the same ship, so this is probably not an option. Have suggested to the ship's IT guru that they consider getting local sim cards for the crew - but the primary goal is to have an acceptable working wifi across several 3G routers at this stage

I might test a few options ahead of time, and even consider different models/manufacturers rather than settling on a single model, which may have some failure mode which remains undiscovered until you are into deployment.

This was my first thought too. However it will depend on how quickly they send the funds to do this. My ideal plan is to test a couple of different sets of equipment to see which works best, and then scale up from there.

Maybe your current suppliers can help suss out options?

They have been good so far with info - but none of them have used the routers in this set up before - hence posting here to see if anyone had previous/recent experience with particular models and providers.

To get a couple of posts confirming that some of the equipment options I have looked at do work will be a good start for me to purchase some gear and set something up to test with.

cheers

[RichCor]

If this is a docked ship I'd be very tempted to suggest you set up your own Point-to-Point Line-of-Sight OUTDOOR WIRELESS ROUTERS to Land-Based hard-wired Internet connection.

These would replace the 3G component of your OP.

If you HAVE or CAN ARRANGE a Land-based High-Speed Internet for each Point-to-Point link, at a location that would have clear Line-of-Sight to the docked ship, then you could buy a PAIR of self-contained WISP-grade OUTDOOR WIRELESS ROUTERS (Panel-Antenna/Router) that get pointed at each other to provide a high-speed wireless link. While some PtP links only provide up to 54mbps, others can provide 150-300mbps at a distance up to 15km using proprietary software.

The upside of this would be delivering ISP-grade High-Speed Unlimited Internet to your client (IF you have the ISP connection to bridge to them)

You could run the units isolated, connected to a local WiFi AP to service just to surrounding area, or optionally the IT person on the ship could link the units into the ship-board network to distribute.

Generally I like the self-contained units where the high-gain antenna, radios and router components are all together. Makes then easier to install. Suggest you take a look at equipment provided by Ubiquiti, TP-Link.

TP-Link 2.4GHz 54Mbps High-Power Wireless CPE

TP-Link 2.4GHz 150Mbps Outdoor Wireless Access Point

TP-Link 5GHz 150Mbps Outdoor Wireless Access Point

a Thailand-based Ubiquiti Dealer: this site linked for reference only.

[ukguyinthai]

Have you presented your whole situation to all the providers for them to give you a solution?

My concern is trying to use different sources for different parts of your needs will end in no one taking responsibility if it failed .Blaming others and you with little interest.

you will be under massive pressure should it fail.

I would definitely use two companies to cover the same job,so if one fails the other could take over.

Dont be pressured too much about budget.Insurance is part of the budget.

You can research the internet providers in Thailand.Everyone has seriously let people down,everyone has extremely poor customer service .Do not trust any of them.

Thats why I recommend using 2 systems designed and recommended from different providers,all the equipment will be returned ,its only for a month ,its only for 60 people not a big deal money wise.

I hope this is a success for you.

[poweratradio]

Do you want wired or wifi links?

If wifi then look at MIFI units.

http://www.totalaircard.com

Thanks casualbiker - I've looked at MIFI, however it is a range issue. We need something with a bit of grunt owing to the geography, and equipment that needs to get onto the net. In this case, MIFI is out.

cheers

Whats a dongle

[RichCor]

Whats a dongle

Google search is your frienemy. Wikipedia has at least to entries for the topic of 'dongle'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle

A 'dongle' is a small piece of hardware that attaches to computer, TV, or other electronic device, and that, when attached, enables additional functions such as copy protection, audio, video, games, data, or other services. These services are available only when the dongle is attached.

Although the term "dongle" was originally used to refer only to software protection dongles, it is now more commonly used to refer to very short cables that connect relatively large jacks to smaller plugs, allowing cables to be easily removed and replaced from computing devices with limited available surface space (see: adapter).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_protection_dongle

A 'software protection dongle' (commonly known as a dongle or key) is an electronic copy protection and content protection device which, when attached to a computer or other electronic appliance, unlocks software functionality or decodes content.[1] The hardware key is programmed with a product key or other cryptographic protection mechanism; it attaches via electrical connector to an external bus of the computer or appliance.[2]

When used as a software protection device, dongles mostly appear as two-interface security tokens with transient data flow that does not interfere with other dongle functions and a pull communication that reads security data from the dongle. Without the dongle, the software may run only in a restricted mode, or not at all.

In the context used by the OP, a 3G USB Air Card can also be referred to as a 'dongle'.

// Is it a dongle if it doesn't dangle?

[Archie Pelago]

Just wanted to touch base and give an interim update to all those who chipped in with advice.

The client has settled on a fairly simple set up with a couple of TP-LINK 3G routers, several 7.2mb dongles and a few more sim cards for use in their own equipment.

We'll use two different carriers to start so we can gauge the best speeds in the actual deployment (I did site tests last week with the 3 major carriers and selected the best two)

They have been very relaxed and helpful so far (the clients).

Once it is all set up and working I'll report back with all of the model numbers & configurations of whatever was successful - so that someone else might be able to use the same advice in future.

Cheers

[trunknuk]

Maybe grab http://opensignal.com/ app as well and add to the local network knowledge.