3dfx Archive - USB internet stick + PC as a router

razrx

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USB internet stick + PC as a router
07.10.09 at 12:23:45

I am looking for some helpful information on an issue I have.

There is a business in a rural setting that has almost no options for internet. One solution is a usb thumb drive that is also a high speed connection to the internet on the 3.5G network. It's supposed to get upto 21.5 mb/s. So I was going to plug the USB internet stick into a spare PC and configure it as a router and install a software firewall. Then connect the router PC via CAT6 cable to the rack of switches so the rest of the network can connect to the internet.

My questions are:
How often would I need to reboot the router PC? (can rebooting be automated? ie. nightly or weekly)
Would Ubuntu be a better choice than WinXP? (see question 1)
What software do I use for DHCP server, firewall, etc on the router PC?

The spare PC is a P4 2.0Ghz IBM desktop with 512MB DDR (probably more ram, once I look around the office).

Any other suggestions?

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Thema

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Re: USB internet stick + PC as a router
Reply #1 - 07.10.09 at 14:03:24

Usually in rural areas there is average to poor network coverage as far as data transfers go (3G coverage),
It's imperative that you check this on site before you sign any contracts w/ your service provider.
You are also likely to experience above average latencies due to the nature of the connection.
Count on it as the last resort imho.

#1 A well configured *nix router can run for years w/o reboots or whatsoever, excluding for updates/upgrades.

#2 (a.) I guess neither xp or ubuntu are a good choice for such a task.
I'd suggest you pick a more complex flavor of linux and polish it up to fit your needs (If everything works out fine it is a very valuable experience).

(b.) There already are commercial 3G routers available on the market, you might want to check those as well

#3 Stuff that usually comes in distributions works fine for small apps, eg. iptables, dhcpd.

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« Last Edit: 07.10.09 at 14:09:36 by Thema »

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razrx

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Re: USB internet stick + PC as a router
Reply #2 - 07.10.09 at 18:41:49

Thema wrote on 07.10.09 at 14:03:24:

Usually in rural areas there is average to poor network coverage as far as data transfers go (3G coverage),
It's imperative that you check this on site before you sign any contracts w/ your service provider.
You are also likely to experience above average latencies due to the nature of the connection.
Count on it as the last resort imho.

#1 A well configured *nix router can run for years w/o reboots or whatsoever, excluding for updates/upgrades.

#2 (a.) I guess neither xp or ubuntu are a good choice for such a task.
I'd suggest you pick a more complex flavor of linux and polish it up to fit your needs (If everything works out fine it is a very valuable experience).

(b.) There already are commercial 3G routers available on the market, you might want to check those as well

#3 Stuff that usually comes in distributions works fine for small apps, eg. iptables, dhcpd.

Ok, I am a rookie when it comes to Linux. I had a few courses that taught Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora & CentOS). But I'll have to do some research on some Linux distros best suited for this purpose. I would prefer to use XP, but I'm ready to dive into Linux and go through any learning curves.

My only choice for internet at that location is Dial Up or this rocket stick service. =\ I am close to a cell tower and get 4 or 5 out of 5 bars for service. I will look into the 3G routers and see if the ISP will support the router.

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jandarsun8

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Re: USB internet stick + PC as a router
Reply #3 - 08.10.09 at 06:32:41

There's also routers that will do it for you, like this for instance. http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/3GMobileBroadband/MBR624GU.as...

and I know we've got a built in 3G wireless router all in one from Verizon that we use for on call but I can't think of it right now (not on call this week). You can look on Verizons website just to get an idea of it though (think it's a hotspot something). Problem with that is that it will only hand out 5 IP address's at a time where as the solution above, in theory at least, hook up to a another switch or something and go from there (no clue if that would actually work or not but an idea at least). Hope this helps out some.

Edit: This is what I was talking about. http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=products_mifi

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« Last Edit: 08.10.09 at 06:34:04 by jandarsun8 »

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razrx

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Re: USB internet stick + PC as a router
Reply #4 - 08.10.09 at 09:20:18

Excellent info! Thank you for the suggestions and ideas with looking into a 3G router.

They are exactly what I was really looking for.

I tried reading up as much as I could in a short time, as the USB rocket stick will arrive in less than a week.

I saw a lot of good reviews for the CBA250 Cellular Broadband Adapter. http://www.cradlepoint.com/products/cba250-cellular-broadband-adapter
I think this will do the trick.

Thanks again! Cool

PS - I am a little biased against Netgear as they list the usual countries for which G3 providers will work with Netgear's hardware, except Canada! I was shocked. Grin

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« Last Edit: 08.10.09 at 12:01:42 by razrx »

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jandarsun8 God Member Offline Posts: 712 Minneapolis, MN Gender:	Re: USB internet stick + PC as a router Reply #5 - 08.10.09 at 17:31:03 Cool, glad that will help out some. Yeah, not real fond of Netgear items either but wanted to show you that there are things out there. Good luck with getting everything hooked up and hope it all works afterwards.
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