We use open gear im72xx and acm7xxx I get them new old stock or used on eBay for peanuts. Work fantastic, some even have a router and Ethernet switch build in for ipmi oob access. I use thingsmobile.com I think it's $2/mo for a sim with static ipv4
On Thu, Nov 7, 2024, 2:16 PM Adam Moffett <dmmoff...@gmail.com> wrote: > Well, initially I talked to Verizon about their router offerings because > they'll often throw one in for no additional cost. Problems with Verizon > cellular routers were > > - I don't have any reason to have faith in their reliability, and > nobody will be there to reboot it > - Feature sets were kind of a grab bag. My worry is maybe I get a > model that does some particular thing that I rely on, but later they > discontinue that model and I won't like their new options > - All of them were 12VDC with a wall wart. We have -48 plant, so I'd > be adding converters or inverters, and we're paying a low voltage > contractor for that stuff so it's not as cheap as it was when I was in the > WISP world. > > Someone mentioned it, but most of the console servers are just a computer > running some flavor of Linux and then adding a cellular card. WTI is no > exception. To me that's actually a good thing. I can connect it both to > the console ports and via ethernet to our management VLAN. As long as I > can get into the CLI of the console server I should be able to use it as a > launchpad to ping, ssh, ftp, or whatever into the equipment, and that's in > addition to having console access. > > When I lived in "WISP World" this product wouldn't have made any sense. > When money costs more than time I would just take some kind of PC and slap > in a USB cellular card and a quad port PCI serial card or two. If I > couldn't get a -48V PC I'd just wire in an inverter or isolated converter. > However, where I'm at now I think my boss would be shocked if I spent labor > on hacking something together when there's a thing we could just buy and be > done with it. > > Oh and apparently since we already have a bunch of phones and tablets with > Verizon we can add devices like this to our account for $20/month on a 2GB > 4G plan (+$15 per additional GB), and adding the static IP was only > $4/month. That OpEx is peanuts next to everything else, and the data limit > doesn't matter because most of the time it'll sit there and do nothing. > That's affordable even in WISP World. We could have unlimited 5G for $40, > and the static would still be only $4 more, but obviously we just don't > need 5G for this. > > -Adam > > > On Sun, Nov 3, 2024 at 3:42 PM Forrest Christian (List Account) < > li...@packetflux.com> wrote: > >> Sorry to hijack the thread. >> >> I've been considering developing a few different products to broaden my >> product line so it isn't so WISP focused. One of the things I've looked >> at is a terminal server device since the existing ones seem so rediculous >> for the price. >> >> BUT.. to meet the price target I'd want to hit, cellular connectivity >> would be out of the question, due to the excessive cost of the testing that >> the cellular networks require to permit connection to their network. This >> is probably why the existing products which have cellular connectivity cost >> so much. >> >> I was sort of under the impression that it was pretty typical for out of >> band cellular access to use one of the off the shelf wireless >> routers/hotspots to provide management-only ip connectivity. That way, >> you can connect to the management interface on every device. Is this >> not the case? >> >> On Sun, Nov 3, 2024, 6:55 AM dbernardi <dberna...@zitomedia.net> wrote: >> >>> >>> Not that device in particular but the number of locations and RS-232 >>> ports per device may drive you in a certain direction. >>> >>> I've been looking for a new solution as well. With 100's of locations I >>> find you need some sort of dashboard to track and manage devices, >>> whether home-grown or from a provider. >>> >>> We originally used Opengear 3G console servers but had to replace them >>> as Verizon phased out 3G service so we put together our own RPi with a >>> Verizon 4G USB cellular modem and a Startech USB/RS-232 adapter with >>> appropriate number of ports. That <$200 solution worked pretty well but >>> if you don't pay attention to tunnel management (make sure it switches >>> back to on-net link) it's easy to rack up a 5 figure Verizon bill even >>> with a M2M type service. >>> >>> So if you have a lot of devices to manage having visibility into them >>> and/or cellular is key. Tunnels become less important if you are >>> willing to pay for static IPv4 or stable IPv6 addresses from the carrier >>> but you still have to monitor them. >>> >>> I looked at some ~$1500+ devices but at scale it becomes a pretty >>> significant capital project and I consider tunnel/cellular management >>> more important anyhow. >>> >>> I tested the Digi Connect IT-4 with Hologram and it worked well but they >>> didn't have Verizon as a carrier at the time (they do now for additional >>> fee). We provide cellular backhaul to many T-Mobile and AT&T sites so >>> in the event our PoP/cabinet becomes isolated the concern is that same >>> towers we provide backhaul to would be how we would gain out-of-band >>> access to our equipment said outage. Point being in our case having >>> primary access to Verizon is important. >>> >>> I'm currently looking to test Symetry (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T)+ Peplink >>> router. Peplink has a what looks like a very nice tunnel service >>> dashboard (InTouch @ ~$40/year/device) but their hardware is lacking >>> console ports so you still need some type console/RS-232 server if you >>> need more than 1 port. I'm considering leaving the RPi and Startech in >>> place as a terminal server (works well) but using the Peplink+Intouch >>> for cellular access/tunnel management (where we struggled). >>> >>> There's also consideration of what you are planning to do with RS-232 >>> access. Are you just doing occasional "show interface" commands when >>> you lose in-band access, uploading firmware/bootloaders, or collecting >>> telemetry. >>> >>> Anyhow, based on what I looked at so far, I think most of the integrated >>> rack mount console servers are pretty similar in features, cost and >>> reliability but your cellular related requirements may matter (eSIM or >>> multiple carrier support for example). Some also seemed to differ in >>> tunnel options as well if that's a consideration. >>> >>> So if the cellular console server meets your needs and cost (scale) is >>> not as important, I think you'll find they all pretty much the same. >>> >>> >>> >>> On 11/1/2024 3:14 PM, Adam Moffett wrote: >>> > >>> > Has anyone used this product? Does it suck? >>> > https://www.wti.com/products/dsm-8dcnm-e-gige-console-server-8-port- >>> > rj45-dual-ethernet <https://www.wti.com/products/dsm-8dcnm-e-gige- >>> > console-server-8-port-rj45-dual-ethernet> >>> > >>> > I got spam from this company recently, and purely by chance I was >>> > researching a cellular OOB management option so I got the manual and >>> dug >>> > into it a bit. It has exactly the features I'm looking for. I'm >>> > wondering if by chance anyone here has already bought from this >>> company >>> > and maybe you can save me the trouble of finding out the hard way that >>> > they're terrible. >>> > >>> > >>> >>> >>> -- >>> AF mailing list >>> AF@af.afmug.com >>> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >>> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> AF@af.afmug.com >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> > -- > AF mailing list > AF@af.afmug.com > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >
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