We use GL.inet and set up WireGuard VPNs back to our distributed VPN servers. Our console servers support dual uplink, so we just connect port 1 to the GL.inet LAN and port 2 to our management switch.
Currently, we're still using their LTE model, and it costs ~100 USD per site, but their 5G models are expensive and cost around $500. On Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 6:33 PM Mark Tinka <mark@tinka.africa> wrote: > > > On 4/27/24 17:49, Mel Beckman wrote: > > Quite often I’m looking for OOBM at antenna sites or in remote DCs where > there is no Plan B carrier. Cellular has always been the goto choice for > this, but we keep getting pushed out of contracts by technology upgrades. > 2g, then 3g, and next 4g LTE are being deprecated. > > > > The main reason for network shutdowns is that the carriers have limited > spectrum available for expansion. To deliver faster, more cost effective > data service to customers, carriers must re-use existing spectrum licenses > with newer, more efficient cellular technology. Old 2G/3G infrastructure > makes way for new networks, and older cellular devices must be retired. 4g > may have a decade left before complete absence, but its footprint is > already shrinking where 5G is available. > > > > I’ve seen this first hand with 4g cellular alarm circuits: suddenly they > get less reliable or fail completely, and the reason always turns out to be > degraded RSSI due to 5G deployment. > > > > So 5G is imperative for cellular OOBM, hence the hunt for COTS drop-in > replacements that won’t break the bank. Upgrading, for example, 100 antenna > sites is also a major truck roll cost, so we want to get it right the first > time. Physical space and power limitations usually rule out 1U rackmount > refurb Cisco terminal servers, which is why we need 0U gear. Yes, I can > cobble together a raspberry pi and some hats and cables and dingles and > dangles and make a science fair solution. But I need something that is > commercially supported, won’t have me scratching my head later about what > version of the Ubuntu is going to work, and won’t randomly fry its > electronics during a power surge. > > > > It’s looking like that solution is firmly priced at ~$500 today. > > Fair enough - if the bulk of your OoB use-case is remote (cell) sites, > your typical options won't work or will be limited. > > Oddly, in our parts, we find remote, non-city locations, tend to keep > their 3G/4G status, or don't even get considered for 5G at all. But I > guess this will vary by market the world over, so I could see a remote > site in Norway, for example, having 5G vs. a remote site in, say, Egypt, > doing the same. > > I think what you probably want to consider for the long-term is > decoupling the device from the network media. If you can attach a MiFi > router via a USB port to a cheap device (like Mikrotik), this would help > keep costs down as mobile operators deprecate GSM data technologies in > the future. I like Mikrotik because in addition to being cheap and > feature-rich for basic network access, the firmware is regularly > upgradeable unlike typical consumer-style CPE's. > > Mark. >
