Solutions for portable/mobile 4G-based customer hotspots?

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logical.illogical

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Aug 6, 2014
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So, I've been asked by the higher-ups to look into alternatives to our current setup. What we have right now:
- An aging array of mostly-3G cell modems paired with feature-light but rugged wireless routers. In any deployed location, these have historically been left open for clients to connect to and use until the slow speed drives them away, typically a quick email check etc. It's basically been a "hey, while we're at it, here's some internet."

What the bosses want (combined with what I want):
-New 4G cell modems (this is in the works) paired with routers that we can set up for some or all of the following. Web filtering of some kind, even just blocking the non-kid-friendly sites. At minimum a solid redirect to a splash/T&C page for agreement before a device is authorized out. Also being asked about a payment portal where an individual can pay a "day rate", or a group could pay a block fee which would open the unit for for that period of time. Remote accessibility would be a plus on that front, as these units are ultimately in the hands of very busy, very non-technical people far off-site from us.

And the other main key features of course, are that the bosses want relatively inexpensive while I want something that is not going to add 10-20 hours a week to my workload dealing with "So and so paid but couldn't get on" and "Operator X forgot how to enable the unit for a block-pay group, and he swears he's doing it right but it's not working, can you connect remotely and do it for him?" calls. The bosses apparently have been pitched a solution that will start out in the couple hundred thousand dollar range for somewhere around 40-50 units, does anybody here have experience with similar setups and have solutions they like/dislike in practice? I know it's a shot in the dark, but thanks in advance.
 
Unifi Outdoor APs, with either a public self-hosted unifi controller, or one on something like Amazon EC2.

That way you have one controller for all the sites, one splash page to edit, one set of T&C to edit, etc. A Ubiquiti Edgerouter ER-POE5 would let you add up to 4 APs per site, and power them, keeping the install simple for the end user (you plug the power into the black thing, and then the white things into the black thing, and you're done). The Edgerouters can do filtering with Squid, OpenDNS (easiest), and DansGuardian, and the Unifi controller runs the splash page.

I may have misunderstood your application, but it sounds like you have multiple sites that each have their own 3G modem, right? Or do you have one site and you use multiple 3G modems due to the limited WiFi range?
 
It is multiple sites each with their own modem, correct.

I love the Ubiquiti stuff (just started using it at home actually), I don't recall the ERL having a USB port though? I may be totally mis-remembering. And, on re-reading the initial post, I realize that I'm an idiot and did not specifically mention that the modems are USB. I know, it causes me headaches too.

Each site only needs one AP, they currently are running a mix of different generations of Cradlepoint router/wifi units which are one of our "just stick with these and get newer ones" options. A UAP would destroy these things for signal/range.

I do recall a friend using these with a cloud/offsite controller and a splash/T&C page in a small business install. I may see if I can rope him into helping me whip up a proposal based on what he's found. Thanks for the reminder of what should have been the obvious, at least as a possibility to look at.
 
logical.illogical said:
It is multiple sites each with their own modem, correct.

I love the Ubiquiti stuff (just started using it at home actually), I don't recall the ERL having a USB port though? I may be totally mis-remembering. And, on re-reading the initial post, I realize that I'm an idiot and did not specifically mention that the modems are USB. I know, it causes me headaches too.

Each site only needs one AP, they currently are running a mix of different generations of Cradlepoint router/wifi units which are one of our "just stick with these and get newer ones" options. A UAP would destroy these things for signal/range.

I do recall a friend using these with a cloud/offsite controller and a splash/T&C page in a small business install. I may see if I can rope him into helping me whip up a proposal based on what he's found. Thanks for the reminder of what should have been the obvious, at least as a possibility to look at.
Click to expand...

Ahh. When you said 4G modem, I was thinking of something like the Cradlepoint that would just give you a nice Ethernet jack to plug into. I don't think there are many options for routers that support 4G modems. You may need to just make one with a small formfactor PC or single board computer. Or Mikrotik, they probably have something.

There are external USB ports on the ER-8, and internal ones on the ER-Lite and ER-5-POE, but I don't think they support 4G modems right now.
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/EdgeMAX/PeekaBoo-Why-Hello-USB/td-p/396502
 
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Pretty much anything that runs OpenWRT does 4G modems too as long they're supported in Linux without binary drivers.
//Danne
 
Yeah, currently the Cradlepoint units we have now as well as the solution that a sales guy from one of our vendors is going to try and pitch me on tomorrow all operate off of something like the netgear 341U USB guys. I'm hoping that the vendor will actually split his hardware off from pushing the wireless carrier he also wants to sell, I know he's going to try and push package or nothing but our current data plan per device is just not going to be touchable. So if he doesn't want to do a hardware/support-only sale, I'm looking to have a Plan C that's neither Cradlepoint or these guys. I know; have cake, eat it too, etc etc.
 
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