We continue the conversation about the nuances, and recommended best practices. Backup channel - is it needed and what should it be?
Introduction
Until the moment when you start working remotely seriously and for a long time, you don’t think about many things. For example, how to ensure a quick system restore. Where can I get a computer to replace a broken one, if you need to connect to work not in a day, but right now. And finally, what to do if the connection is lost?
Prior to the transition to remote work, these issues were resolved instead of the user by the system administrator, technical support engineer, network engineer, and so on. Now everything is on my own, everything is on my own experience ...
Why such urgency?
Firstly, so as not to lose your workplace due to periodic communication problems. The notorious "Murphy's laws" have not been repealed, and a single break at the most inopportune moment can cost, if not dismissal, then at least the loss of a career.
Secondly, interruptions in the Internet can affect income, especially if the work is piecework.
There are other reasons as well. For example, updating antivirus and other protection tools. The need for urgent payments, such as an electricity bill, loan payments, and so on.
If the Internet is gone for a long time, and the technical support phone sounds endless: “Sorry, now all operators are busy ...”, then it's time to use the backup channel.
Do I need to buy a separate device for this?
It all depends on the specific situation. Here everyone decides for himself.
First, you need to consider the level of income and how much you want to keep your job.
Second, how quickly will help arrive? For example, if the only modem, router, media converter fails, how quickly will the provider offer a replacement option? Or do you need to repair it yourself, buy a new one, check it, set it up - and all this in the absence of normal Internet access?
What should a remote worker do if Internet access is lost?
The safest option is not to wait until trouble happens, but to immediately install a line from a second provider at an affordable price. And even better - use some kind of "promotion when connected", and leave the old line as a backup.
However, this service is not always available. You may have to wait from a couple of days ... to infinity. To illustrate, let's look at a couple of examples.
Example one - "an old house with an old provider"
Background: The old house has been officially recognized as a historic building. Prior to this “historical recognition”, there was already one provider in the house who “entered” there a long time ago. Accordingly, the equipment was installed at the same time, and then everything was done according to the principle: "it works - do not touch it." Over time, the load on the channel increased, the quality of communication decreased.
When it comes to historical buildings, providers must coordinate the work of laying a wired network with the city authorities. And the city authorities are in no hurry to give permission on the principle: "There is Internet access and that's enough."
So the only provider has turned into a natural monopolist, whose plans do not include somehow solving the problem of poor communication quality.
Note. You should not think that such problems arise exclusively among wealthy citizens living in the center of Moscow or St. Petersburg. There are various reasons due to which it is impossible to run a second cable into the house. The presence of wireless Internet access still creates competition and returns providers to the civilized mainstream of the market economy.
An example of the second is “there is no money, but you hold on!”
Background: The only "wire" provider in a suburban village built up with small cottages.
After some time, the signal in the incoming cable completely disappeared in several cottages at once. Constant calls to technical support did not give any results. In the end, brought to the “white heat” by constant complaints, the provider’s system administrator issued the following tirade: “The switch through which your connection went through burned down, the authorities do not give money to purchase a new one, because the coronavirus, the global crisis, and so on. Connect yourself to something and leave me alone.
Note. In addition to these two examples, we can also recall that the cable and network equipment are sometimes damaged during the repair of entrances, there are banal thefts of network equipment, and many other things that both the provider and the residents suffer from.
Therefore, it is very desirable to have a backup wireless channel in order not to depend on such "situations".
How to prepare in advance for trouble?
Earlier in the article we have already written about the fact that the use of a mobile phone carries with it not only “pluses”, but also significant “minuses”.
Simply put, using a personal smartphone to maintain a working online connection is not particularly profitable. Of course, it all depends on local specifics and a specific offer, but if you don’t deserve any special “goodies” from a mobile operator and don’t use a corporate tariff that is amazing in terms of price and traffic volume, then it’s better to look for alternative options.
Almost the only advantage when using a personal smartphone as a shared modem is, it seems, “you don’t need to buy anything.” But in this case, the personal device goes into family "shared use", which may not please the owner much. As a result, you have to buy a new smartphone or just a push-button phone “to call”.
Sharing the Internet from a smartphone for “yourself” is somehow justified, but this solution is not suitable for a whole family or a small office.
It is also worth remembering all sorts of external antennas that amplify the signal, which are not always possible to use with a regular iPhone.
And an ordinary smartphone will certainly not last long if you hang it on a balcony or on some “white birch outside my window” in order to catch a more stable signal.
Ready to buy a wireless device. What to choose?
If we need to establish a connection indoors, then it would be wise to purchase a reliable LTE router with powerful antennas, which will provide a good stable Wi-Fi signal indoors on both bands: 5Hz and 2.4Hz. Thus, we cover both modern devices that support connection in the 5Hz band, and older network clients that only support the 2.4Hz band. It is also possible that devices are located where only a 2.4Hz signal can penetrate.
If we are talking about a country house, then an outdoor LTE router with a powerful built-in antenna may be required.
Using an LTE router as the main device for accessing the Internet
For the cases discussed above with a bad provider, we can recommend connecting via a wireless LTE channel as the main one, and using the weak line of the local wired provider (if any) as a backup.
For example, outside the city, where everything is bad with a wired connection, we catch a signal via LTE. If there is normal access “by wire” (for example, they returned to the city after “self-isolation”), then the mobile network can be used as a backup channel or to unload the wired channel during periods of peak load.
Of these "universal soldiers" we can recommend the LTE router Cat. 6 for indoors -
Figure 1. LTE3301-PLUS indoor router.
The good news is that for LTE3301-PLUS and other models with detachable antennas, outdoor antennas from any vendor will work.
Using an additional LTE router for external placement
A fairly common case is that the cellular signal is poorly caught indoors. In this case, it is reasonable to use an outdoor LTE router with PoE power. This can be especially critical for one-story suburban buildings, where the signal does not reach well. For such cases, an outdoor gigabit LTE Cat.6 router with a LAN port is a good fit.
Figure 2. Outdoor Gigabit LTE Cat.6 Router LTE7460-M608.
We are now talking about suburban real estate, but office work also requires reliable communication, for small firms, using a backup channel based on LTE is a completely reasonable solution, especially if the landlord does not allow you to drill the walls once again and invite another provider.
Note. In the absence of a network PoE source: a switch, a router, you can use an injector for power supply via PoE, which is already included in the package for the LTE7460-M608 model.
A new model will be available at the end of May 2020 (outdoor LTE Cat.12 router Zyxel LTE7480-M804 (SIM card is inserted), with , and support for LTE / 3G / 2G, LTE bands 1/3/7/8/20/38/40, LTE antennas with a gain of 8 dBi. The router has 1 LAN GE port with PoE power. Of course, a PoE injector is also included.
Figure 3. New outdoor LTE Cat.12 router Zyxel LTE7480-M804.
You can use a router for external placement indoors, but vice versa - no. Therefore, such devices are also suitable simply as a replacement for an LTE modem, but with an Ethernet output that can be moved to a distance of up to 100m.
You can implement an option with an LTE router and an additional router from a "wired" provider. Such a scheme has certain advantages - full redundancy, the absence of a single point of failure. It is also desirable to take into account the mutual influence of two Wi-Fi networks on each other, we wrote about this in more detail in a series of articles:
When you have to move
A common scheme of remote work is when an employee spends most of his time outside the city, and comes to the city for a short time purely on business. In order not to pay for Internet access in two places, you can purchase a portable LTE router, which plays the role of a backup Internet connection at your place of permanent residence, and works as the main one when traveling to the city.
Previously we about pretty model , but now its more modern counterpart has come out which supports 5Hz and 2.4Hz, and is an improvement overall.
Figure 4. LTE2566-M634 Portable Router.
When everything is assembled
Let's consider another option for organizing work, which is also quite mobile, although it is more difficult to call it an individual personal device.
This is a Gigabit LTE Cat.6 desktop router AC1200 with LAN port and Wi-Fi—
This model is designed and produced specifically for situations where you need to organize access for several people (family, small office), and at the same time there is a need to move from time to time.
Note. The Zyxel LTE4506(-M606) LTE-A HomeSpot Router provides mobile broadband connectivity using Carrier Aggregation technology, and since this technology is compatible with LTE, DC-HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS and EDGE/GPRS/GSM, it is able to operate cellular networks in different countries. LTE4506 can transmit two AC1200 wireless traffic streams (2.4Hz and 5Hz) in parallel, which allows you to connect up to 32 simultaneously working devices via Wi-Fi.
Figure 5. Zyxel LTE4506-M606 Portable Router
Such a model can be placed, for example, on a desktop, in a meeting room, in a kitchen, in a hotel room or somewhere else where it is convenient for you to work at the moment.
An interesting design, convenient operation and small dimensions make it possible not to hide this device, for example, on a cabinet, but to place it closer to the direct participants in the network exchange.
Another plus is that this device, due to its small size, lack of placement requirements, can easily move from place to place, while maintaining stable cellular signal reception and providing stable Wi-Fi and wired connection.
For example, it can be placed in a car if the work is traveling. Larger dimensions (compared to LTE2566-M634) made it possible not to save on the dimensions of the internal antenna and other elements, which improves the quality of communication compared to an individual pocket router.
instead of an epilogue
“Is it worth it to fence the garden?”, The incredulous reader will ask, “after all, this “self-isolation” will someday end” ...
The fact is that the very idea of remote work is gradually finding its place more and more in our lives. Indeed, to get together to “feel the elbow of a comrade”, while daily losing more than an hour of life on the way to the office and the same amount - home, creating traffic jams, crowded in the subway - why is it all?
Sooner or later, the business will “try” remote work to the end (especially saving on rent and maintaining extra office space), as it tried, for example, the matrix management model. And will increasingly use the new mode of operation.
Accordingly, employees, having felt the taste of freedom when working from home, will strive for this way of organizing work.
Wait and see!
Useful links
Source: habr.com