Summer is a hot time for outsourcing?
The summer period is traditionally considered the “off season” for business activity. Some people are on vacation, others are in no hurry to purchase certain goods, because there is no corresponding mood, and sellers and service providers themselves prefer to rest at this time.
Therefore, the summer for outsourcers or freelance IT professionals, for example, "incoming system administrators" is considered an inactive time...
But you can look from the other side. A lot of people move to places of rest, someone wants to set up a connection in a new place, someone wants to have stable access from anywhere in Russia (or at least from the nearest suburb). Consultations, connection and configuration services, organization of remote access, for example, to a home computer, use of cloud services - all this can be in demand.
You should not immediately write down all three summer months as unprofitable ones, but it is better, for starters, to at least look around and see who and what will be needed in such an environment. For example, communication over LTE.
"Wand-saver"
Residents of large cities are quite spoiled in terms of quality communications. They have quite a few options for Internet and wired access, including a dedicated fiber-based network, free Wi-Fi wherever possible, and reliable cellular communications from major mobile operators.
Unfortunately, the farther from the regional centers, the less opportunities to get high-quality communication. Below we will look at areas in which communication over LTE will come in handy.
When the provider is a retrograde
Not always local service providers are "on the crest of the technological wave." It often happens that the provider's equipment, infrastructure and quality of services are by no means impressive.
Let's start with infrastructure. To conduct a fiber-optic GPON to every apartment in the village or to every house in the village is still at the level of dreams.
Small providers are poorer than large ones, provincial ones are poorer than metropolitan ones, they have fewer resources to create a developed infrastructure. At the same time, the purchasing power in small towns is lower than in large cities (with rare exceptions). Therefore, investing money “in wires” often has no prospects in terms of payback.
In some cases, users have to be content with an ADSL-based connection, with appropriate speed and capabilities. But even here we are talking about settlements with an established infrastructure. Newly built holiday villages, remote facilities such as warehouses, industrial premises often have no connection with the outside world, except for the "ethereal".
If we talk about equipment, so far the possibilities remain very modest. To purchase new equipment for communication, it is necessary to find additional funds. And this is not always possible, especially since the amounts (depending on the degree of obsolescence of the current fleet) may be quite impressive.
Another important point is the level of service. “Personnel shortage” is not such a rare occurrence. Good specialists are always in short supply, and large cities or “work abroad” make it possible to find higher wages than with a local provider.
It is worth mentioning the monopoly position in the market. If there is only one Internet provider for the entire district, he can dictate not only prices, but also the level of service. And then the arguments from the series: “Where will they (customers) get away from us?” become the main motto when serving consumers.
It cannot be said that all these problems appeared solely due to someone's greed, unwillingness to do anything, and other mortal sins. Not at all. Just economic, technical or some other situation does not allow to quickly resolve all issues.
Therefore, the alternative in the form of over-the-air access via LTE is a good opportunity to improve the quality of services by changing the provider.
"Roll the field"
There are quite a few people whose position, type of activity, and simply lifestyle are associated with frequent moves.
If you are traveling by car, then it is better to just forget the wired option. But it is on trips that sometimes you need high-quality access to the Web. For example, for an architect, builder, realtor, equipment repair technician, as well as for bloggers, and in general for all those who have to connect to network resources from time to time on the road.
You can use mobile communications for each device (and pay money for all this), but it is much easier and more economical to have an LTE router in your car and connect mobile devices via Wi-Fi.
Note. Portable devices such as the AC6 Portable LTE Cat.1200 Wi-Fi Router (Model WAH7706) can be recommended for people who travel frequently by car. With a small footprint, these small routers can provide reliable connectivity for multiple devices.
Figure 1. AC1200 Portable LTE Router (Model WAH7706).
And the Internet has not been delivered yet?
However, even in large cities there are places where access to the Internet is difficult or non-existent. A perfect example is construction. It is not possible to connect a wired Internet, but a connection is needed now, for example, for video surveillance.
Sometimes a temporary office for the sale of apartments operates at unfinished properties, which needs high-quality access to remote network resources.
A similar situation occurs at facilities in the industrial zone. Due to the large distances and the small number of consumers, it is simply unprofitable to pull the cable. LTE helps out with its wide coverage area.
And, of course, LTE is in demand in holiday villages. The seasonal nature of the consumption of services, when there are a lot of people in summer cottages, and no one in winter, makes these objects unattractive for "providers with wires". Therefore, an LTE router has long been considered the same “dacha attribute” as slippers or a garden watering can.
Wire that can't be cut
Access over physical cables provides a stable, reliable connection (at the appropriate technological level), but has one limitation - everything works until the cable is damaged.
Take, for example, a video surveillance system. If the recording of images from cameras is carried out remotely via the Internet, then it is very important to have an independent connection. In this regard, wired access is not the best solution.
Look for a shop, barbershop, or other small business located in an apartment on the ground floor of a residential building. If the cable appears at least somewhere, even slightly in an accessible place, for example, passes through an electrical panel, it can be cut, and the video surveillance system will stop transmitting. And, even if there is a copy on internal resources, for example, on the hard drive of the registrar, all this: both the cameras and the registrar can be disabled or taken with you, while maintaining complete incognito.
In the case of wireless communication, it is possible to interrupt access to the Network (if you do not consider special “jammers”) only after entering the room. If you take care of autonomous power, at least for a short time of operation, then in most cases it is possible to record the moment of the intrusion, which can then be presented to the police, insurance company, security organization, and so on.
Another nuisance is the failure of switches and other “common user” equipment, for example, due to the fault of unskilled builders and simply “craftsmen” who can and are able to create various problems for neighbors.
For such cases, wireless communication via LTE can be indispensable.
What is the strength of LTE
The abbreviation LTE stands for Long Term Evolution (long-term evolution). In fact, this is not even a standard, but a development direction designed to answer the question: "What is planned when 3G capabilities are no longer enough?" It was assumed that LTE will operate within the standards for 3G, but later the development has become more widespread.
Initially, equipment designed for 3G networks could be partially used for communication based on LTE technology. This made it possible to save costs for the implementation of the new standard, reduce the "entry threshold" for subscribers and significantly expand the coverage area.
LTE has a fairly wide list of frequency channels, which opens up the possibility of a wide range of applications.
Marketers talk about LTE as the fourth generation of mobile communications - "4G". However, it is worth noting a slight confusion in terminology.
According to LTE-A technologies have received the official designation IMT-Advanced. And it also states that IMT-Advanced, in turn, is considered a "4G" technology. However, the ITU does not deny that the term "4G" does not have a clear definition and, in principle, can be applied to the name of other technologies, such as LTE and WiMAX.
To avoid confusion, communications based on LTE-A technology began to be called "True 4G" or "true 4G", and earlier versions - "marketing 4G". Although these names can be considered rather conditional.
Today, most equipment labeled "LTE" can work with various protocols. This has a positive effect both on expanding the geography of access (coverage area) and on the wallets of users who do not need to purchase a new device every time.
A mobile phone as a router - what is the disadvantage?
Reading about the availability of LTE technology, sometimes the question arises: “Why buy a specialized device? Why not just use a mobile phone?” After all, it is now possible to “distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi” from almost any mobile device.
Of course, you can use a mobile phone as a modem, but such a solution, to put it mildly, loses a lot to a router. In the case of a specialized router, you can choose the option for outdoor placement, placing it in a place with good reception, for example, under a roof. Another option is to connect a specialized antenna. (Support for external antennas by specific models will be discussed below).
For direct access from a mobile phone, tablet and even a laptop, such opportunities are hardly feasible.
Figure 2. The LTE7460-M608 outdoor LTE router is well suited for summer cottages and other remote locations.
When several users need to be connected to such a “distribution via mobile phone” at the same time, it becomes very inconvenient to work. The power of the Wi-Fi emitter on a mobile phone is weaker than that of a router with a built-in access point. Therefore, you have to sit as close as possible to the signal source. In addition, the battery of the mobile device is discharged very quickly.
In addition to hardware nuances, there are others. Universal offers of cellular operators, designed for average use of both voice cellular communication and mobile Internet, as a rule, have a traffic limit and are not particularly beneficial for providing shared access to the Network. It is much easier and cheaper to use Internet-only contracts. In combination with a specialized device, this gives good speed at a bargain price.
Some practical questions
At the beginning, it is recommended to understand what tasks require access to the Network.
If the plan is to "escape from civilization" and the Internet is only needed to download the next novel on the E-book - this is one type of use.
If you need to always stay in touch, continue to work and lead an active online life - this is a completely different kind of pastime and a completely different load on the network.
Client equipment plays an important role. Let's say our IT equipment is an old laptop taken in case of rainy weather. In this case, both older and more modern routers will do. The main thing is that there is support for Wi-Fi in the 2.4GHz frequency range.
If we are talking about clients in the form of personal computers, then they may not have Wi-Fi interfaces at all. Here here you need to choose models with LAN ports for twisted pair connection.
In the above cases, we can recommend the N300 LTE router with 4 LAN ports (model LTE3301-M209). This is a good, time-tested solution. Although Wi-Fi is only supported within 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), the presence of ports for a wired connection allows it to be used as a full-fledged home office switch. This is important when there is a network printer, personal computers, NAS for backup - in general, a complete set for small businesses.
The LTE3301-M209 router comes with external antennas to receive the signal from the base station. In addition, the presence of 2 SMA-F connectors allows you to connect external powerful LTE antennas for reliable communication even where the cellular signal is weakening.
Figure 3. LTE Cat.4 Wi-Fi router N300 with 4 LAN ports (LTE3301-M209).
When a bunch of the latest electronics moves to a country house or a summer office: mobile gadgets, sophisticated laptops, it is better to choose the most modern models that support the latest innovations in terms of providing access via Wi-Fi, LTE and other useful things.
If there is an opportunity for outdoor placement, you should take a closer look at the LTE7460-M608 model. (See Figure 2).
Firstly, it will be possible to place the LTE router in a better reception area, for example, under the roof, outside the building, and so on.
Secondly, this placement allows you to provide a reliable Wi-Fi connection not only inside the building, but also in the open area of the site. The LTE7460-M608 model uses built-in antennas with a gain of 8 dBi for communication. Another important feature - PoE power allows you to place up to 100 meters from the house, placing it on a roof or mast. This is especially true when tall trees grow near the house, which can interfere with the cellular signal from the base station. The LTE7460-M608 comes with a PoE injector that provides PoE+ power up to 30W.
But sometimes it is not possible to use an outdoor device due to certain circumstances. In this case, the gigabit LTE Cat.6 Wi-Fi router AC1200 with an FXS port (model LTE3316-M604) will help out. This device has four GbE RJ-45 LAN ports. An important point is that the first LAN1 port can be reconfigured as a WAN. It turns out a universal device that in the cold months can be used in a city apartment as a regular router to communicate with a provider via twisted pair, and in the summer as an LTE router. In addition to the monetary benefit - to buy one device instead of two, the use of LTE3316-M604 allows you not to reconfigure the parameters for the local network, access settings, and so on. The maximum that is needed is to transfer the router to use another external channel.
The LTE3316-M604 router also allows you to connect external powerful LTE antennas, for this it has 2 SMA-F connectors. For example, you can recommend the antenna model LTA3100 with a coefficient. gain 6dBi.
Figure 4 Generic Router AC1200 with FXS port (model LTE3316-M604) for indoor use.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the described examples, there are no “dead seasons” in the field of providing Internet access. But there are changes in the methods of access to the Network and the nature of the load, which affects the choice of a particular technology.
LTE is a fairly versatile option that allows you to organize a stable connection within a fairly wide coverage area.
The right choice of equipment allows you to more flexibly adapt the available capabilities to the needs of each consumer.
Sources of
Source: habr.com