Why do we need mobile Internet, for example, 4G?
To travel and be connected all the time. Away from megacities, where there is no usual free Wi-Fi, and life goes on as usual.
And it is also needed to have access to the Network, visiting remote objects where they did not spend, did not connect, did not pay or did not want to make centralized Internet access
Sometimes there seems to be a Wi-Fi connection, but it doesn't work so well that it's easier to use a mobile connection.
And of course, this is necessary if for some reason there is no password for a private channel.
And how much does it cost to pay for 4G on the device?
For example, for Apple fans, this option does not seem so rhetorical.
For lovers of the "apple orchard" when buying iPad with Cellular (and with Wi-Fi) you have to pay extra compared to iPad Wi-Fi only pretty decent amount.
And if the tablet becomes unusable or simply ceases to satisfy, you will have to overpay again when buying a new gadget.
Approximately the same policy for some well-known manufacturers of equipment on Android.
It is worth noting that the iPad and many Android tablets with a screen larger than 8 inches do not allow you to make a regular voice call over a traditional cellular connection - you need to pay extra for a SIM card slot only for the sake of mobile Internet connection.
So after that you think: “Is it worth buying a device more expensive, but“ with all the functions ”or save money in the hope that fate will not bring it to a corner of the globe where there is no available Wi-Fi?”
But there is a mobile in your pocket! Here, give it away!
There is a cell phone, but...
Firstly, when distributing, the battery runs out faster. If the smartphone is not the cheapest and it has a non-removable battery, then constantly distributing the Internet from it is not the best idea.
Secondly, if you use tariffs for smartphones, traffic can cost more than in special offers for routers or modems. With the same amount of payment in the "classic" tariffs for smartphones, a smaller number of gigabytes may be available. But if you buy a specialized “Internet-only” tariff, in this case you won’t be able to call from it like from a cell phone.
A familiar situation: there is a mobile number, and it is from another region. In a normal environment, when inexpensive Wi-Fi is nearby, you don’t need an unlimited plan or a lot of prepaid gigabytes. You can always switch to free Wi-Fi and save money. But “away from home” you will have to buy more gigabytes (ideally, connect unlimited Internet), and this can be much more expensive, because .
Or buy a SIM card from a local mobile operator. But if there is only one SIM card slot in the smartphone, then you will have to choose: use the old number or notify subscribers about the number change. If you have to travel frequently and to different regions, such a duty can quickly get bored.
Experienced travelers, and those who often go on business trips, carry two mobile devices for such situations, for example:
- Your usual “combat smartphone” for receiving calls to your regular number.
- A simpler smartphone, into which a local SIM card is inserted (to be completely profitable - with a tariff for a router or modem) and connected to the Internet through it. Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to find a good, reliable smartphone with a removable battery these days. After running out of battery resources, you have to either throw away the gadget or carry it to a service center, hoping that after changing the battery it will work a little more.
But if the second mobile phone is needed mainly for accessing the Internet, maybe it is worth considering a specialized device for organizing access to the Network?
Okay, let's buy something like that. What are the suggestions?
So, we want to save money, get a normal connection and a maximum of functions to boot. For this reason, it is better to immediately buy a device that would communicate with mobile gadgets (smartphones and tablets, as well as e-books) and laptops. Both together and apart.
And this “both together and apart” sweeps aside the option with a USB modem. Because without a laptop or PC turned on, access through such a modem for other gadgets will be impossible.
We need a Wi-Fi router that can connect to the Internet over a mobile network.
In the salon of any cellular provider, they will gladly offer you a router, but “with
little limitation." It will only work with the SIM card of this
operator.
That is, if it is better to use Megafon in one place, Beeline in another, and MTS in the third, you will have to buy three routers. In this case, you will need to configure one by one for three Wi-Fi networks. It will not be superfluous to know the nuances of the operation of each of the three routers.
In order not to waste time and money on such a “triad”, one device is needed that would not depend on the operator and would replace three at once.
And this device should also have a replaceable battery of a decent size so that you can buy a spare on the road.
And it would also be nice to recharge it through a power-bank, in other words, from an external battery.
And it would also be nice if it could work as a USB modem, otherwise you suddenly have to connect a stationary PC without a Wi-Fi card.
And also so that you can insert a memory card into it and use it as a server for backups, or as additional disk space, for example, to watch movies.
And also to be able to connect through the web interface and mobile application, and also ...
Stop, stop, stop - don't we want too much?
No, not too much. There is such a device, its description is presented below.
Characteristics of ZYXEL WAH7608
General functions:
- Web interface with multilingual support
- SMS/quota/APN/PIN management
- Network selection
- Data Usage/Statistics
- DHCP server
- NAT
- IP firewall
- Proxy DNS
- VPN pass through
Wi-Fi hotspot specification
- 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, connection speed 300 Mbps
- Auto Channel Select (ACS)
- Number of simultaneously served Wi-Fi devices: up to 10
- Hidden SSID
- Security modes: WPA/WPA2 PSK and WPA/WPA2 mixed mode
- EAP-AKA authentication
- Access Point Power Save Mode
- Access control: black/white list STA
- Dual SSID support
- MAC address filtering
- WPS: Pin and PBC, WPS2.0
Battery
- Up to 8 hours battery life (depending on usage conditions)
LTE Air Interface
- Compliance: 3GPP release 9 category 4
- Supported frequencies: Band LTE 1/3/7/8/20/28/38/40
- LTE antenna: 2 internal antennas
- Peak Data Rate:
- 150 Mbps DL for 20 MHz bandwidth
- 50 Mbps UL for 20 MHz bandwidth
UMTS Air Interface
- DC-HSDPA/HSPA+ compliant
- Supported frequencies:
- HSPA+/UMTS band 1/2/5/8
- EDGE/GPRS/GSM band 2/3/5/8
- Incoming traffic speed up to 42 Mbps
- Upload speed up to 5.76 Mbps
WiFi Air interface
- Compliance: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz
- Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz antennas: 2 internal antennas
- Speed: 300 Mbps for 2.4 GHz
Hardware interfaces
-
Output power: no more than 100mW (20dBm)
-
USB 2.0
-
Two TS9 antenna connectors for LTE/3G
-
One mini SIM slot (2FF) for UICC/USIM card
-
One microSD card slot up to 64 GB for sharing
via wifi -
Buttons:
- Power off
- Turn off Wi-Fi
- WPS
- Reset
-
OLED display 0.96″:
- Service provider name
- 2G/3G/4G network status
- Roaming Status
- Signal strength
- Battery status
- WiFi Status
-
Power consumption: maximum 600 mA
-
DC input (5V/1A, Micro USB)
What does the ZYXEL WAH7608 look like and how does it work?
Appearance and design are made in the traditional "mobile" theme.
The body resembles black pebbles, turned on the seashore. On the one hand is a paired button: Power off and Wi-Fi off. On the other hand, there is a micro-USB connector for recharging and communication with a PC device.
Figure 1. Appearance of ZYXEL WAH7608.
One of the main advantages is the removable battery. You can purchase an additional battery for replacement in case of failure. To recharge the device, you can use a standard power-bank with a USB output.
Note. The WAH7608 uses a BM600 Li-Polymer 3.7V 2000mAh (7.4WH) PN:6BT-R600A-0002 battery. In case of difficulties with the purchase of this particular model in a particular region, you can use analogues, for example, the CS-NWD660RC model from the manufacturer Cameron Sino.
On the top cover of the device there is a monochrome LED display for displaying messages about signal strength, operator name and remaining battery power, as well as Wi-Fi SSID and key (wi-Fi password), MAC, IP to enter the web interface and others data.
You can view the necessary information on the screen, activate WPS connections by switching modes by pressing the center of the paired button.
Inside, the ZYXEL WAH7608 is very similar to the design of mobile phones with a removable battery. Just like there - a slot for a full-size SIM card and a compartment for a microSD memory card are located under the battery. This approach avoids the situation when a SIM card or a MicroSD memory card was removed by mistake during active work. There is also a hidden button under the cover. Reset to reset to factory settings.
ZYXEL WAH7608 can work in modem mode and simultaneously distribute the Internet
via Wi-Fi. Connecting to a laptop via USB cable saves battery power
and recharge the device without interrupting work. It is also useful when required
connect a desktop computer without a Wi-Fi adapter.
If you need to work in an area with poor coverage, you can connect an external 3G / 4G antenna. To do this, on the same side as the buttons, there are two plugs that can be opened and accessed to the connectors.
And one more important detail - In general, good documentation is Zyxel's signature feature. Having such a multi-page PDF file, you can easily delve into all the details.
The easiest algorithm to get started
We inserted a SIM card and, if necessary, a memory card.
Advice. Insert the battery, but do not close the lid immediately, so that if
needed, quickly access the Reset button.
After turning on the device, press the top button several times to
spy on the SSID and key (password) of the Wi-Fi network.
We connect to Wi-Fi.
By pressing the paired button, we find the IP address display mode (by default -
192.168.1.1)
We enter the IP in the browser line, we get a password request window.
Default login admin, password 1234.
Note. If the password is not known, you will have to reset the router to factory settings.
settings.
After logging in, we get to the main settings window.
Figure 2. The start window of the web interface.
What if you only have a smartphone?
In addition to a good web interface, there is an LTE Ally mobile app available for both Android and iOS. To control through this application, a connection to the Wi-Fi network of this router is required.
Among the features of LTE Ally:
- change router password
- change network names
- connection key (wi-fi password).
You can get information:
- according to the currently active connection standard
- signal strength, remaining battery power, etc.
- a list of connected devices and similar data on them, the ability to disable unnecessary clients
- list of SMS messages for balance control and reading service messages.
- and so on.
Figure 3. LTE Ally window.
Within the framework of one article, it is difficult to describe the very wide possibilities of this application, which in many cases can replace the standard web interface. The application interface is quite clear and there will be nothing complicated in working with it.
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ZYXEL WAH7608 is, frankly, a small device, but capable of
facilitate network life on the road and just a place where from the means of connecting to
Networks - only mobile communications.
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Source: habr.com