3G/HSPA Routers

cheater99 · 13-08-2009 8:42am

Hi there, i'm havin the same problem but with a pcmcia card with too recent firmware. I'm going to attempt to add extra drivers to the firmware and then recompile it. If it works successfully, i'll upload the firmware and add more drivers to it.

It's a pain that linksys don't roll out firmware updates more frequently to support the more recent products.

Tell you how it goes.

watty · 13-08-2009 8:53am

It's maybe possible to put OpenWRT on it. You may need to patch the Header ID in the vodafone firmware into the OpenWRT firmware so that the updater thinks it's Vodafone version.

I did this with WRT54G3G. After loading OpenWRT, then subsequently you need unpatched OpenWRT firmwares as the custom webloader is gone.

See OpenWRT.org

I have WhiteRussian on the WRT54G3G and can load USB devices via Maplin Dual USB2.0 PCMCIA card. Not tried the E180.

I have Kamakazie on the PCengines Wrap2E board as main Router/WiFi. Ethernet Router but it has two working USB ports. The Wrap2E is obsolete and their is an Alex board wihich is similar (2x USB, 2xMiniPCI for WiFi, 2 x ethernet 1x CF for firmware) but also has IDE / PATA connector for HDD.

RedLedbetter · 13-08-2009 10:35am

That's good stuff lads, thanks.

Watty - ye, did some research on this particular model and looks like it's reluctant to accept OpenWRT customised (or rather WRT54G3G) firmware - see https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=20267. Good call though on OpenWRT, as still the only out if Linksys don't release new firmware...... but I'll have a tinker around with the firmware myself and see what gives.

Cheater - hoping you have some luck dude! Keep us posted.

cheater99 · 15-08-2009 9:45am

No luck in compiling the source before modifications. All the components of the firmware compile and then when it comes to JADE converting code to html for the web interface, every part throws errors and it fails to compile.

I have had luck on the older model (i have a regular wrt54g3g and a wrt54g3gv2-vf) and managed to get the pcmcia card working but i'm going to continue trying to get the newer model to work because i need it to work as well.
EDIT: Used the linksys addpattern tool and it claims to have added 932bytes to the trx. I thought the header was 30? Gonna try flash that.
EDIT2: Still doesn't flash. I've tried bcrm2.4 kamikaze and brcm47xx-2.6 kamikaze but no luck

EDIT3: Partial success, i've got the source code to compile and the router accepts it! Turned out that JADE was only compiling the usb help documentation on the web interface, so i stopped it doing that. Im going to work on getting an ssh client on there which i can then use to flash firmware directly (hopefully).

RedLedbetter · 28-08-2009 2:55pm

I hate to do it, but it looks like I might go for 3's 3G router, although I'm sure it's pretty basic.

I've been looking at alternatives to the WRT54G3GV2-VF, to use with 3's E180 USB dongle and the best that's out there is probably the DLink 451, but that device is 2 years old already and well router technology has come a long way in 2 years :-(

Netgear MBR624GU - looks a little basic
Netcomm N3G005W 3g - looks ok, but no real reviews and sourcing is tricky

Anyone any recommendations?

watty · 28-08-2009 4:20pm

The Dovado. Well supported.

New routers are not any different to the DIR45x, but it's not sold here. If it supports the E180 it's fine. It was fine when I tested it on O2 with E220 and Sierra PCMCIA 3G/HSDPA modems.

Netgear MBR series are also OK, if it supports the E180.

Three's own router is a traveller's toy.

The only change of significance in four years apart from USB modem support is 802.11n WiFi and Gigabit ethernet port routers. Both are pointless on 3G/HSPA

mukki · 01-09-2009 7:53am

these work great with vodafone, they are cheap too, will test with 02 when i get one

i set one up in about an hour, ( i finally figured thatyou need to run the cd on a pc connect to it to set up the 3g settings) will take minutes next time. owner is still loving youtube a week later

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002GNHOCQ/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

only 7 left.... i ordered 10 of them last night sorry

RedLedbetter · 01-09-2009 8:16am

Cheers lads.

Ye, I did a good bit of looking around at the weekend and came very close to purchasing the Edimax 3G-6200N, that you have listed below Mukki. I couldn't understand how it was so reasonably priced and wondered what the "nLite" was about, but eventually found out that it only support 150Mbps and not the full 300Mbps of a 802.11n bandwidth. I'm probably never going to be in a position to ever need 150Mbps, let alone 300Mbps, but we can always dream!!! I also wanted a device on the full N protocol to give me as good a range as possible.

I eventually opted for the Aztech HW550-3G, which came in about another £20 dearer, but was still pretty reasonable, especially for a Wireless N. Now I just have to wait and see what the craic is with setting it up for the 3 network - setup looks straightforward and at least I know it's E180 compatible this time!!!

Thanks for the help. Will post back when I receive it and have set it up

jimbuckleybarre · 17-09-2009 5:17pm

Red, where did you buy the Aztech HW550-3G router?

I went with nLite but am finding on Three that when the connections drops, the router attempts to dial out once, fails and then stops trying. I've been on to Edimax, very helpful but no solution. If I can get the Aztech over the weekend I will return the Edimax.

Thanks,
Jim

jimbuckleybarre · 29-09-2009 9:30am

Well first thank you to RedLedbetter for coming back with answers on the Aztech HW550-3G to me, much appreciated. One of the problems Red had with the Aztech is that it gets disconnected from the network and you have to press the CONNECT button on the router to get it to reconnect. Unfortunately for me that wouldn't be good as I need my router in the attic as I'm on the edge of the Three signal and when I have it in the attic I can get up speeds from 0.2 to 4.4. Considering I had dial up before this 0.2 is even good :-).

I tried the D100 from Three myself and found the router to be way below average in fact I would describe it as a piece of c$%p :mad:. I couldn't pick it up outside the room it was in never mind in the attic. I took it back to Three, told them this and they immediately refunded me without a single argument! Makes you wonder if they know this to be the case.

I also tried the Edimax 3G-6200n, good router but I found that it was dropping the connection and the router had to be remotely rebooted and it took a few minutes before you were back on line

. Painful but workable except if you are using the Xbox 360, Wii - no way to reboot from them so I returned that to Car Warehouse. I did speak with Edimax Support in the UK for a week and eventually they agreed that it was a bug in the firmware :eek: as the router only attempted to make one connection to the network after dropping the 3G and then would sit there for the rest of it's life until you rebooted it.

Eventually I went with the Dovado, it's been around for a while and it's about €30 more then the Edimax or D100 but well worth it. Shame I couldn't buy it in the shop but they had it delivered to me in two days. Some of the features I liked about this router was it's keep alive connection (http://3g-router.ie/2009/04/connection-tracker/), basically you can set it up to ping a number of IP addresses to fool the network in believing that the connection is active - this costs you less then 100MB a month, considering you have 15GB, it's nothing! Also it can detect if the connection is dropped, attempt to connect three times, then reboot if those attempts fails. So far we have only spotted two dropped connections and each time after only 10 to 15 seconds the connection was back up again. It was the best buy of the lot even if it was a bit more. It can be purchased on line from http://www.commsoft.ie/, also tons of info on it there but forums! So far I have two computers, Xbox 360, Wii and two PSP linked up with it. Also the router has some automation features to allow you to turn on and off stuff in the house (Wonder if it would work on the wife :rolleyes: ).

Jim

MojoRising · 19-10-2009 2:32pm

hi all really hope you can help me!!
have a sierra compass 888 and just got edimax 6500wg router,but just can get it to work!! on an imac,it picks up router and theres 1 blue light on modem when conected to router but doesnt seem to connect to internet! have external antena outside so not problem with signal,how do i go about this?any help truelly appreciated!
thanks in advance
Jon

jimbuckleybarre · 19-10-2009 2:40pm

Hi Jon,

I don't know much about mac's but first think is to log on to the router, it will tell you the IP address in the manual. If you can't log on to router, the issue is with your network settings. This site may help, http://lifehacker.com/162754/geek-to-live--set-up-a-home-wireless-network.

Also if you can't log on to router then you couldn't have set the APN so you need to go through the wizard to do that.

Another site I've found useful is http://www.protonic.com/clients.

Sorry I couldn't help more

Jim

madmoe · 07-11-2009 12:30am

Hi lads,
I have an O2 broadband modem that is connected to my laptop on which I have Internet access....all grand.

I have an iPhone and a Netbook I would like to use online as well. I have been trying to share the 02 broadband connection out but the iPhone and Netbook don't see anything or pick up any wireless network. Am I doing this correct? I am using Vista. Maybe this is not possible without a 3G router?

I thought I had done this once before using an XP laptop using the same O2 modem.

Cheers,
M

slowlydownwards · 07-11-2009 12:48am

http://connectify.me/ for win7 only

or else i wrote few lines earlier in this thread how to do this simply from linux ubuntu.

Sorry, i know you're running vista, so none of this is immediate help.

madmoe · 07-11-2009 4:35pm

Thanx mate. Me is actually using Windows 7 so downloading this now!

M

Edit: Downloaded it but it sits in the system tray saying its disabled? I am connected to Internet with my 02 modem but the app does not seem to see this connection in Internet drop down. Maybe I should reboot and try again?

Edit2: Rebooted and still no joy.

jimbuckleybarre · 09-11-2009 11:14am

Hi M,

I do believe that the main problem is that the O2 software doesn't allow the sharing of the 3G internet connection. You could look at getting a Proxy server software for your PC but then you would have to have your PC on to share it plus the cost of that software. I would suggest the 3G Router and as I have experience with a few of them including D100, Edimax etc I would go with the Dovado (http://www.commsoft.ie/shop/dovado.php). There is a simple wizard to do first, just read the quick start and you be fine. All you need to know is the APN from O2.

Now you could upgrade Vista to Windows 7 and use that other link but that's going to cost you around €119 plus you have to set it up, I don't know how technical you, and plus again the computer must be on.

I found the router the simplest solution. I have 2 x PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and two computers linked to it. Just remember that your devices must be Wifi enabled.

Jim

madmoe · 09-11-2009 11:19am

I found an article online where you can create and ad hoc network in Windows 7 and the enable ICS on this. I done this and was then able to share out the O2 connection. My iPhone did not see it though but the Netbook did.

Cheers,
M

AbbeyWebs · 12-11-2009 5:11pm

I bought the edimax router below last week to work with my three mobile broadband usb and so far no problems at all. Works perfect and I have my xbox, samsung jet and laptop all connected to it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edimax-3G-6200N-nLite-Broadband-Router/dp/B002GNHOCQ

Very easy setup too.

jimbuckleybarre · 12-11-2009 5:13pm

Glad to hear that but the router was a disaster for me probably because of coverage, it had major problems recovering from dopped connections plus I had it on 24/7.

Jim

AbbeyWebs · 12-11-2009 5:17pm

Hi Jim,

Only been using it a week now but no problems yet. Will report back if I start to have problems.

barro32 · 14-11-2009 4:25pm

I just moved into a fairly big, old house with thick walls and afraid wireless G wont cut the mustard.
So looking for a good N router with 3G compatibility.

It seems the Aztech HW550 is the best option but I can't find one for sale in Ireland.
Someone said they got one in this forum, from where??

According to previous posts and cnet, the Edimax 6200n is not great.

Are there any other good 3G Wireless N routers that I'm missing?
They're hard things to find!

Sponge Bob · 14-11-2009 4:33pm

'Big old house with thick walls' = 1 Cat 5 cable and a Wireless G AP ( on different channels) at each end of the house coz one simply will not cut it .

N would be worse if it runs at the higher frequency = less penetration

barro32 · 16-11-2009 2:24pm

I didn't know that about wireless N's penetration, thanks.

How come the Dovado is so expensive (€130) compared to the two I mentioned for about £50 on amazon.co.uk

Matt Bauer · 17-11-2009 11:21pm

barro32 wrote: »

I didn't know that about wireless N's penetration, thanks.

How come the Dovado is so expensive (€130) compared to the two I mentioned for about £50 on amazon.co.uk

The Dovado hardware is cheap. The reason it's more expensive is because you're paying for their support. Simply put, their firmware is the best, and supports the most modems. It's worth paying extra for good firmware and support.

This has nothing to do with N and everything to do with physics: 5 versus 2.4 gigahertz. In fact, N will give you significantly more coverage and longer range on both frequencies compared to previous wireless standards.

All N routers and equipment I have seen can run at 2.4 gigahertz as well. In fact, only the more expensive routers can also run at 5 gigahertz.

So what's the advantage of 5 gigahertz? Simple: congestion. This band is relatively free of congestion. There's also a lot more frequencies in this band available, so you can achieve higher speeds as well. It's especially useful if you're setting up a wireless network in a built up area where your neighbors have video senders and all kinds of equipment on 2.4 gigahertz.

westerneyes · 20-11-2009 3:25pm

Hello all and thanks for all the useful info so far. Alas even after implementing same I can't get 02 sierra 888 and the edimax 6200n to play together (after many fruitless hours).
The story so far is that I can get the sierra to work without a hitch on a pc and macbook pro. No dice on the edimax on quick start mode. The card fails to connect message appears after the 2-3 minute setup process. I upgraded to 2.12 firmware and then downgraded to 2.11 as per instructions from edimax uk support (the irish support no. they gave me didn't connect to any known phone line). Not being IT literate I'm not sure what approach to take to troubleshoot this, beyond taking advantage of carphonewarehouse 7 day return policy.
I have a feeling that I am overlooking something very simple. Any nudges in the right direction would be much appreciated

regards Pat

jimbuckleybarre · 20-11-2009 3:30pm

Hi Pat,

I had a similar problem with lite as well but in my case it wouldn't auto reconnect. I went with the Dovado from http://www.commsoft.ie/shop/, it does have your modem listed as a support modem, http://www.dovado.com/umrmodems.html.

It's €30 more but you wouldn't be wasting time with support trying to get it working.

Just my two cent.

Jim

westerneyes · 20-11-2009 4:25pm

jimbuckleybarre wrote: »

Hi Pat,

I had a similar problem with lite as well but in my case it wouldn't auto reconnect. I went with the Dovado from http://www.commsoft.ie/shop/, it does have your modem listed as a support modem, http://www.dovado.com/umrmodems.html.

It's €30 more but you wouldn't be wasting time with support trying to get it working.

Just my two cent.

Jim

Thanks Jim for the swift reply. definitely an option. Edimax does report that it supports the 888 tho' on their site so if any one can give me a simpletons step by step of the things I need to configure. A couple of things that scuppered me were 'turn radio off on exit' from direct connection caused the modem not to start initialising when attached to the router. Also disabling pin helped as well (I think but since I've gotten nowhere who knows!).

jimbuckleybarre · 20-11-2009 4:28pm

Are you sure the sim card is working? Why not try the modem directly connected to your PC?

Jim

westerneyes · 20-11-2009 5:04pm

Hi Jim, the modem works fine directly connected to all the computers in the house. Figured it would be best bang for buck to throw in a 3g router to have them all talkin (btw which they do, but not to the outside world, alas). I really do think it's some simple network configuration thingy that I am unaware of.

In hope Pat

jimbuckleybarre · 20-11-2009 5:08pm

Pat,

Ok so we know the sim card work, the modem and your computers can connect to the router. So the router can't connect to the outside world - have you set the APN in the router?

Jim

3G/HSPA Routers

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