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3 Mobile USB... Keep Alive?

  • 23-06-2010 08:04PM
    #1
    TskTsk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 229 ✭✭


    My folks are in an area that has no broadband service, so they've signed up for a 3 Mobile USB dongle. Whenever they are away from home, they want to be able to connect back to a PC at home to operate some lights, check cameras, etc.

    Is there an easy way to keep the connection 'up' with these USB modems? I've been looking at Connection Keeper, but does anyone know of a more graceful solution? I haven't had a chance to play around with it myself.

    TIA.


Comments

  • #2
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    Even if your connection isn't idle, 3G connections will often freeze or drop anyway. I don't believe there is any reliable method of keeping connected. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's impossible. There are many reasons for your connection dropping, and I don't think the user has any control over most.

    Sometimes when my connection drops I need to unplug the modem to get it to reconnect. Exiting the application and starting it again doesn't even work. A keep alive program would be useless in such a case.


  • #3
    TskTsk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 229 ✭✭TskTsk


    jor el wrote: »
    I don't believe there is any reliable method of keeping connected. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's impossible.

    Sometimes when my connection drops I need to unplug the modem to get it to reconnect.

    Christ, that's woeful. Are you using 3's service? Which OS?

    So it might be better to assume that the connection is dead most of the time, then try to come up with some way to simulate removing/replacing the modem?

    Do you have to use the 3 utility to connect, or can you interface directly using Windows DUN or something? It's been ages since I last looked at this sort of thing.


  • #4
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    Currently using Vodafone, but same with O2. You have no control over your connection, so a keep alive is not going to work.

    3G is a dial-up connection, so you should look for an auto-dialler. It may or may not work though. 3G is simply not reliable enough to do what you want.


  • #5
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,461 ✭✭✭✭watty


    You can't use 3G to host remote control, least of all 3's..

    The ONLY way it can work is if the home 3G system has a remote site to poll for instructions.

    There is a longer explination, and a method to get round it involving having a password protected hosted web site.


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