This article advises on a solution in the case no internet is available at the site.
An internet connection can be created with the help of a cellular router that works with a cellular data connection. The next sections will discuss the advised modem and the minimum required cellular data plan to work with the 30MHz products.
What do you need to create an internet connection with a cellular router:
- 30MHz Gateway
- Cellular Router (to be purchased separately)
- Cellular data plan/SIM card (to be purchased separately)
Cellular router
A cellular router, commonly known as an LTE router, is a device that connects to the cellular network and converts the cellular internet to an internet connection over ethernet and/or wifi.
To connect to the cellular network most routers require a SIM card from the telecom provider.
Minimal router requirements
The 30MHz Gateway requires an internet connection over ethernet. Therefore, it is important that the Cellular router has at least one ethernet port (also known as LAN/WAN port or RJ45 port). The figure below shows how the 30MHz Gateway should be connected to a cellular router.
The following table shows all minimum requirements of the cellular router to work with the 30MHz Gateway:
| Specifications | Minimal requirements |
| Cellular data connection | 3G and above |
| Network type | Ethernet, LAN/WAN, RJ45 connection |
| Ethernet connection speed | 10MB or above |
| Wireless network/WiFi | Not requires |
Known working routers with 30MHz Gateway
Huawei B311 router
The advised router is the Huawei B311 Router which is widely available in most countries.
This router is found to be stable and meets all requirements. It is provided with an extra external antenna which can be used in remote areas to increase cellular data reception.
Data plan
To use a cellular internet connection you must have a subscription with a telecommunication provider. For most subscriptions, there is a maximum data limit per month. It is important that this cellular data amount is enough to process all data used by the 30MHz Gateway. The following sections will explain how to calculate the minimum required data plan. Further, an example use case is given on how to calculate the right data plan.
Please follow the instructions of your Cellular router and data plan provider on how to set up your internet connection and refer to their support for any internet connection problem.
Minimum required data plan
Depending on the number of devices connected to the 30MHz Gateway a different amount of data is used by the cellular router. In general, each device consumes around 400 MB per month, including the Gateway itself and Repeaters.
The following formula shows how to calculate the minimum required data plan:
Minimum data plan = number of devices x 400 MB/month
Important: this is the minimum data plan required to run your sensors network, it is not taking into account other devices(Personal Computer or phones) that are using the same internet connection.
Example use case
Let's assume the following setup:
- 1x 30MHz Gateway
- 1x 30MHz Repeater
- 4x Sensors
Using the formula in the previous section the minimum required data plan can be found. As discussed in the previous section each device consumes 400 MB. Therefore we need to know how many devices are in the network. In our example, the network consists of 6 devices in total. Note that we also include the Repeater and Gateway into the calculation. Filling this into the formula gives the following outcome:
Minimum data plan = number of devices x 400 MB/month = 6 x 400 MB/month = 2400 MB/month
This means we need to look for a data plan that has at least 2400 MB(2.4 GB) per month.
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