Internet failover using cell phone

[iostream212]

Hey guys,
Last week internet went out at work for 3 hours. That left our business pretty much dead in the water since our phones and faxes are all internet based. This got me thinking about a failover using my cell phone. I have unlimited data and a strong 4G signal. I am not looking to power the whole system, but at least to get some critical equipment functional during an outage. Has anyone done this and any suggestions? This is what I am thinking, unless there is some device that would make this easier to go from mobile network to hardwired network:
1.) Turn phone mobile hotspot on (I have a rooted S4)
2.) Use an Almond or the like to extend the hotspot, then use the router port to connect to the wired network. 
 

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Don't know if this is within your budget, but if an always on connection is critical, consider a Cradlepoint unit for failover.

 

[wkearney99]

I used my rooted Droid4 on my unlimited Verizon plan for just that purpose, for about a week.  Just enabled the hotspot and connected my devices through it wirelessly.  
 
If you need a wired connection you'd either have to use some sort of wired-to-wireless client and connect into a phone hotspot.  That or a router that supports using a plug-in celluar device (typically USB these days, but some used to be PCMCIA).  I've used those before and still have a Zyxel one that has a battery in it.  The trouble with some of the travel routers is they don't necessarily have a way to 'nail up' the connection.  The zyxel is notorious for dropping the connection when it 'thinks' the connection is idle.
 
The wire-to-wireless client I mentioned before, that could also be used to leech wifi off somewhere else within range.  Assuming you got their permission to do so, of course.
 
Whatever you use, make sure your wireless plan is ready for the volume.  Otherwise you could be in for a real billing nightmare.

 

[iostream212]

Great thoughts guys. I will give it a test run this week and see how it goes. That cradle point looks like exactly what i need. Hopefully the boss will authorize it!

 

[pete_c]

I have been playing with two devices here with my PFSense firewall and a means of failover or load balancing.  The two are 3G. 
 
In the older home I used both cable broadband and DSL as a backup to the cable.  Today in Florida I could utilize the FIOS as a primary and Comcast cable as a failover.
 
http://cocoontech.com/forums/blog/29/entry-415-from-anyone-using-pfsense-as-a-firewall/
 
1 - Nexus Hawk which has two 3G connections for failover for data. It also has a built in wireless AP.
 
http://www.nexusisr.com/
 
2 - Ericsson W25 - which is voice and data
 
http://www.fixedwirelessterminal.com/ericsson_w25/index.html
 
I did purchase the above two reburbished / used for less than $50.
 
Just noticed used Cradlepoint MBR25's on Ebay for some $79.  Might give one of these a try.
 
Still playing.  Here too using my unlimited AT&T mobile data plans to test.

 

[iostream212]

Great find on eBay pete_c. I can definitely do that. I don't have a mobile hot spot usb. Can I plug my phone into it with a USB cable?

 

[pete_c]

I don't have a mobile hot spot usb. Can I plug my phone into it with a USB cable?

 
Well on the ones I purchased made for this; so yes I can. 
 
They are sold as just 3G/4G mobile "do whats" with a USB port for transport via a USB tether or a USB 3G/4G device.
 
I do also do that with some el cheap combo wireless access points.  It works fine and the configuration is automatic via the usb cable.  As said above you can just make your phone a wireless hotspot or use a USB cable and tether you phone. 
 
If you want to not purchase anything; just plug in your phone to a laptop and the ethernet port to a router or make it a wireless hotspot or use the network port on it using whatever mobile phone/PDA drivers that are on the laptop using "share" internet connection options.
 
I purchased a few of the low cost APs to play with and still do use one of them sometimes:
 
I only really have played with the Sapido one. 
 
But still have the TP-Link and another one on the shelf somewhere never opened.  The newer 4G ones are tiny and cheap.
 
I am thinking that there are many more available these days.  Tiny things. 
 
http://www.asus.com/us/Networking/WL330N3G
 
Thinking one day last year used it as a hotspot for a small group of us having to be in one place/room for some 15 hours; PITA-boring stuff.
 
That said folks connected via the wire or wireless; netbooks and tablets all day with no issues.
 
Sapido
 
http://www.sapido.com.tw/EN/productrb1842o_35g.htm
 
Here is a 4g one at Amazon
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sapido-Wireless-N-Rechargeable-security-monitoring/dp/B00C9FAQSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392133631&sr=8-1&keywords=sapido+4g
 
Its a sort of manual effort for me if I do use it.  I just plug my phone USB cable to the device and tell my phone to share the internet connection (3/4G).  I am good to go then.  You can also just take a cable from the network port on this device and plug it into your router WAN port if you are doing this manually.
 
With the above mentioned first two devices you just plug in the SIM card into a slot on the device for a more static configuration.
 
I have sometime or another lost or almost lost a little bitty sim card as it has "flown" from my hands to somewhere in my home office.
 
Thinking some more about this I have also modded a box (mini AP with say 4 network ports on it) with DD-WRT such that you could play with the size of the pipe a bit....one computer can have up to say 10-20Mbs via one network port or wireless connection while the other ports/wireless connections can be configured for 256kbs.  I have done this before and it works fine.

 

[iostream212]

Thank you again Pete_C for sharing the wisdom and links. I got a clear direction on what to do and should be ordering the new parts soon. Can't wait to report back once completed!