The Mobile page is used for setting parameters related to the mobile data connection. This chapter is an overview of BEAM iSERIES routers' Mobile section.
The General section is used to configure the SIM card parameters that define how the router establishes a cellular connection.
The Mobile Configuration section is used to configure main SIM
card parameters. Refer to the figure and table below for information on
the fields contained in that section.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Connection type |
QMI | NCM | NDIS | PPP; Default: QMI |
How the router's modem will establish a connection to the carrier.
- PPP - uses a dialling number to establish a data connection.
- QMI - does not use a dialling number to connect and is usually faster than PPP.
|
| Mode |
NAT | Passthrough*| Bridge **; default: NAT |
Mobile connection operating mode.
- NAT - the mobile connection uses NAT (network address translation).
- Bridge - bridges the LTE data connection with
LAN. In this mode the router relay the IP address received from the ISP
to another LAN device (e.g., computer). Using Bridge mode will disable
most of the router’s capabilities and you will only be able to access
your router's WebUI with a static IP configuration.
- Passthrough - works in a similar fashion to
Bridge mode, except in Passthrough mode the router will have an Internet
connection and be reachable from LAN, because the router's DHCP Server
is not disabled.
|
| APN |
string; default: none |
An Access Point Name (APN) is a gateway between a GSM, GPRS, 3G or 4G
mobile network and another computer network. Depending on the contract,
some operators may require you to use an APN just to complete the
registration on a network. In other cases, APN is used to get special
parameters from the operator (e.g., a public IP address) depending on the contract.
An APN Network Identifier cannot start with any of the following strings:
it cannot end in:
and it cannot contain the asterisk symbol (*). |
| Auto |
yes | no; default: yes |
Select APN automatically |
| PIN number |
string; default: none |
A 4-digit long numeric password used to authenticate the modem to the SIM card. |
| Dialing number |
string; default: none |
A dial code used to establish a mobile PPP connection. |
| MTU |
integer [0..1500]; default: 1500 |
Sets the maximum transmission unit (MTU) size. It is the largest size of
a protocol data unit (PDU) that can be transmitted in a single network
layer transaction. |
| Authentication method |
CHAP | PAP | None; default: None |
Authentication method that your GSM carrier uses to authenticate new
connections on its network. If you select PAP or CHAP, you will also be
required to enter a username and password. |
| Service mode |
2G only | 3G only | 4G (LTE) only | 2G + 3G | 2G + 4G | 3G + 4G | Automatic; default: Automatic |
Your service mode preference. If your local mobile network supports 2G,
3G and 4G (LTE), you can specify to which type of network you wish to
connect to. For example, if you choose 2G only, the router will connect
to a 2G network, so long as it is available, otherwise it will connect
to a network that provides better connectivity. If you select Automatic,
then the router will connect to the network that provides the best
connectivity. |
| Deny data roaming |
yes | no; Default: no |
When enabled, this option prevents the device from establishing a mobile
data connection while not in your home network (roaming conditions). |
| Use IPv4 only |
yes | no; default: yes |
When enabled, this makes the device only use IPv4 settings for the mobile connection. |
The mobile data on demand function keeps the mobile data connection on
only when it is in use. When the router detects that there is no
traffic, it shuts down the mobile data connection and turns it back on
only when there is a "Demand" (a user trying to reach a website, for
example). Refer to the figure and table below for more information.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Enable |
yes | no; Default: no |
Turns mobile data on demand on or off
Important: this function is only available with PPP Connection type. |
| No data timeout (sec) |
integer [10..3600]; default: 10 |
Mobile data connection will be terminated if no data is transferred during the timeout period specified in this field. |
The network frequency bands section provides the possibility
to manually choose which frequency band the router's module should use
for the cellular connection.
Simply select Manual connection method and check the bands
that you want the module to use. If all bands are unchecked, the band
that provides the best connectivity will be used.
Force LTE network
The Force LTE network function makes the router forcefully
connect to an LTE network at a specified period of time. Refer to the
figure and table below for more information.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Enable |
yes | no; Default: no |
Turns force LTE network on or off. |
| Reregister |
yes | no; default: no |
When enabled the modem will attempt to reregister to the carrier before trying to connect to an LTE network. |
| Timeout (sec) |
integer [180..3600]; default: 300 |
Time in seconds between forced connection attempts. |
Passthrough mode
In Passthrough mode the router assigns its mobile WAN IP address to another device. It is similar to Bridge
mode, except in Passthrough mode other devices can still connect to the
router and get LAN IP addresses and both other clients and the router
retain Internet access, while Bridge mode also disables the router's
DHCP Server.
To begin configuring Passthrough mode, make sure that WAN failover is turned off and mobile is set as main WAN in the Network → WAN page. Then in the Network → Mobile page select Mode: Passthrough in the mobile configuration section. You will then see additional configuration fields appear at the bottom of the section.
Important: using Passthrough mode will disable most of the router’s other capabilities.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| DHCP mode |
Static | Dynamic | No DHCP; default: Static |
Specifies DHCP mode used with Passthrough.
- Static - manually binds the WAN IP address to
the device with the specified MAC address. This device will get an IP
address from your GSM operator. Other devices that are connected to the
router will get IP addresses from the router’s DHCP server, but they
will not have internet access.
- Dynamic - the GSM operator will connect to
the router first and give out an IP address to one of your connected
devices. The device will be selected at random. Therefore, you should
usually use Dynamic mode when you have only one device (e.g., computer)
connected to the router. When using Passthrough in Dynamic mode, the
router‘s LAN DHCP server will be disabled, but it will enabled again
automatically when you switch to a different mode.
- No DHCP - IP address, subnet mask, default
gateway and DNS information from the GSM operator will have to be
entered on your computer manually. When using Passthrough in No DHCP
mode, the router‘s LAN DHCP server will be disabled, but it will become
enabled automatically when you switch to a different mode.
|
| MAC address |
mac; default: none |
MAC address of a LAN device (e.g., computer). |
| Lease time |
integer; default: 12 |
A DHCP lease will expire after the amount of time specified in this
field and the device that was using the lease will have to request a new
one. However, if the device stays connected, its lease will be renewed
after half of the specified amount of time passes (e.g., if lease time
is 12 hours, then every 6 hours the device will ask the DHCP server to
renew its lease).
The minimum amount of time that can be specified is 2 minutes. |
Bridge mode
In Bridge mode the router assigns its WAN IP address to another device. It is used instead of Network Address Translation
(NAT) in order to make the router "transparent" in the communication process. The main difference between Passthrough and Bridge is that in Passthrough, the router's DHCP Server still works and the regular LAN interface is still up, allowing clients to connect to the router's local network as usual, while Bridge mode disables all of these features and simply gives the a single specified device its WAN IP address. Since Bridge uses less of the router's features, it is a bit faster than Passthrough.
To begin configuring Bridge mode, make sure that WAN failover is turned off and mobile is set as main WAN in the Network → WAN page. Then in the Network → Mobile page select Mode: Bridge in the mobile configuration section. You will then see an additional configuration field for entering a MAC address appear Mode field.
Important: using Bridge mode will disable most of the router’s other capabilities.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Bind to MAC |
mac; default: none |
Specifies the MAC address of the device that will work with the router
in Bridge mode, i.e., the device whose MAC is specified in this field
will be assigned the router's Mobile WAN IP address. |
If you have configured Bridge mode and can no longer reach your router,
you'll need to set up a Static IP address on your PC in order to do so.
Network Operators
The Network Operators tab provides you with the possibility to
scan for and manually manage mobile network opertors to which the
router's SIM card can connect to. Operator selection is only available
for the primary SIM card. In order to specify an operator for the other
SIM card it must first be selected as the primary SIM in the SIM Management section.
Scan For Network Operators
Scan For Network Operators is a function that initiates a scan
for mobile network operators available in your area. To initiate a scan,
press the 'Scan for operators' button. After you do, you will be
prompted with a pop-up asking if you wish to proceed. This is because
while the scan is in progress you will lose your data connection for
approximately 2 minutes.
After the scan is complete you will be presented with a list of
operators available in your area. The list provides such information as
operator's name, code and network access type. You can also choose to
which operator you would like to connect provided that the operator's
status is not Forbidden.
Below the list you can select how to the router should connect to network operators:
The 'Reconnect interval' box specifies how often the device will
attempt to reconnect to a network operator, while the 'Connection mode'
specifies the logic of how the router will connect operators:
- Auto - the router automatically connects to the network operator that provides the best connectivity.
- Manual - prompts you to enter an operator's code*.
The router will then only attempt to connect to the operator whose code
was specified (even if previous attempts have been unsuccessful).
- Manual-Auto - prompts you to enter an operator's code* but if the router can't complete the connection, it will automatically connect to the next available operator.
* Most network
operators' codes can be found online or you can initiate a scan for
operators - if the operator you're looking for can be reached from your
current area, the list of available network operators will contain the
desired operator's code.
Operators List
The Operators List section is used for creating a blacklist or whitelist for undesired or desired operators.
Settings
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Enable |
yes | no; default: no |
Turns operator list on or off. |
| Mode |
Blacklist | Whitelist; default: Whitelist |
Defines how operators will be filtered.
- Blacklist - operators contained in the
blacklist are considered forbidden and your router will not attempt to
connect to them even if they are available.
- Whitelist - operators contained in the
whitelist will be the only operators that the router will be trying to
connect to. Other operators that are not in the whitelist will be
considered forbidden.
|
Operators List
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Name |
string; default: none |
Operator's name. Used only for easier management purposes and not in the actual filtering process. |
Operator Code
|
integer; default: none |
Operator's code used to identify a network operator. You can find network operator codes online.
|
Important: be mindful when using the Operators List function as
it very easy to block yourself from the right operators and lose your
data connection.
Mobile Data Limit
The Mobile Data Limit page provides you with the possibility to
set data usage limits for your SIM cards and data usage warnings via SMS
message in order to protect yourself from unwanted data charges. Data Connection Limit ConfigurationThe Data Connection Limit Configuration section is used to
configure custom mobile data limits for your SIM card. When the mobile
data limit set for the SIM card is reached, the router will no longer
use the mobile connection to establish a data connection until the limit
period is over or the limit is reset by the user.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Enable data connection limit |
yes | no; Default: no |
Turns mobile data limitations on or off. |
| Data limit* (MB) |
integer; default: none |
The amount of data that is allowed to be downloaded over the specified
period of time. When the limit is reached, the router will no longer be
able to establish a data connection until the period is over or the data
limit is reset. |
| Period |
Month | Week | Day; Default: Month |
Data limit period after which the data counter is reset on the specified Start day. |
| Start day | Start hour |
day [1..31] | day [Monday..Sunday] | hour [1..24]; Default: day 1 |
Specifies when the period of counting data usage should begin. After the
period is over, the limit is reset and the count begins over again. |
*Your carrier's data usage accounting may differ. Mobile Onboard is not liable should any accounting discrepancies occur.
SMS Warning Configuration
The SMS Warning Configuration section provides you with the
possibility to configure a rule that sends you an SMS message after the
router's SIM card uses a specified amount of mobile data.
Field Name
|
Value |
Description |
| Enable SMS warning |
yes | no; Default: no |
Toggles SMS warning On or OFF |
| Data limit* (MB) |
integer; default: none |
The received data limit before sending an SMS warning. After reaching
using the the amount of data specified in this field, the router will
send an SMS warning message to the specified phone number. |
| Period |
Month | Week | Day; Default: Month |
Period to which the data limit applies to. |
| Start day | Start hour |
day of the month [1..31] | day of the week [Monday..Sunday] | hour of the day [1..24]; default: 1 |
Specifies when the period of counting data usage should begin. After the
period is over, the limit is reset and the count begins over again. |
| Phone number | phone number; default: none | Recipient's phone numbers |
The Clear Data Limit section contains only one button - 'Clear
data limit'. When clicked, the button resets the data limit counter for
the related SIM card. Thus, the count is started over again regardless
of the specified period.
Important: remember that the 'Clear data limit' button doesn't
clear the actual data usage statistics for the SIM card, only the data
counters as calculated by the router.
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