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This is the support site for Andrews & Arnold Ltd, a UK Internet provider. Information on these pages is generally for our customers but may be useful to others, enjoy!

Category:FireBrick USB Dongles: Difference between revisions

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<indicator name="FireBrick">[[File:Menu-FireBrick.svg|link=:Category:FireBrick|30px|Back up to the FireBrick Category]]</indicator>
 
[[File:2700-small.png|link=:Category:FireBrick]]
[[File:Zoom_Dongle_Small.png]]
 
To insert a SIM into a Huawei 3G dongle, for example, you will need to have a large-size SIM, so do not pop out a small-size SIM from its enclosing card. You remove a SIM-carrier tray from the dongle, fit the SIM into the tray and reinsert it into the dongle.
 
=3G/4G Fallback=
=== Configuration and testing ===
The 2700 and 2900 models have a USB port that can be used with a 3G or 4G dongle for connectivity and/or fallback. The FireBrick 2500 does not have a USB port. By using a 3G dongle with one or more FTTC/ADSL lines from AAISP you'll be able to fall back to using 3G in the case of the FTTC/ADSL going down - this includes routing of your public IPv4 blocks and IPv6 blocks (IPv6 via a tunnel). Note: 4G dongles may have a problem with routing public IPs to the FireBrick as they act as a NAT device. In these cases using a L2TP tunnel will enable the IPs to be routed.
 
When you plug a usb dongle into the Firebrick, to test if it is working you can use the CLI ‘<code>show dongle</code>’ command in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet Telnet] session. However, unfortunately this command fails to detect the dongle if <usb> and <dongle> elements have not been added to the XML configuration file. You can at first just add the following to the XML by using the web UI of the Firebrick, under Config >&nbsp;XML Edit:
 
<usb>
<dongle name="AA" />
</usb>
 
If you prefer not edit the XML, then you can make the change by using the web UI commands Config >&nbsp;Edit choose ‘Interface’ and then ‘USB and 3G/dongle settings’. Drill down until you see whole lot of options in a number of ‘3G/dongle config settings’ fields. Set the option fields appropriately, at a minimum fill in the ‘Name’ field, and then hit ‘Save’. This will add the <code><usb></code> and <code><dongle></code> elements for you in the XML configuration.
 
Following the application of either of these two alternative methods, the CLI ‘<code>show dongle</code>’ command will now work and will detect the presence of the dongle. You will need to fit an appropriate SIM into the dongle. The result will be something like the following:
 
With no SIM:
 
> show dongle
Attached USB devices
--------------------
Socket Vendor Product Name Functions
1 12d1 1003/1003 AA 3G(AT-ppp)
You do not have any 3G/ppp sessions
You do not have any 4G/eth sessions
 
And with a 3G SIM installed:
 
> show dongle
Attached USB devices
--------------------
Socket Vendor Product Name Functions
1 12d1 1003/1003 Dongle-AA Memory-stick 3G(AT-ppp)
3G/PPP Dongle Sessions
----------------------
Socket T Name MTU Status
1 0 Dongle-AA 1440 Up tcp-fix
You do not have any 4G/eth sessions
 
=3G Fallback=
The 2700 and 2900 models have a USB port that can be used with a 3G dongle for connectivity and/or fallback. The FireBrick 2500 does not have a USB port. By using a 3G dongle with one or more FTTC/ADSL lines from AAISP you'll be able to fall back to using 3G in the case of the FTTC/ADSL going down - this includes routing of your public IPv4 blocks and IPv6 blocks (IPv6 via a tunnel). Note: 4G dongles may have a problem with routing public IPs to the FireBrick as they act as a NAT device. In these cases using a L2TP tunnel will enable the IPs to be routed.
 
==Working 3G Dongles==
==Working 4G Dongles==
*[[FireBrick 2700 with 4G ZTE MF823|ZTE 823]] (O2 branding, or direct from Amazon etc work) — this dongle appears to work "out of the box" for failover, but needs [[FireBrick 2700 with 4G ZTE MF823|specific configuration]] if you want to route your IP blocks through it. The FireBrick will get an IP address via DHCP from the dongle, eg 192.168.8.100
*Huawei E3372 - cheaper than the ZTE MF823, available from Amazon and others. In ethernet mode (its default) it works with a factory FireBrick configuration once a USB Interface has been added. The FireBrick will get an IP address via DHCP from the dongle, eg 192.168.08.123100 - '''If using an A&A SIM, be sure to set the APN in the dongle, ie via http://192.168.8.1 - Settings - Profile Management - New Profile.''' (Re-tested November 2019)
 
==Unknown=Interface notfor yet4G workingDongles===
A 4G dongle will usually work as an ethernet device, and so the FireBrick will need an interface on the IUSB port, set as a DHCP client. If your config doesn't have an Interface already, then add one such as:
*Huawei E3272 LTE Surf-Stick (still testing)
 
*Huawei E3276S-920 (still testing)
<interface name="Dongle" port="USB" graph="Dongle">
*Alcatel One-touch L850 (still testing)
<subnet name="DHCP Client" nat="true" comment="Dongle"/>
</interface>
 
==Unknown or not yet working==
*Huawei E3272 LTE Surf-Stick (still testing)
*Huawei E3276S-920 (still testing)
*Alcatel One-touch L850 (still testing)
*Alcatel One-Touch 800 (Does not work, seems to only support RNDIS Interface which FireBrick does not support)
 
<route ip="::/0" gateway="81.187.81.6" comment="IPv6 default route using IPv4 tunnel"/>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
 
 
=== Configuration and testing ===
 
When you plug a usb dongle into the Firebrick, to test if it is working you can use the CLI ‘<code>show dongle</code>’ command in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet Telnet] session. However, unfortunately this command fails to detect the dongle if <usb> and <dongle> elements have not been added to the XML configuration file. You can at first just add the following to the XML by using the web UI of the Firebrick, under Config >&nbsp;XML Edit:
 
<usb>
<dongle name="AA" />
</usb>
 
If you prefer not edit the XML, then you can make the change by using the web UI commands Config >&nbsp;Edit choose ‘Interface’ and then ‘USB and 3G/dongle settings’. Drill down until you see whole lot of options in a number of ‘3G/dongle config settings’ fields. Set the option fields appropriately, at a minimum fill in the ‘Name’ field, and then hit ‘Save’. This will add the <code><usb></code> and <code><dongle></code> elements for you in the XML configuration.
 
Following the application of either of these two alternative methods, the CLI ‘<code>show dongle</code>’ command will now work and will detect the presence of the dongle. You will need to fit an appropriate SIM into the dongle. The result will be something like the following:
 
With no SIM:
 
> show dongle
Attached USB devices
--------------------
Socket Vendor Product Name Functions
1 12d1 1003/1003 AA 3G(AT-ppp)
You do not have any 3G/ppp sessions
You do not have any 4G/eth sessions
 
And with a 3G SIM installed:
 
> show dongle
Attached USB devices
--------------------
Socket Vendor Product Name Functions
1 12d1 1003/1003 Dongle-AA Memory-stick 3G(AT-ppp)
3G/PPP Dongle Sessions
----------------------
Socket T Name MTU Status
1 0 Dongle-AA 1440 Up tcp-fix
You do not have any 4G/eth sessions
 
 
=Turning the dongle off outside of office hours=
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