Update in post #28...Use mifi jetpack to replace home internet?

[solleyman]

Folks -

I just got a Verizon jetpack (model: MiFi 6620L) with unlimited data. I would like to kick the cable company to the curb and use this device to provide internet connectivity at home.

The device allows up to 15 devices to connect via WiFi at once, which is enough for our house.

But, rather than go touch all of the various devices (laptops, tablets, phones, tivos, ip remotes, dvd players, rokus, chormecasts...gosh, we are more connected than I thought...), I'd like to be able to just point my router (TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750) to the jetpack wifi as the internet source, rather than the cable company internet from the modem, and basically leave the remainder of the home network untouched.

Is this possible?

Thanks for your thoughts.

- Solleyman

 

[TuSpockShakur]

I don't know if you can do this with stock firmware.

DD-WRT should allow you to do this using Repeater mode. The lastest builds can be found here.

I have not personally done this as it does not apply in my situation.

 

[JackMDS]

First check what "Unlimited" means.

In many cases it has a limit "Number", or a Number that when past the connection is throttled down to a Crawl.

 

[solleyman]

First check what Unlimited means.

In many cases it has a limit "Number", or a Number that when past the connection is throttled down to a Crawl.

The Ts and Cs say the provider can throttle during peak times, but no throttling based off of user d/l number. I read them cover to cover, twice. Thus far (a few days), no evidence of throttling...I've been religiously running speed check; in the 20s for both up and down.

That said, I'm skeptical, so I'm planning to keep the cable as a backup for two months until I'm more confident.

 

[mxnerd]

Unlimited always mean your speed will be throttled if you past the number for any ISP.

If you are not throttled, that only means you are lucky, but this kind of luck usually doesn't last long.

 

[solleyman]

Unlimited always mean your speed will be throttled if you past the number for any ISP.

If you are not throttled, that only means you are lucky, but this kind of luck usually doesn't last long.

I would agree, for commercial contracts.

 

[solleyman]

I don't know if you can do this with stock firmware.

DD-WRT should allow you to do this using Repeater mode. The lastest builds can be found here.

I have not personally done this as it does not apply in my situation.

Thanks for the feedback. This sounds like a bit of a stretch to my technical skills, but hey, I'll give it a shot after I read a bunch more on what NOT to do when flashing a router.

That said, is there another device, besides a router, that might work out of the box for this function?

I'm going to have to either flash the router or get other device, as the coverage from the MiFi is not sufficient for the whole house.

 

[Mushkins]

Also keep in mind that this is almost certainly against the terms and conditions of your contract. There are devices designed specifically to use cell networks as a primary (or backup) internet connection configured in the way that you want, and they cost a whole lot more than a mobile hotspot.

Will they find out? Maybe not depending on your usage, but this device genuinely isn't designed to function the way you want to use it so YMMV.

 

[Ichinisan]

"Repeater mode" is not what you want. A WDS repeater cuts bandwidth in half.

If there's no way to get a wired connection from the "jetpack" device, you could get a WiFi Ethernet bridge. Unlike a WDS repeater, the bridge associates with a wireless network as a client and has a wired Ethernet connection, which you can then feed into a high-end wireless router for better coverage throughout your home.

To get the bridge associated with the jetpack, ...

• use a computer with a wired connection to log-in to the bridge device with a web browser, then pick the network to associate with and enter the password
• use WPS pairing (assuming your jetpack supports WPS push-button pairing and the feature is enabled).

I prefer the manual method with the web browser because I can choose which source network the bridge uses when both 2.4GHz and 5GHz are available. I also disable WPS because the WPS PIN was found to have vulnerabilities that firmware updates cannot resolve (and that's why some routers ship with WPS disabled).

I don't know if the jetpack has dual-band 2.4GHz + 5GHz. If it does, it's probably best to use the 5GHz band from the jetpack to the bridge.

[jetpack] <----> [WiFi to Ethernet bridge] <----> [(WAN) high-end wireless router (LAN)] <----> [everything else]

If the jetpack supports 5GHz, see if you can completely disable the 2.4GHz network from that device. There are really only 3 usable channels in the 2.4GHz band (1, 6, 11) and they're probably all occupied by various neighbors. Anything you can do to reduce interference / congestion on that band will help...especially for those client devices that can only see / use a 2.4GHz network.

 

[CZroe]

Also keep in mind that this is almost certainly against the terms and conditions of your contract. There are devices designed specifically to use cell networks as a primary (or backup) internet connection configured in the way that you want, and they cost a whole lot more than a mobile hotspot.

Will they find out? Maybe not depending on your usage, but this device genuinely isn't designed to function the way you want to use it so YMMV.

Wrong. He's not trying to circumvent their limit on simultaneously connected devices. He said 15 was enough.

Using a MiFi for it's intended purpose (sharing Internet access with your household Internet devices) is not against the terms and conditions. It's not the same thing as tethering a phone. In many markets MiFis are sold specifically as household Internet service. All he is doing is using his own router instead exactly like I would do with a cable or DSL modem that has a built-in wireless router. Because it doesn't have a network port, he needs a bridge to accomplish this. Any PC connected to it wirelessly could be that bridge, but a dedicated device (router with bridge mode or purpose-made bridge device) would obviously be preferable.

OP:
If you have an always-on PC, just bridge your wireless adapter to a wired card. You can either run a cable from the PC to the WAN port of your router, which would exclude the PC from the local network, or run it to a normal port on the router and turn off the router's DHCP (MiFi will provide DHCP for all devices).

 

[JackMDS]

Just to augment a little the Knowledge.

A Regular Extender/Repeater have only one transmitter thus it has to Flipflop between Receive the source and then Transmit with the same Transmitter further.

As a Result the bandwidth is cut into half past the Repeating.

It is a little more expensive, slightly cumbersome but very simple to avoid this issue.

One can get a Wireless Router with capable firmware to be configured as a Wireless Client Bridge.

Example - http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

Then, feed the out put of the Bridge via short cable to a second Wireless Router and you get a Two Transmitter Repeater that does not cut the Bandwidth.

That said, I tried few times to get from few Wireless Carriers in writing a statement that Unlimited BandWidth means really unlimited (200GB a month, or may be even more).

I was "Smiled" out from all the Wireless stores in a matter of few minutes given the feeling that I should Psychiatric care. --.

 

[TuSpockShakur]

The router has 2 radios, 2.4 and 5 Ghz as does the MIFI. You could use the 5 Gz radio to communicate exclusively from the router to the Verizon MIFI and use the routers 2.4 Ghz radio for your local network without halving anything and without using a 2nd router. The halving deal would not effect the 20 Mb mobile broadband speed, but the theoretical maximum of that device for instance a 100 Mb wireless LAN speed would drop to 50 Mb, still well above your 20 Mb mobile broadband speed.

 

[CZroe]

The router has 2 radios, 2.4 and 5 Ghz as does the MIFI. You could use the 5 Gz radio to communicate exclusively from the router to the Verizon MIFI and use the routers 2.4 Ghz radio for your local network without halving anything and without using a 2nd router. The halving deal would not effect the 20 Mb mobile broadband speed, but the theoretical maximum of that device for instance a 100 Mb wireless LAN speed would drop to 50 Mb, still well above your 20 Mb mobile broadband speed.

We can't assume that he isn't using his network for anything other than sharing Internet access. Losing HALF the bandwidth for file transfers is pretty significant. A repeater is simply not the way to go. Good luck getting a dual-band router to connect to a MiFi over wireless and bridging it without custom firmware. A wireless bridge is the best way to go. If there is already an always-on PC, that's the second-best way to go.

 

[JackMDS]

The router has 2 radios, 2.4 and 5 Ghz

Nah, to work well it needs two 2.GHz, and two 5GHz.

 

[kevnich2]

I certainly hope you're not planning to be one of those people who get their "unlimited" and immediately try to download everything you can off the 'net...just because you "can". As much as unlimited should be unlimited, when it involves a shared medium that cellular connectivity has, the heavy abusers make everyone suffer.

For regular, normal internet use, I think it's fine to have no restrictions but I've also known several people who used in excess of 500gb-3tb each month just to prove a point and then wondered why people got angry with them. My definition of regular internet use would be around 50-250gb of usage each month, depending on number of devices in the house.

 

[Ichinisan]

[nm]

 

[Ichinisan]

Just to augment a little the Knowledge.

A Regular Extender/Repeater have only one transmitter thus it has to Flipflop between Receive the source and then Transmit with the same Transmitter further.

As a Result the bandwidth is cut into half past the Repeating.

It is a little more expensive, slightly cumbersome but very simple to avoid this issue.

One can get a Wireless Router with capable firmware to be configured as a Wireless Client Bridge.

Example - http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

Then, feed the out put of the Bridge via short cable to a second Wireless Router and you get a Two Transmitter Repeater that does not cut the Bandwidth.

That said, I tried few times to get from few Wireless Carriers in writing a statement that Unlimited BandWidth means really unlimited (200GB a month, or may be even more).

I was "Smiled" out from all the Wireless stores in a matter of few minutes given the feeling that I should Psychiatric care. --.

Using a CFW router as a bridge sounds like a waste of a good router.

Netgear PR2000-100NAS Trek N300 Travel Router, Range Extender, Ethernet Bridge, Access Point 4 IN 1 (Newegg)

A TiVo Wireless N adapter (AN0100) is a bridge that supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

 

[azazel1024]

"Repeater mode" is not what you want. A WDS repeater cuts bandwidth in half.

If there's no way to get a wired connection from the "jetpack" device, you could get a WiFi Ethernet bridge. Unlike a WDS repeater, the bridge associates with a wireless network as a client and has a wired Ethernet connection, which you can then feed into a high-end wireless router for better coverage throughout your home.

To get the bridge associated with the jetpack, ...

• use a computer with a wired connection to log-in to the bridge device with a web browser, then pick the network to associate with and enter the password
• use WPS pairing (assuming your jetpack supports WPS push-button pairing and the feature is enabled).

I prefer the manual method with the web browser because I can choose which source network the bridge uses when both 2.4GHz and 5GHz are available. I also disable WPS because the WPS PIN was found to have vulnerabilities that firmware updates cannot resolve (and that's why some routers ship with WPS disabled).

I don't know if the jetpack has dual-band 2.4GHz + 5GHz. If it does, it's probably best to use the 5GHz band from the jetpack to the bridge.

[jetpack] <----> [WiFi to Ethernet bridge] <----> [(WAN) high-end wireless router (LAN)] <----> [everything else]

If the jetpack supports 5GHz, see if you can completely disable the 2.4GHz network from that device. There are really only 3 usable channels in the 2.4GHz band (1, 6, 11) and they're probably all occupied by various neighbors. Anything you can do to reduce interference / congestion on that band will help...especially for those client devices that can only see / use a 2.4GHz network.

Except that if he is only getting numbers in the 20Mbps range, wifi bandwidth cut in half through WDS bridging is still more than enough to fully saturate his WAN connection.

The way you are suggesting to connect to the jetpack is likely to still cut bandwidth, unless you are using different channels. 20Mbps or so of WAN is not a particularly high performance connection, so it probably doesn't matter how he is connecting to the jetpack.

 

[Ichinisan]

Except that if he is only getting numbers in the 20Mbps range, wifi bandwidth cut in half through WDS bridging is still more than enough to fully saturate his WAN connection.

What about transfers between devices on the LAN? Do we know how he uses his LAN? A lot of people these days are streaming AirPlay / Plex / etc.

The way you are suggesting to connect to the jetpack is likely to still cut bandwidth, unless you are using different channels.

"Different channel?" Different band. Using 5GHz link between the Jetpack and the bridge makes sure it's not using one of those 3 usable 2.4GHz channels; which is important because some LAN devices will be 2.4GHz-only. Because the 5GHz spectrum is much less congested, his high-end router should still be able to use 5GHz to everything else within his home and there really shouldn't be a problem.

20Mbps or so of WAN is not a particularly high performance connection, so it probably doesn't matter how he is connecting to the jetpack.

I considered that he might use the home LAN for more than just Internet.

 

[azazel1024]

What about transfers between devices on the LAN? Do we know how he uses his LAN? A lot of people these days are streaming AirPlay / Plex / etc.


"Different channel?" Different band. Using 5GHz link between the Jetpack and the bridge makes sure it's not using one of those 3 usable 2.4GHz channels; which is important because some LAN devices will be 2.4GHz-only. Because the 5GHz spectrum is much less congested, his high-end router should still be able to use 5GHz to everything else within his home and there really shouldn't be a problem.


I considered that he might use the home LAN for more than just Internet.

Transfers on his internal network wouldn't have the hop penalty as they would not be going through the jetpack, they'd only be going through the AP/router in WDS bridging mode. No 50% throughput impact.

You can setup WDS bridging on one band and then simply provide an SSID on the other band that you connect wireless devices to.

So simply doing WDS bridging would work just fine without any real issues.

 

[Mushkins]

Wrong. He's not trying to circumvent their limit on simultaneously connected devices. He said 15 was enough.

Using a MiFi for it's intended purpose (sharing Internet access with your household Internet devices) is not against the terms and conditions. It's not the same thing as tethering a phone. In many markets MiFis are sold specifically as household Internet service. All he is doing is using his own router instead exactly like I would do with a cable or DSL modem that has a built-in wireless router. Because it doesn't have a network port, he needs a bridge to accomplish this. Any PC connected to it wirelessly could be that bridge, but a dedicated device (router with bridge mode or purpose-made bridge device) would obviously be preferable.

OP:
If you have an always-on PC, just bridge your wireless adapter to a wired card. You can either run a cable from the PC to the WAN port of your router, which would exclude the PC from the local network, or run it to a normal port on the router and turn off the router's DHCP (MiFi will provide DHCP for all devices).

And in many markets they're not marketed as alternatives to a dedicated home internet connection. Even not going over the 15 connection limit, using it to 100% replace your home ISP is very frequently against the terms of service of the device, not because it can't do it but because they want to upsell their higher end devices and services. The OP should read his contract to make sure he's not in violation by using it as such.

 

[azazel1024]

And in many markets they're not marketed as alternatives to a dedicated home internet connection. Even not going over the 15 connection limit, using it to 100% replace your home ISP is very frequently against the terms of service of the device, not because it can't do it but because they want to upsell their higher end devices and services. The OP should read his contract to make sure he's not in violation by using it as such.

Exactly.

A lot of cell operators also sell fixed cellular service (which is never unlimited from what I have seen). So why they'd allow truly unlimited would be a good question.

 

[Ichinisan]

Transfers on his internal network wouldn't have the hop penalty as they would not be going through the jetpack, they'd only be going through the AP/router in WDS bridging mode. No 50% throughput impact.

Not sure what you mean. If it's using WDS 2.4GHz, the entire 2.4GHz network will have 50% throughput. If it's using WDS with 5GHz, the entire 5GHz network would have 50% throughput. Let's say a client on the WDS network is transferring something to a wired client anywhere else on the home network. The client would experience 50% of the rate it would get without WDS. Every bit of traffic through 1 WDS link gets repeated to the others, regardless of the destination. At least, that's the way I understand it.

You can setup WDS bridging on one band and then simply provide an SSID on the other band that you connect wireless devices to.

So simply doing WDS bridging would work just fine without any real issues.

I don't know if you can tell a device to use WDS on only one band and not both. The devices I've used simply have a MAC table and don't say which band it applies to.

 

[Ichinisan]

Exactly.

A lot of cell operators also sell fixed cellular service (which is never unlimited from what I have seen). So why they'd allow truly unlimited would be a good question.

Looking at the top 3 featured questions on the product page, it seems Verizon doesn't care if you use this for home Internet service:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/jetpack-mifi-6620l/

 

[CZroe]

And in many markets they're not marketed as alternatives to a dedicated home internet connection. Even not going over the 15 connection limit, using it to 100% replace your home ISP is very frequently against the terms of service of the device, not because it can't do it but because they want to upsell their higher end devices and services. The OP should read his contract to make sure he's not in violation by using it as such.

They are marketed as Internet access for your devices, including home computers and game consoles. Period. The only thing even close to what you are suggesting was an unlimited service that was offered long ago exclusively for iDevices and the limitation was built into the device. This is not to say anything of the throttling limits and "unlimited isn't truly unlimited" aspect. Home use is PERFECTLY, 100%, OK. 15 devices is 15 devices. If some of those 15 devices do not have wireless and require a wireless bridge, so what?

The objection was silly.