Hi!
I have some questions about this unit, as I'd like to use it in an unconventional way (I think).
This router, in fact, would manage a secondary connection in the office I work in.
I would like to change the actual router with this one. The router is then connected to a switch, the switch (obviously) manages the cables for the pcs attached to lan and to some servers.
So... my aim is to set the connection to "mobile" when the main DSL connection is down (yes, we experience some downtimes). Questions are:
- is it possible to deactivate the LTE connection and let the router act as a normal, "dumb", router when I don't need LTE connection?
- how can I switch from one kind of connection to the other? Is there a physical switch to deactivate/activate the sim card or do I have to login into the administration panel?
These are the simple questions... sorry for my rough English and greetings from Italy!
Hi hypfra - welcome to the forum!
It sounds to me like you want a device (a router) that is able to switch between two different internet services, for example DSL (fixed-line) and LTE (wireless). You want to do this either manually (with a switch) or perhaps automatically, such as designating one service as primary (DSL?) and having the connection "fail over" to the other service (LTE?) when the primary service fails. Correct ?
To be honest, I don't think the B593 can do what you want, because it does not have a separate WAN port.
To explain : The "switch" part of the B593 moves local LAN traffic between the four LAN ports, while the "router"part of the B593 routes traffic between any of those LAN ports and the LTE WAN, when that traffic needs to go "off-LAN". In effect, the B593's WAN port is "buried inside" the B593. The only WAN that the B593 can route traffic to, is the one provided by the LTE connection. If the LTE part of the B593 is turned off (which is possible, yes) then the B593 can only act as a switch for LAN traffic. It can't act as router any more, because it has nowhere else to route to !
To do what you want to do (or at least, what I think you want to do), there are a few options:
1) You could get the type of ADSL modem router that has provision to connect a 3G or 4G wireless device as a backup device. Most often these ADSL routers come with a USB slot that can take a wireless modem, usually 3G, but 4G models are becoming more common now. You can designate one connection (let's say DSL) as the primary connection, and have the router "switch over"to the wireless connection when the primary one fails. Have a look at the
Netgear DGN2200M as an example.
2) You could get the type of DSL router that - in addition to the port that connects to the DSL (phone) line - has a second RJ-45 ethernet WAN port. This allows you to connect a backup device (for instance, a 3G or 4G modem, or another DSL modem) to the secondary WAN port, and have the router automatically "fail over"from the primary DSL connection to the secondary WAN port.
3) You could get a device called a "dual-WAN router" that has a multi-port switch (usually at least 4 ports) and two WAN ports. You would connect your two modem devices (like a DSL modem on one port, and a B593 LTE modem on the other port) so that the dual-WAN router can "fail over" from one to the other. Have a look at the
Linksys LRT224 as an example.
Although the dual-WAN router approach is more complicated, it has some advantages. First, you can use any kind of internet connection device, as long as it has an RJ-45 ethernet "output" port - it could be a DSL modem, an LTE modem, a cable modem, a fibre modem ... or anything else new that comes along. Second, dual-WAN routers tend to provide much more flexibility in how you route traffic between the two WAN ports. "Failover" is perhaps the simplest routing algorithm, but there are also equal-split, proportional load-balancing, priority, etc etc.
Incidentally, I use exactly this type of arrangement : a dual-WAN router with a simple DSL modem on one WAN port, and the B593 LTE modem on the other port. The only difference is that in my case, the "slow" DSL modem acts as the backup for the fast LTE modem
Hope this is of some help to you!
