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4G LTE Router Remote Access Problem

Alpacaman
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Background: I bought a TP-Link Archer MR200 4G router and hooked it up with an EE SIM. Although the EE signal was poor (even with an external antenna), I could access the Internet from my LAN, and vice-versa - specifically, I could hit the router WAN address with an HTTP connection.

 

After hearing that the O2 signal was much better in this location, I bought a regular O2 PAYG SIM and tried that; after replacing the default config with the PAYG hostname & credentials, it fired up with 3 bars of signal and - whoopie, I had 30-40 Gbit/s downlink, 20 uplink! However, I couldn't get to the WAN address from outside, no matter what I tried. After setting up No-IP Dynamic DNS, it detected my IP address as something completely different.

 

After several unsuccessful attempts to engage O2 for help, I managed to speak to someone who understood what I was talking about and she revealed that there is a 'Data Only' SIM, which is designed for dongle, tablet etc use; the trouble is that it's twice the cost for much less data! Also, she didn't know whether I'd be able to connect to it remotely. Subsequent attempts to find such information from CS have resulted in silence, confusion or - in one case - an assertion that what I was doing was 'impossible', despite my talking to him via EE's 'WiFi calling' through the very link he said couldn't exist.

 

Can anyone help? Is there an O2 SIM whose LTE WAN address is visible from the Internet and if not, how might I set up a VPN tunnel instigated from say an internal Linux server which I can then connect to remotely from a laptop or another Linux server? I plan to run a backup RAID, perhaps a security camera or two on the LAN, so they need to be accessible via Port Forwarding.

 

Any help gratefully received and I may be able to barter something, especially if you're anywhere near Somerset.

 

TIA, David.

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NoDataLeft
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I have been looking at something similar. 

Would you not contact the manufacturer for this, check compatibility?  I don't think o2 even sell that router as I have been looking to buy a tidy hotspot so it would not lay with O2 to support you with this I would have thought. 

 

To remotely connect to a router is usually done with settings on the router I might be weong but setup is usually hardware based and not the sim card? You also say EE Wifi Calling? O2 does not offer WIFI Calling on Pay & Go as I have recently found out and list what phones can on the website. 


Again you be very lucky for O2 to help you set up a router, VPN they do not sell and for them and figure out your compatibility issues. 

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madasaf1sh
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Hi  @alpacaman and @NoDataLeft

 

The simple answer is this isnt something o2 offer on PAYG and to be honest id be surprised any network can offer what you are try do on Pay as You Go tariffs (standard). 

 

The problem you are experiencing is with your internet facing IP address / DNS is shared amongst many devices on the o2 network, and also the Network Address Translation, and also how they route traffic to their internet gateways.

 

o2 will provide a sim card with an Internet IP address but no to consumers. 


There is however a provider who does offer Internet Facing IP's and this is AA ISP (they have been around for a loooong time) 

 

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/data-sims/  (make sure you read the terms and conditions)

 

Its £10 for the simcard and £2.00 per month + 1.75p per MB 

 

Any other questions please ask.

 

 

- Xperia 1V - o2 and Spusu
- Pixel 8 Pro - o2 and Vodafone UK
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Alpacaman
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I thought I'd sent the following reply yesterday, before @madasaf1sh posted theirs; however, it seems to have vanished!

 

Hi @NoDataLeft, thanks for your reply. I've only just realised that the WAN IP is a 10.x.x.x address, which isn't even public, so that tells a story!
 
Yes, remote access is configured on the router (which I've done) and it works fine with a normal EE contract SIM (sent to me by EE). EE have been great and their technical staff surprised me with both knowledge and willingness to help ... and quickly. They agreed to switch numbers on my two SIMS (as the new deal was much more favourable than my original phone contract) then cancelled the 2nd contract as reception was so poor in my location; all done in the space of an hour! Smiley Surprised
 
So the router is set up fine ... at least for 4G and remote access. Maybe I should just try an O2 contract SIM, although I don't want to be tied into something I can't use fully for my purposes. VPN was just an idea I thought might work and I'd do it either in the router, or on a small Linux server, like a Raspberry Pi; I've no intention of paying for it! Update: I just checked the Archer router and it has a VPN section. ok_hand
 
I haven't exactly been overwhelmed by O2's responses to my issues, although I understand that they (the issues) are a little unusual.
 
Cheers, David.

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Alpacaman
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Thanks @madasaf1sh. I don't necessarily need a fixed IP and the EE [contract] SIM was working fine (just slowly & intermittently, due to the poor signal). At that time I hadn't yet got the No-IP Dynamic DNS set up, which should handle local WAN IP changes, as long as the address is publicly visible. The AA SIM seems relatively expensive, compared to EE, lthough I'll keep that idea in my back pocket.

 

I'll see if I can trial a normal O2 contract SIM, assuming they can offer something that compares favourably with EE, who have just brought out a 15 GB for £15 deal.

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