I've used 4RF gear for a number of years to drive offshore microwave links, and 
for wide area UHF-based telemetry networks. In my experience, the gear is 
absolutely bulletproof.


There's also something refreshing when, if you need support, being able to pick 
up the phone and (generally) getting a hold of an engineer who lives just over 
the ditch and actually built the product.


I've also used gear from NetModule for LTE-based telemetry - the NB1601 is a 
nice product in a small package that was generally set and forget, though you 
do have to get picky with the firmware versions depending on what kind of LTE 
you're using (private vs public and what kind of gear is powering the cells).


Regards,

-Brad.

________________________________
From: AusNOG <ausnog-boun...@lists.ausnog.net> on behalf of Jonathan Brewer 
<jon.bre...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, 7 December 2020 10:09:00 PM
To: Andrew Yager
Cc: <ausnog@lists.ausnog.net>
Subject: Re: [AusNOG] 4G router alternatives to Cradlepoint

This is a hard problem.

I've had quality problems with Robustel. Had good success with around 30 
Multitech Conduit 3G routers but major problems with their first set of LTE 
hardware. Can't recommend Mikrotik for LTE (though I like them for many other 
things) after trying multiple models. Had success with Netcomm in-vehicle 3G 
but never tried their LTE.

I was just sent a data sheet for a nice looking 4RF LTE terminal. They make 
SCADA for utilities so I'd guess it's pretty tough. Might blow your budget but 
if you're buying 400 it's worth asking.

Hope to hear some more experiences.

-JB


On Mon, 7 Dec 2020, 14:51 Andrew Yager, 
<and...@rwts.com.au<mailto:and...@rwts.com.au>> wrote:
Hi,

I feel like someone is forever asking this question.

I'm looking for a solid alternative to Cradlepoint for a large rollout (about 
400 sites) with 4G primary connection. The sites have unreliable power, which 
means things like SRXs are not a go. (I do like the 320s with LTE mPIM 
"mostly").

Aside from Cradlepoint's IBR commercial model becoming a bit more challenging 
with subscriptions,  we are keen for something that is solid, basic, and 
reliable, and can ideally run on DC power. It's even better if we can connect 
an external antenna.

Only real requirement is two ethernet ports and the ability to do IPSEC 
tunnelling. BGP/VRF support would be nice (yes, over the IPSEC circuit) - but 
honestly, it's a requirement that can be engineered around.

Customer would settle for something solid around the $800-$1k mark, so any 
reasonable options around this price point would be *greatly* appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew
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