MoFi issue or Verizon police?

[431cruiser]

Hi guys. Thanks for letting us come here for help.

I bought a MoFi 4500-4GXeLTE-Sim7 in early February and a new SIM card on an unlimited data plan for a phone I had. It has worked great until recently, and I can’t tell if the router is failing or if Verizon has stopped me since I don’t know the symptoms of either.

I disabled the WiFi on the MoFi in February when I installed it and added a D-Link router. Our phones, tablets and laptops connect to it wirelessly. My desktop is wired to it. It has worked great.

Early signs, maybe….

Two weeks ago, my girlfriend’s iPhone 12 began having sporadic problems connecting to wireless at my house. My iPhone 12 Mini was working fine as were my desktop, laptop and her laptop. So it seemed like the problem was with her phone, but she claimed it worked fine at her house and workplace.

Then, one day last week it wasn’t working consistently at these places and, not one with patience, she bought a new phone thinking it was in fact her phone.

The new phone had issues at my house just like the old one. I thought her original phone had a corrupted file that was transferred over by the Verizon store when they loaded the new one. My phone, desktop, laptops, etc were still working well. I updated the firmware and did a speed test. I was about 10 mbps slower than in February, but without the test, it wasn’t noticeable.

Yesterday, I decided to unplug the router and restart it to see if that would help with her phone since the router hadn’t been turned off since February. When it rebooted, my desktop would no longer work, nor the phones, laptops, etc. I eliminated the D-Link to rule it out, reset the MoFi router a few times and created a fresh network, but still not connected.

The internet light on the router is on and blinks intermittently, but it may have always done that- I can’t remember. The connection test link on the MoFi page says no internet. I can’t ping a website.

After resetting a few times, I finally decided to try the SIM card from my personal cellphone. The desktop is connected directly into the MoFi for troubleshooting. A browser which was already opened on my desktop loaded immediately and the internet was working well. Until about 5 minutes later when the connection was interrupted and now I’m back to where I was yesterday after unplugging the router for the first time.

I went to the Verizon account for that SIM card and accidentally clicked on a “buy data” or something similar link and the site stated something like, “You have unlimited data and do not need this add-on.”

I checked the data usage the first couple of months and it seemed like it always stated zero or “unlimited”. Now, it shows what I’ve used. I work from home and use a lot of data.

The router had the most recent firmware loaded a few days ago. The D-Link isn’t the culprit. I don’t know what else to try in terms of troubleshooting other than getting a new SIM card and cellphone account.

Is the above how it looks when Verizon or other companies boot us? If so, there’s probably no point in getting a card from them, right?

I’ve typed this from my cellphone and need internet for work, so I appreciate any help, tips, guidance you can provide.

[Didneywhorl]

Typically Verizon poopoos phone SIMs not in the device registered to the line. Identified by its imei #. Some people change it, but we cant support that on this forum as the FCC frowns on it.

Also, the use of TTL and HL values of 65 typically can hide the use of data as "hotspot" data.

I wrote a post on TTL/HL in the unclassified forum section.

[mtl26637]

Sometimes an alternative to modifying the imei is to use a VPN. It all depends on status of the connection to the tower. It might not be the answer for the average user, but it can be an option sometimes. I've seen it with both ATT and VZW where they block certain traffic rather than disconnecting to the tower.

[431cruiser]

Thank you both for the responses. I am able to insert the card back into its phone and use the phone. I assumed they would send a message to me or to my account if they were blocking me. I'm torn on source of problem - router or carrier. I'm a decent techie and troubleshooter, but this is my first experience with an LTE router and understanding what I'm looking at.

This morning it appeared my LAN was connected (IPv4), but I couldn't connect to or ping anything. Same thing with wireless - devices continue to pick up the wifi network, but won't connect.

LAN status.jpg

LAN status 2.jpg

signal strength.jpg

[431cruiser]

Sometimes an alternative to modifying the imei is to use a VPN. It all depends on status of the connection to the tower. It might not be the answer for the average user, but it can be an option sometimes. I've seen it with both ATT and VZW where they block certain traffic rather than disconnecting to the tower.

mtl26637, when I connect my mobile phone to MoFi's wireless, it appears under the Live Status heading under the Active Connections button, although it isn't functional if I try to access the internet with it. With this in mind, and that the MoFi is reading the towers around me given the signal strength, does this sound like what you referenced?

I don't know if this matters, but under Check Signal Strength and Cell Information, MCC MNC is blank. The other fields have info in them.

I need to get this running again for my work, and I've ordered a card, but would feel better if there were a way to rule out the existing card or MoFi router for sure. Then, I'd know more about where to invest next with vpn or another router.

@Didney, I read your post and I think have IPv6 connected now, but couldn't figure out where to put the code you mentioned. It was working very nicely using default settings for most part until I unplugged it for the first time in 5 months.

Thanks for any guidance you offer.

[mtl26637]

In your screenshot is shows "Registered to Network=yes". That is pretty much a confirmation that all of the hardware seems to be working properly and you actually have an 'LTE' connection to the tower. It looks like you are being blocked from internet access only (anything past the tower). If I was to guess, I would say it is IMEI related at this point and somehow the sim or modem was flagged in their system. When I mentioned VPN you could try something like NordVPN or I personally use 'Private Internet Access' (PIA). Its like 10 bux a month or something and is software that goes on your phone or computer to "tunnel" to the internet. This would be a temp solution more than likely rather than permanent as it would be a pain to setup each individual device. It would be a way to confirm if you are being blocked however. As posted by Didneywhorl, vzw doesn't like their sims in other hardware. Easiest may be to find another provider? I know my vzw sim is blocked but I run all of mine through a tunnel so I didn't even notice it for a long time.

Also, did you make sure to have your ttl settings modified? Could just be you had used all of the hotspot data too I suppose? I'm not familiar with the mofi stuff but a dump of the connection or syslog would be helpful too.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Would ATT or T-Mobile be an option at your location??

[431cruiser]

In your screenshot is shows "Registered to Network=yes". That is pretty much a confirmation that all of the hardware seems to be working properly and you actually have an 'LTE' connection to the tower. It looks like you are being blocked from internet access only (anything past the tower). If I was to guess, I would say it is IMEI related at this point and somehow the sim or modem was flagged in their system. When I mentioned VPN you could try something like NordVPN or I personally use 'Private Internet Access' (PIA). Its like 10 bux a month or something and is software that goes on your phone or computer to "tunnel" to the internet. This would be a temp solution.....

Thank you again, mtl26637. When I tested with the sim from my personal phone and it worked briefly, I thought it was probably the card. That’s what led me logging into that account to check data usage. But, it said I was good on data as I described in post above so didn’t know what to do next.

I appreciate the tip on the VPN and PIA because I thought it would need to be installed at router level. I read a post here yesterday where someone resolved their intermittent dropping with one, but I hoped for more input before I added another variable and learning curve.

Easiest may be to find another provider? I know my vzw sim is blocked but I run all of mine through a tunnel so I didn't even notice it for a long time.

Also, did you make sure to have your ttl settings modified? Could just be you had used all of the hotspot data too I suppose? I'm not familiar with the mofi stuff but a dump of the connection or syslog would be helpful too.

The one I ordered is from ATT, which seems to be a tough cookie from what I’ve read here, but their tower is nearby. It’s about 1/4 mile south of me and I have two Verizon ones north and west of me no more than half-mile each. To be in a rural area, I’m in a good one for cell service.

Yes, I set the TTL when I set it up in February.

Thanks again.

[431cruiser]

Would ATT or T-Mobile be an option at your location??

Hi, Dr! ATT and Verizon are common here. I had wanted to try T-Mobile when I first began this - heard some good things.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Since you are using Internet connection for work it would be good to have a back up plan for both hardware and SIM!

Both ATT and T-Mobile have a 100Gig for $50.
Not the best solution but would help with troubleshooting.

Would also simplify your set up removing the Wi-Fi and connecting an ethernet cable to your desktop. Would remove one radio from your set up.

Also could check if T-Mobile home Internet is available at your location.
https://www.t-mobile.com/isp

For back up hardware check with the LTE store to up your hardware game. The MoFI is a nice starter unit but there are much better options

[431cruiser]

Thanks for your help, Dr-BroadBand. You are right about my needing a backup plan as this has definitely help me see that!

When I began planning my move here, ATT offered fixed-wireless and I was going to use them. However, by the time I was actually moved, they no longer did. I didn’t have a backup plan because there was never no doubt that I wasn’t using ATT and their FW.

So I had to rush the decision because of work. T-Mobile and Verizon offered home internet, but not in this area. Hughesnet was the only satellite option and they were expensive, slow, and had bad reviews on service. A friend told me about MoFi - I had never researched it or anything to do with LTE until then.

I used MoFi more like a modem, I guess, and the D-Link for the WAN and LAN. I just wish I had never unplugged it to try to help my girlfriend’s iPhone connection. It may have still been working.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Have seen a hard rest of the MoFI do the trick.
Do screen shots to record all your settings.

Power down the MoFI, remove the SIM
Power up wait for it to boot up

Press and hold the rest on the back for 10sec
Let it boot.

Power down install the SIM and update all your settings.

A weak power brick can also do crazy things.
Would replace with a 2Amp unit I think the LTE store may have some.

Or can get this from Amazon

UpBright Car DC Adapter Compatible with MoFi Network MOFI4500 Router

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZY7WH99/re ... C7AYBE1E3H

Would guess it’s Verizon being a turd, but your girlfriend phone was acting up so it could be your hardware. Hard to say. Start with the cheap parts and start rebuilding. Power brick and a new SIM would be a good start.

I have both a MoFi-SIM7 and a M1 nighthawk.
Mistake 1&2 LoL

I now use the MoFi in the min-van for the kids and the M1 at the hotel in bridge mode to aid in my Family connecting to the Internet.

[431cruiser]

Dr-BroadBand, this didn't help...tried it several times.....but I thank you for trying.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Ok,

Did you remove the SIM for the reset?

I think your next move would be getting a NEW SIM.

See T-Mobile Mobile Internet 100GB for $50/mo Plan for Routers & Hotspots
https://youtu.be/Cy9jld_7lSk

[431cruiser]

Yes, I did it with the SIM removed. Thanks for the link. This has gone to the crapper in a hurry.....I was going to try it behind a vpn, but there is an issue with a .dll file on my OS. That's another rabbit to chase. If I only I hadn't unplugged the router to try to help my girlfriend with her phone...

[431cruiser]

Rebooting, restoring and reloading with a new SIM have not worked. Originally, I assumed it was Verizon blocking the net traffic, but I hadn’t received any messages from them or other reasons to think so. I just assumed it since the router suddenly stopped working.

I’ve tried a new sim from ATT and I still can’t connect. Network sharing shows a connection like the photos I attached in a previous post, but I can’t ping any site successfully.

Can you please advise me on what I can do to try to fix this thing? Or should I buy another one? I don’t know how or what to troubleshoot from here.

[Didneywhorl]

I wish I knew more about the MOFI firmware.

If you want to buy some other setup, I can advise on a setup that is much better.

Starting with this base router: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/wifix-r ... 8ghz-wifi/

Let me know and THAT I can help more with.

[Adm1jtg]

isnt there s guide somewhere to convert a mofi to run goldenorb? I will be honest i didnt read through everything to know which mofi and all but pretty sure the 4500 for example can be converted to goldenorb with a factory reset flash.

Then many in here would be much more versed in exact steps to take firmware wise.

[BillA]

isnt there s guide somewhere to convert a mofi to run goldenorb? I will be honest i didnt read through everything to know which mofi and all but pretty sure the 4500 for example can be converted to goldenorb with a factory reset flash.

Then many in here would be much more versed in exact steps to take firmware wise.

Use this guide https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=6007#p6007 to convert your MoFi 4500 to WiFix or GoldenOrb firmware.

WiFix firmware dated 2020-05-16:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... jxEHZtAKTc

GoldenOrb firmware dated 2021-05-31:
www.aturnofthenut.com/upload/we826-T-GO2021-05-31.zip

[Didneywhorl]

Newer WiFiX- 1-21-2021 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yy9S_F ... p=drivesdk

[prasta]

Rebooting, restoring and reloading with a new SIM have not worked. Originally, I assumed it was Verizon blocking the net traffic, but I hadn’t received any messages from them or other reasons to think so. I just assumed it since the router suddenly stopped working.

I’ve tried a new sim from ATT and I still can’t connect. Network sharing shows a connection like the photos I attached in a previous post, but I can’t ping any site successfully.

Can you please advise me on what I can do to try to fix this thing? Or should I buy another one? I don’t know how or what to troubleshoot from here.

Hey Cruiser, what did you end up doing here? I'm about to take the plunge into LTE modem/router world, this thread has been illuminating, since I'm thinking about a similar config.

[431cruiser]

Thanks, guys, for your help and to Bill and Didney for providing the links. I got the new ATT sim to work by resetting the module from a link inside the admin screen. Apparently, rebooting, resetting, nor restoring apply to the module at all.

The only issues I’m having now are that testing each bands makes it unstable. I eventually have to reset module and modem. Also, it appears that I have fewer bands that work with the ATT sim versus the vzw one.

I guess vzn figured out what I was doing and somehow stopped that sim from working with that router, although it still visits the www if I put it back in the phone.

Thanks to you guys for the tips and suggestions the past few weeks.

[431cruiser]

Hey Cruiser, what did you end up doing here? I'm about to take the plunge into LTE modem/router world, this thread has been illuminating, since I'm thinking about a similar config.

Hey prasta. I like my MoFi, but their service is nonexistent, and there are less expensive options that work just as well as it. I was in a situation where I needed internet ASAP, had not done any research at all, and bought this because a friend in my rural area recommended it. I have since learned that there is an LTE router with the same modem, similar bands, and same stock antennas for about half price. I don’t remember the name or model, but it seems like it’s available for sale on this site.

The MoFi does all I want it to do. I don’t care about customizing or any extra features. I can see my towers, so the stock antennas and the speed I get are good enough for how I use it.

[Didneywhorl]

thewirelesshaven.com
NEXQ6GO-U with a Sierra MC7411 would be a Mofi4500 SIM8 copy.

NEXR5GO with MC7411 would be better