Netgear LB1120 or a different modem?

[TheGuy]

I had this posted here and now it’s gone....not sure why exactly.....

So, I was a late bloomer to the IPad plan that’s now gone. I purchased the netgear modem and got to use it for a couple months before they canceled the plan. Now I’m looking for a alternative plan and curious if a different modem is necessary or recommended.

I’ve tried viasat in the past ...... I’ve also tried ATT’s fixes wireless service which was great.....except for the abysmally low data cap which we blew through in a matter of days. We use a decent amount of data each month, typically ~1.5TB (even with the iPad plan). So, after about three $250 internet bills for fixed wireless, we canceled that. I still have the outdoor modem that was left behind from the fixed wireless service and use a MikroTik router for my home network. I was able to get the MikroTik to assign the fixed wireless modem a ip via a VLAN setup on the MikroTik.....however I was never able to access internet from the modem. I only mention the leftover modem in the event I can make use of it. I also had purchased a MikroTik LHG LTE modem to install at my in-laws house to supply them internet. I really liked it and would be happy to purchase one for myself if it was recommended by you guys.

Just curious as to the best modem/service combo going now. Reuse the fixed wireless modem, the netgear or purchase something better? I’m back to tethering to my iPhone, which sucks. ATT signal is pretty strong in my area and T-Mobile’s map shows “fair” strength in my area I believe.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long thread.

[terryjett]

I had this posted here and now it’s gone....not sure why exactly.....

Pretty sure the board was having some issues or maybe an update went bad and some posts lost.

If the netgear LB1120 is unlocked, SimpleMobile $50 truly unlimited ($45 prepaid) may be a good choice for you. Using it myself in place of at&t ipad plan. They offer t-mobile service.

The person that seems to know the most about it is https://wirelessjoint.com/memberlist.php?mod ... ile&u=1713

Betting BillA will show up to help soon

[TheGuy]

Thanks. I actually grabbed a simple mobile and h2o SIM card a couple weeks ago because they were just $1 each. I didn’t know if either one would work for sure, so I wanted to ask around before wasting money. What IMEI did you use to activate, a iPad IMEI or the actual modem IMEI?

[terryjett]

I have always activated in a phone first and then verified could browse the internet (make calls too). Once good, moved the sim card over to router. I have years of old 4G phones laying around from different carriers and just use IMEI from one of them them. Unlocked at&t work with t-mobile and vice versa.

Many say this is the best way to go, so something I do and seems to always work without issues,

The APN for simplemobile is "simple" and I have my TTL set to 65.

[TheGuy]

What does adjusting the TTL do?

[terryjett]

What does adjusting the TTL do?

Basically hides your hotspot data. Lots of talk about here on the forum. For example, doing a search for "simplemobile ttl: https://wirelessjoint.com/search.php?keyword ... mobile+ttl

Sometimes 64 works and then at other times 65 does the trick.

@BillA guided me to simplemobile and provided lots of info about getting going. Had been using the ipad plan with WE-826 from thewirelesshaven.com and all I had to do was swap sims, set APN and TTL. Everything works great except my area tower little overloaded, but only for few hours a day.

[TheGuy]

Ahhhh. Beautiful. Thanks.

[terryjett]

Forgot to mention that there is talk here on forum about people using the at&t unlimited prepaid plan ($70 / $55 autopay I think). Have not really followed and cannot say if good solution, just pointing out have heard mention of it in couple of posts.

[TheGuy]

So, I ended up playing with T-Mobile and didn’t seem to get any signal. So I went with the $65 ($45 in autopay) att prepaid plan with unlimited data. I set the APN to nxtgenphone and the modem is showing a connection. But I can’t get my router to have access. I’m trying to figure out how to change the TTL to 65. Does the outgoing traffic, incoming traffic or both need the TTL changed?

[BillA]

So, I ended up playing with T-Mobile and didn’t seem to get any signal. So I went with the $65 ($45 in autopay) att prepaid plan with unlimited data. I set the APN to nxtgenphone and the modem is showing a connection. But I can’t get my router to have access. I’m trying to figure out how to change the TTL to 65. Does the outgoing traffic, incoming traffic or both need the TTL changed?

If you have a SimpleMobile sim I can help you activate it and test it remotely, just send me a pm.
The sim must be used in a phone first, and some MMI codes sent to disable the video throttling.
Another good option is PagePlus ($55/mo) using the Verizon network.

[terryjett]

So, I ended up playing with T-Mobile and didn’t seem to get any signal. So I went with the $65 ($45 in autopay) att prepaid plan with unlimited data. I set the APN to nxtgenphone and the modem is showing a connection. But I can’t get my router to have access. I’m trying to figure out how to change the TTL to 65. Does the outgoing traffic, incoming traffic or both need the TTL changed?

The TTL is normally set in the router and would assume carrier receives it on your outbound traffic. Never setup your type router, maybe do a search for router name how to change TTL. Very likely someone on board has the answer ...

I have never tried the at&t prepaid plan in router, afraid not the one to help setting it up but have seen others asking here on forum. Hope those threads are still intact, seems there must have been a board hiccup over past few days. I too like to know how others getting the at&t prepaid plan working, need to set one up for friend since at&t only carrier in his area.

[TheGuy]

If you have a SimpleMobile sim I can help you activate it and test it remotely, just send me a pm.
The sim must be used in a phone first, and some MMI codes sent to disable the video throttling.
Another good option is PagePlus ($55/mo) using the Verizon network.

Att seems to be about the best coverage in my area. TMobile hasn’t ever had good coverage here. I grabbed the sim cause it was cheap and was in hopes coverage had expanded.

[terryjett]

Att seems to be about the best coverage in my area. TMobile hasn’t ever had good coverage here. I grabbed the sim cause it was cheap and was in hopes coverage had expanded.

In your exact shoes. AT&T very strong and T-Mobile in fair/good range when using phone. Was happy with at&t ipad plan speed. Just had to have something that not worried about cancel from month to month. @BillA recommended simplemobile and got me rolling.

But, I have to use my WE-826 router and external antennas to get good solid signal from t-mobile tower. Little slow for a few hours in evening but we can deal with that.

[BillA]

Att seems to be about the best coverage in my area. TMobile hasn’t ever had good coverage here. I grabbed the sim cause it was cheap and was in hopes coverage had expanded.

Of course, use whatever works best for you. Just keep in mind, when the proverbial "sh*t hits the fan" at least you'll have something to fall back onto (even if it's not the fastest).
So far some people are having problems accessing the internet through the ATT $65/$75 plans. It works fine in a phone but not in a router. Could be that they are blocking the modem imei, or something needs to be set properly in the router. It's a mystery thus far.

[TheGuy]

I should get signal, if available, when I pop the simple mobile sim in a compatible device....correct?

[BillA]

I should get signal, if available, when I pop the simple mobile sim in a compatible device....correct?

Even if it's not activated you should be able to get a signal, course you can't go online but at least should be able to tell your signal levels. Even with just a couple of bars on a phone (or about -90db RSSI on a router) I was able to get around 30Mbps. Make sure to set the modem to auto-scan, otherwise you'll get an incorrect reading.

[TheGuy]

So I popped the att sim into a android phone, enabled usb tethering and hooked it up to my MikroTik router. I managed to get the phone to supply internet to my entire network after a bit of tinkering. Currently burning through the gigs to see if I’m limited to the 10 gig of tether data on my plan.

Also, if it’s working ok in the phone should I be able to get this working in the netgear modem then?

[BillA]

So I popped the att sim into a android phone, enabled usb tethering and hooked it up to my MikroTik router. I managed to get the phone to supply internet to my entire network after a bit of tinkering. Currently burning through the gigs to see if I’m limited to the 10 gig of tether data on my plan.

Also, if it’s working ok in the phone should I be able to get this working in the netgear modem then?

I'm glad at least it works in the phone. If you get cut off at 10gigs, you could try these TTL settings in the router: 64, 65, 66 (make sure to restarts the router after each change). However there's no guarantee that it will work since the modem is tethered externally, a test will tell. As far as working in a Netgear modem, it depends how ATT is treating it based on its imei, try it out.