Att 65 dollar prepaid not working on wifix

[Cerebrium]

New to the forum since my reseller shut down I’ve been testing a couple of options. I have the cricket 60 plan and can get it to work. I purchased the att 65 plan and when it connects it shots me to a page saying I’m out of internet which I’m not. The only difference is the cricket plan has hotspot and the att doesn’t idk if that makes a difference cause it doesn’t show cricket is using the hotspot data. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
My setup WE826-T2 with Sierra MC7455 with latest WiFix

[ironman_gq]

See if setting the TTL to 65 helps, it's under firewall settings

[Cerebrium]

I tried that but still the same outcome

[fyoory]

Came here to say that tried it, it didnt work for me either. DNS lookups were ok, but only could load www.att.com or www.paygonline.com websites.

[Cerebrium]

Yeah it’s crazy that cricket will work but not att

[terryjett]

I have not tried the at&t prepaid plan yet, but I am wondering if it is locked to the first registered IMEI and that IMEI must be a phone?

When signing up for the at&t prepaid plan do you have to furnish phone IMEI up front (before payment)?

Just trying to gather some info about this issue

[Cerebrium]

Yes they ask for one. I wondering about that myself because I used my modem IMEI thinking that would be the best option.

[terryjett]

Yes they ask for one. I wondering about that myself because I used my modem IMEI thinking that would be the best option.

So you entered your modem IMEI and it let you continue to setup plan?

Have you tried the SIM in a phone to see if it works (calling and data - browse to sites)?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an idea of what is going on. Do not have funds to throw at the prepaid plan just yet, so gathering info... May not be way around their restrictions but have not given up yet.

[Cerebrium]

Yeah they accepted the IMEI. And if I put it in a phone everything works fine.

[BillA]

Came here to say that tried it, it didnt work for me either. DNS lookups were ok, but only could load www.att.com or www.paygonline.com websites.

Based on the above info, they don't seem to be blocking the modem since you're able to ping by IP and access those two sites, but more likely filtering and blocking by the UA (User Agent) of the desktop browser, which can be easily bypassed using a User Agent Switcher. But before you do that, have you tried connecting to your router from a phone via WiFi and able to browse the web? If not, then in addition to a UA filter, they could also be looking at a specific TTL value (not necessarily 65, or you may have to create a custom TTL rule for both pre and post routing and possibly disable IPv6). This is getting interesting.

By the way, Cricket throttles their data to a mere 8Mbps max at ALL times, it's in their TOS, and reported by users.
That speed might be ok for a single user, but as soon as multiple devices are connection, it will come to a crawl, especially during video streaming.

[Cerebrium]

I can’t access through the phone using WiFi either. And I’m not sure what TTL to use especially if I have to use a different incoming and outgoing. Never used a UA would like to know more on that is there a discussion forum that covers how it works?

[fyoory]

Based on the above info, they don't seem to be blocking the modem since you're able to ping by IP and access those two sites, but more likely filtering and blocking by the UA (User Agent) of the desktop browser, which can be easily bypassed using a User Agent Switcher. But before you do that, have you tried connecting to your router from a phone via WiFi and able to browse the web? If not, then in addition to a UA filter, they could also be looking at a specific TTL value (not necessarily 65, or you may have to create a custom TTL rule for both pre and post routing and possibly disable IPv6). This is getting interesting.

Eh I guess, not sure what to try UA wise but browsing from an ATT phone over wifi to the is a no go using the stock browser from the ATT prepaid phone. TTL 65-63 no go either. Is this something you can determine from a valid phone somehow of what value to use or is it going to be a random number from 0-255?

[Cerebrium]

I have no clue about the random number. I know the ttl on my iPhone is 32. As of right now I’ve tried everything thing I could think of.

[Cerebrium]

Found this on a sight not sure if it’s relevant and the post was dated from 2018

1. The phone asks the carrier network if tethering is allowed
2. The carriers sniff user agent headers
3. The carriers measure the TTL's
4. Top 1% of data usage invites an account audit

It's confirmed that T-Mobile uses all four, but AT&T didn't use any of them except the first. The first is implemented on the firmware level, so rooting a phone or using an international phone that doesn't check carrier provisioning will bypass it. 99% of users will not get past this check. Putting a sim card in a hotspot that allows editing of APN settings is a physical bypass for the check.

[Cerebrium]

So I was thinking since the plan I have doesn’t have hotspot or tethering maybe that’s what’s hold me up.

[terryjett]

If you wish to learn about User Agent, here are a couple of tips:

1) Go to https://www.whatismybrowser.com/detect/ ... user-agent and look at "user agent string" shown. This is what carriers sniff at. Mobile browsers have a different user string.

2) If using Chrome (or maybe new microsoft edge) install extension like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... pkjnoahfmg which allows you to change your desktop user agent string.


If you want to see what your computer is sending for TTL, open CMD https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-open-co ... pt-2618089

Then use command ping google.com (or any site):

2020-03-18_084835.png

I often experiment with different values by changing my local machine (computer) TTL using:

netsh int ipv4 set glob defaultcurhoplimit=65
netsh int ipv6 set glob defaultcurhoplimit=65

I do this by opening CMD (right click and choose run in administration mode). Just replace the 65 with desired number. NOTE: If using at router which set to send TTL, chances are the above will not change your outgoing TTL.

Think you do MAC OS Terminal: sudo sysctl -w net.inet.ip.ttl=65 (Temp) OR net.inet.ip.ttl=65 (Permanent)

[terryjett]

So I was thinking since the plan I have doesn’t have hotspot or tethering maybe that’s what’s hold me up.

I did NOT think about that and you may be hitting on exact issue. Only the $75 plan ($55 auto-pay) features a hotspot option...

[BillA]

I can’t access through the phone using WiFi either. And I’m not sure what TTL to use especially if I have to use a different incoming and outgoing. Never used a UA would like to know more on that is there a discussion forum that covers how it works?

If you tether a phone to the router via usb as a modem without any hotspot data left, it will most certainly not work regardless of TTL or UA settings. The ATT $65 plan comes with no hotspot data at all, and the $75 plan includes only 10gigs. So in this case the best way to test it, is by using an internal modem in the router, which can bypass the hotspot limitation via TTL (try these values 63, 64, 65, 66). In addition to TTL they could also be using UA filtering, just follow the method below.

Here's how to set up a user agent switcher > https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=4674#p4674
Once the plug-in has been installed in desktop Chrome, you would select the user-agent from the right-click menu by going to Google Chrome > Chrome on Android Mobile from the list. It's simple as that, now to the carrier it will look like you're using an Android phone, even though you're not.
You can see your new user agent by going to > https://www.esolutions.se/whatsmyinfo

As TerryJett has pointed out above, you may also want to change the TTL on the pc to:
netsh int ipv4 set global defaultcurhoplimit=65 store=persistent
netsh int ipv6 set global defaultcurhoplimit=65 store=persistent

Another setting we could try is disabling IPv6 in the router, and just use IPv4.
Also, running a VPN on the pc should hide all traffic, if someone wants to try it please report back.

Well, if UA switcher works then at least we'll know that they are using filtering, if not then they might be using imei restriction which unfortunately is illegal in the US, and carries serious federal penalties, it's just not worth risking it.
Someone should try the ATT plan with a Quectel modem, maybe they are only blocking Sierra's.

We'll just have to find a legal workaround, or switch to another carrier which doesn't have all these crazy restrictions.
Here's a list of prepaid carriers > https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=5790#p5790
The problem here is that there are some unknown variables, therefore only lots of trial and error will yield a solution.

There is a workaround, which involves setting the modem to PPP dial-up instead of the usual RMNET/RNDIS connection. For ATT, the dial string is *99#, and the APN "nxtgenphone" or "phone" or maybe even "broadband".

[mtl26637]

I sure wish I'd have posted about this sooner. I have an MC7700 with WE826-T2. I activated AT&T prepaid sim on I believe the 8th of this month. Since then I bet i've spent every bit of 40+ hours trying to get this setup working. I've literally tried everything I could find and/or think of. At least this thread explains i'm not the only one.

From what I can tell the "LTE" connection gets established, but we are being redirected from there. Now it's a matter of figuring out what is causing the redirect. FYI, i'm on the highest AT&T prepaid plan that includes the 10GB hotspot data and are experiencing the same issues. I just hope it not IMEI check cause from what I can see that can't be edited on sierra modems and the 'AT' command to write it is a one time deal, however, i've not tested that.

[Cerebrium]

Thanks for sharing that your having the same issue with the 75 that I am with the 65. As far as the IMEI I’m not sure because I have them the modem IMEI when I setup the plan. But would like to know if there is a way to change the IMEI that way I could test to see if that’s actually the issue.

[terryjett]

But would like to know if there is a way to change the IMEI that way I could test to see if that’s actually the issue

Very touchy subject and petty sure discussion is frowned upon here. Some say illegal here in USA. I personally do not know if illegal and according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internati ... t_Identity it is not. But would refrain from discussion of it here.

Not being the police and just letting you know have seen threads deleted because of the discussion

[mtl26637]

Just a quick update. I've been messing with this quite a bit and still no luck so far. I can say that connecting the phone via usb to the WE826-T2 does in fact work, however, it kinda defeats the purpose as one could just as easily activate the hotspot on the phone for the most part. Once I get a chance I will c/p my system log and edit out any personal info and see if anyone can spot anything unusual. The LTE connection is successful , it's something to do with the ipv6 or DNS that is causing no internet and will immediately redirect to ATT no data page once completed.

As for the IMEI edit topic, it may be illegal, however, isn't using prepaid phone/tablet plan in a modem/router setup 'illegal'? I wouldn't see why one is an allowed topic over the other except trying to keep it more of a hush hush. That being said, I do get it and agree that it probably shouldn't be information out in public view.

[terryjett]

As for the IMEI edit topic, it may be illegal, however, isn't using prepaid phone/tablet plan in a modem/router setup 'illegal'? I wouldn't see why one is an allowed topic over the other except trying to keep it more of a hush hush. That being said, I do get it and agree that it probably shouldn't be information out in public view.

I honestly do not care if you discuss it here, not my place to say you can't. Only passing on something I learned from board owner. Do as you please

It is not "illegal" to use a prepaid/postpaid phone or sim in a router. It is against the terms of most carriers.

[AndrewHusband]

I too have the $75 prepaid plan and am having the same problems with a Netgear LB1120. I just got locked down for statewide quarantine and I have to start working from home. I had netbuddy until it died last week and haven't been able to find anything that will work. I ordered a Sim and first month for $120 from u.limited4glte.com over a week ago and the dude seems to have disappeared with my money. Now after spending another $75+ at the damn ATT store yesterday I still am without internet access because I had the bright idea to buy a house in the boonies. So frustrating!! Can anybody recommend a Sim/plan I can go out and buy that will work?? I checked that list on this forum and that's why I bought the $75 ATT prepaid. Also, if you figure out a solution please let us know. If there is anything I can help test let me know as well. Getting desperate over here lol.

[terryjett]

I still am without internet access because I had the bright idea to buy a house in the boonies. So frustrating!! Can anybody recommend a Sim/plan I can go out and buy that will work?? I checked that list on this forum and that's why I bought the $75 ATT prepaid. Also, if you figure out a solution please let us know. If there is anything I can help test let me know as well. Getting desperate over here lol.

Yea, we moved outside the big city 7 years ago and have been fending for ourselves too, lol

If your router/modem is unlocked and t-mobile tower near, hit up BillA https://wirelessjoint.com/memberlist.php?mod ... ile&u=1713

Using simplemobile that he helped with, works and at least online. Worth a shot for $45 a month.

[AndrewHusband]

That sounds like a great idea, definitely worth a shot.

[fyoory]

Just a quick update. I've been messing with this quite a bit and still no luck so far. I can say that connecting the phone via usb to the WE826-T2 does in fact work, however, it kinda defeats the purpose as one could just as easily activate the hotspot on the phone for the most part.

You're lucky, this does not work for me at all via usb tethering on my ATT maestro test phone. Same boat as the sim in the router, gets IP config, but cant hit anything, definitively something else in play here. Maybe tower specific, i am out in the middle of nowhere. Coverage is ok from the phone itself, speed test is OK, not great but working. My sprint fone works just fine in usb tether to the we826.

For me my only real alternative out here is likely ATT in some other form, old ipad or something like that, cant find it or a verizon. Not Jetpack, the deprioritaztion sucks, been there done that before. Very rural, I hit 1 of 3 towers and they are all 3+ miles away. My work phone is verizon and I hotspot off it all the time but I reserve it for work use, not personal. Anyways if someone has an idea here, reputable companies only. Please PM me.

[BillA]

You're lucky, this does not work for me at all via usb tethering on my ATT maestro test phone. Same boat as the sim in the router, gets IP config, but cant hit anything, definitively something else in play here. Maybe tower specific, i am out in the middle of nowhere. Coverage is ok from the phone itself, speed test is OK, not great but working. My sprint fone works just fine in usb tether to the we826.

For me my only real alternative out here is likely ATT in some other form, old ipad or something like that, cant find it or a verizon. Not Jetpack, the deprioritaztion sucks, been there done that before. Very rural, I hit 1 of 3 towers and they are all 3+ miles away. My work phone is verizon and I hotspot off it all the time but I reserve it for work use, not personal. Anyways if someone has an idea here, reputable companies only. Please PM me.

The reason why mtl26637's phone tethered to the router seems to be working, is probably due to the $75 ATT plan which includes 10gigs of hostpot/month, the $65 plan has no hotspot at all. It could also be due to make and model of the tethered phone, some will work with a router fine, while others won't. However once the 10gigs are used up, it could stop working, and not sure if the TTL settings would be able to bypass the hotspot restriction since the modem is not internal.
On the other hand, if it keeps working beyond the 10gigs, then somehow the hotspot restriction has been bypassed. Looks like ATT has gotten really crafty lately blocking data on mobile routers. :/


One of the easiest and cheapest ways to find out if you have some service in and around your house, is by simply inviting some friends or relatives over with different carrier phones (ATT, Tmobile, Verizon, and Sprint). Run a quick speed test on their phone, and even if you get less than 10Mbps, chances are that the router with external antennas would pull in more signal.

If Verizon is the only choice in your area, there's a prepaid service called PagePlus for $55/mo with completely unlimited data. If you have already purchased a new PagePlus, SimpleMobile, or Tracfone activation sim kit from Walmart, Target, BestBuy or Ebay, I can help you activate PagePlus or SimpleMobile even with a Tracfone sim remotely, disable video throttling and test it in a phone before putting it into your router. Just send me a private message.

[terryjett]

If Verizon is the only choice in your area, there's a prepaid service called PagePlus for $55/mo with completely unlimited data.

Hey BillA, howz it hanging bro? Hope the world is treating you with respect

I wanted to try PagePlus for a friend some time back (actually thinking for wife as she is working from home for unforeseeable future). I read "At 60 GB, we reserve the right to review your account for usage in violation of Page Plus's terms and conditions.". Was worried that meant they will hunt your hotspot down and pour beer into it kind of threat.

Serious note though, how tight are they on data usage?

[gscheb]

Quoted from BillA:
Someone should try the ATT plan with a Quectel modem, maybe they are only blocking Sierra's.

I have Verizon post pay plan for cell phone service. Lowest level plan called start unlimited. So low it has no hotspot data allowed at all
Anyway have tried it in several Sierra wireless MC7455 modems never works. Shows connected but no internet.
This SIM card works in quectel EC25-af and Quectel EP06. Like no issue. Pop it in set to TTL 117 good to go.
So maybe there is a chance this AT&T plan would work with a Quectel Modem.

[mtl26637]

I've not had much time to play with this in the past couple days but did want to give a quick update. I have a different setup that uses the EM7565 and ATT tablet plan and the WE1326 router that has worked flawlessly for around a year now. I remember looking at connection comparisons the other day and the above setup uses the 'broadband' APN while the ATT prepaid uses the 'NXTGENPHONE' APN. Two things caught my eye that I was going to investigate further at some point. The prepaid sim and WE826-T2 defaults to 'WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT' of "802.3" whereas the above setup uses 'WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT' of "raw-ip". The second thing I noticed was the IPV6 response. The WE1326 setup returnes a valid 10 digit response but the prepaid setup has a connection response of:

Code: Select all

Sun Mar 22 15:04:26 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: WDA-GET-DATA-FORMAT is "802.3"
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: Waiting for network registration
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: Starting network NXTGENPHONE
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: Connection returned : 11111111
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: status is "connected"
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: GET-CURRENT-SETTINGS is {"pdp-type":"ipv4","ip-family":"ipv4","mtu":1500,"ipv4":{"ip":"10.10.10.10","dns1":"1.1.1.1","gateway":"10.10.10.10","subnet":"255.255.255.252"},"ipv6":{},"domain-names":{}}
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 Connection returned : "Call failed"
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 status is "connected"
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 user.notice QMI Connect: IPv6 GET-CURRENT-SETTINGS is "Out of call"
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wan1' is enabled
Sun Mar 22 15:04:27 2020 daemon.notice netifd: Network device 'wwan0' link is up

Note that I'm new to some of this so the above numbers were edited since I didn't know if they can be traced back (overprotective I know). Anyway, I'm not sure if this is a part of the problem or not but hopefully someone may think of a solution or know of something to try? I will try to get a full log if anyone thinks it may help.

[mtl26637]

The reason why mtl26637's phone tethered to the router seems to be working, is probably due to the $75 ATT plan which includes 10gigs of hostpot/month, the $65 plan has no hotspot at all. It could also be due to make and model of the tethered phone, some will work with a router fine, while others won't. However once the 10gigs are used up, it could stop working, and not sure if the TTL settings would be able to bypass the hotspot restriction since the modem is not internal.
On the other hand, if it keeps working beyond the 10gigs, then somehow the hotspot restriction has been bypassed. Looks like ATT has gotten really crafty lately blocking data on mobile routers. :/

Actually it seems that it is not using the hotspot data at all. When logging into ATT account is doesn't show any hotspot data used at all. As far as the setup goes, it is an older verizon note 5 (not rooted) using the ATT prepaid sim connected to the USB port of the WE826-T2. After plugging it in and powering up the router I had to turn on 'USB Tethering' under the 'Mobile Hotspot and Tethering' menu in settings on the phone. This seems to work so far.

[terryjett]

I've not had much time to play with this in the past couple days but did want to give a quick update. I have a different setup that uses the EM7565 and ATT tablet plan and the WE1326 router that has worked flawlessly for around a year now.

That is good information! I do not totally understand the differences, but maybe someone else will. Appreciate you taking time to post logs of what you have found.

[mtl26637]

That is good information! I do not totally understand the differences, but maybe someone else will. Appreciate you taking time to post logs of what you have found.

There are several different types of ATT plans that are used. The most popular was ATT's iphone/tablet unlimited plan, however, as of a month or two ago, this plan is no longer available for new customers (for the most part). It seems ATT is cracking down on people using too much data and using sim in other devices. The only other 'unlimited' plans that are available are the prepaid plans which is the plan that we are having issues with. Hoping its just a setting/coding change but wishful thinking at this point. I live out in the middle of nowhere so vzw/att are only carriers available. Using LTE for internet is popular in rural areas where dsl connections are only alternatives and usually ran by small telco companies that take severe advantage of the situation. My dsl connection was almost $100/mo. and offered speeds of 5down/0.5 up on average. Back in the day upload speeds weren't very important but now that people are using cloud storage and remote connections for work its much more important. 0.5gb/s upload is almost unusable when remoting into work and transferring files back and forth. LTE offers much better upload speeds especially when using external antenna's pointing directly at the towers.

[bukzin]

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to find out if you have some service in and around your house, is by simply inviting some friends or relatives over with different carrier phones (ATT, Tmobile, Verizon, and Sprint). Run a quick speed test on their phone, and even if you get less than 10Mbps, chances are that the router with external antennas would pull in more signal.

If Verizon is the only choice in your area, there's a prepaid service called PagePlus for $55/mo with completely unlimited data. If you have already purchased a new PagePlus, SimpleMobile, or Tracfone activation sim kit from Walmart, Target, BestBuy or Ebay, I can help you activate PagePlus or SimpleMobile even with a Tracfone sim remotely, disable video throttling and test it in a phone before putting it into your router. Just send me a private message.


I have a Verizon SIM without their current service. Can I drop that in my unlocked Android 10
phone and check for signal strength near me?

I have the Network Cell Info pro version app but not sure how to use it. THX

[BillA]

Hey BillA, howz it hanging bro? Hope the world is treating you with respect

I wanted to try PagePlus for a friend some time back (actually thinking for wife as she is working from home for unforeseeable future). I read "At 60 GB, we reserve the right to review your account for usage in violation of Page Plus's terms and conditions.". Was worried that meant they will hunt your hotspot down and pour beer into it kind of threat.

Serious note though, how tight are they on data usage?

Hey hey!

So the screw is getting tighter every day, now with the new ATT prepaids don't seem to be working in modem/routers.
There's at least one confirmation from a user, that ATT is in fact blocking modems by its imei, which kind of sucks.
Anyway, I know many PagePlus users regularly going over 100gigs/month with no issues, course they could clamp down on it anytime, it's just the nature of the game. "Don't hate the playa, hate the game!" lol
Quectel modems seem to work a little better especially with Verizon and Sprint based services.

[BillA]

I have a Verizon SIM without their current service. Can I drop that in my unlocked Android 10
phone and check for signal strength near me?

I have the Network Cell Info pro version app but not sure how to use it. THX

Unfortunately most inactive Verizon sim cards do not provide a signal, and the few which do, usually only pick up the 3G signal for activation purposes. As I have posted earlier, the easiest way to find out the quality of service at your location, is by simply borrowing a Verizon phone from family, friends or neighbors (or invite them over). Run some speed tests on their phone in and around your house at different times of the day (12am, 6am, 12pm, 6pm), and even if you get less than 10Mbps, chances are that the router with external stubby/stick antennas would pull a better signal/speed.

[xdavidx]

So the screw is getting tighter every day, now with all ATT prepaids not working in modem/routers.
*** I've got confirmation that in fact ATT is blocking modems by its imei, which sucks. ***

When you say they are blocking them based on IMEI, do you mean if you first use the sim in a phone first, it will record the phone EMEI and then not work when that sim is used with an LTE modem in a router later, or do you mean they know it is an LTE modem in a router even if you start with it in a router?

[Cerebrium]

They are able to detect and block the modem IMEI number. You can activate the sim using the modem IMEI but when connecting it sends you to ATT homepage. Take the sim out put it in a phone everything works fine. Hope this helps.

[xdavidx]

They are able to detect and block the modem IMEI number. You can activate the sim using the modem IMEI but when connecting it sends you to ATT homepage. Take the sim out put it in a phone everything works fine. Hope this helps.

Interesting. When I set up my tablet plan, I didn't even have to have the Sim in any type of device at the time, so I didn't need to hit a web page with a device having the Sim in it.

I take it this means the activation procedure for the $65 plan is very different?

And you are saying you *do* want it to be in a phone when you go through the process, but still fill in the modem's IMEI number when asked?

[Cerebrium]

Yes that is correct. I gave them the modem IMEI number when they asked but stuck it in a phone to receive the activation text. The phone plans are completely different than the tablet or iPad plans that they have started doing away with.

[xdavidx]

Yes that is correct. I gave them the modem IMEI number when they asked but stuck it in a phone to receive the activation text. The phone plans are completely different than the tablet or iPad plans that they have started doing away with.

Thanks for the clarification. I really appreciate it. I thought I saw other people having trouble using the AT&T phone plans in routers. Everything works fine for you? Did you have to set a TTL value? Have you been over your plan's monthly deprioritization cap since signing up?

Here is the page with their plans: https://www.att.com/buy/wireless/prepaid/plandetails

One is $75, temporarily on sale for $65. The other is $65, temporarily on sale for $45. The first has HD video streaming (up to a limit of 1080P), the second has 480P. The first has 10GB of Hotspot data, the second allows you to purchase Hotspot data for $10 per 5GB. The first has a monthly deprioritization cap of 22 GB, the second *might* have immediate deprioritization (they don't list the cap, but it would be listed in the data plan once signed up, presumably).

Which plan do you have?

I apologize if you've already talked about some of this. I am just getting back into this after being out of the loop this winter. I tested my autopay tablet plan inside with omni antennas for the first time in about half a year a few days ago and it was able to connect to AT&T. The performance was slow, which was to be expected (poor signal strength and only band 12). Outdoor roof test with directional antennas will be done in the coming days.

I am trying to be prepared for what to switch to, and how, if the autopay tablet plan stops working.

[Cerebrium]

Neither plan will work in a modem due to the IMEI recognition. And as far as the speed of your tablet plan not sure if it’s your signal because with the stay at home orders in certain areas the towers are congested and causing slow speeds.

[BillA]

Neither plan will work in a modem due to the IMEI recognition. And as far as the speed of your tablet plan not sure if it’s your signal because with the stay at home orders in certain areas the towers are congested and causing slow speeds.

But didn't you say earlier if you activate the service by giving them the modem's imei but put the sim into a phone for the initial test call, thereafter the sim would work in a modem? At least that's what I understood. Someone else on here has mentioned that the blocked ATT plans might actually work in a Quectel modem just fine, assuming they're not black listed (yet).

[mtl26637]

Pretty sure he was saying if you put the sim back into a phone it works fine (only in the phone). As of right now the only option is keeping the sim in a phone and tethering to router. I guess I still question that it is IMEI related however. Using a sierra 7700 The LTE connection to the carrier works fine, it's something to do with DNS resolver and redirection. I would think that if it was IMEI related that an initial LTE connection would not be allowed but that may not be the case. Can someone elaborate on how this was determined? I pretty much gave up after reading it. I have a quectel on the way to try that route.

[xdavidx]

Can anyone report whether they have seen an account get shut down while using a Quectel modem? It seems like some AT&T tablet auto pay are getting shut down (luck of the draw). So if someone has one of those plans, with a Sierra modem, they can risk that or they can switch to a brand that isn't in the pool of IMEI numbers that are being denied. If the AT&T phone plans are truly not working due to IMEI number of Sierra modems, then it would seem using another brand with those plans would help too.

Personally, I am concerned about losing my auto pay tablet plan that I've paid for and haven't use a byte of data from for 6 months with my em7565. Due to a covid-19 stay at home order for our state, my family needs to all use the internet during the day, and the 0.8 Mbps upload on DSL isn't enough. I am tempted to temporarily tether from a pixel 1 phone to my router with my AT&T tablet plan, even though the speeds will be much slower than with my directional antennas, until someone can show that quectel is unaffected.

Does anyone know if AT&T have also disabled accounts where a phone tether is used? And do you need to do anything other than set the TTL on the router to allow this to work in an unrestricted way?

[BillA]

Can anyone report whether they have seen an account get shut down while using a Quectel modem? It seems like some AT&T tablet auto pay are getting shut down (luck of the draw). So if someone has one of those plans, with a Sierra modem, they can risk that or they can switch to a brand that isn't in the pool of IMEI numbers that are being denied. If the AT&T phone plans are truly not working due to IMEI number of Sierra modems, then it would seem using another brand with those plans would help too.

Personally, I am concerned about losing my auto pay tablet plan that I've paid for and haven't use a byte of data from for 6 months with my em7565. Due to a covid-19 stay at home order for our state, my family needs to all use the internet during the day, and the 0.8 Mbps upload on DSL isn't enough. I am tempted to temporarily tether from a pixel 1 phone to my router with my AT&T tablet plan, even though the speeds will be much slower than with my directional antennas, until someone can show that quectel is unaffected.

Does anyone know if AT&T have also disabled accounts where a phone tether is used? And do you need to do anything other than set the TTL on the router to allow this to work in an unrestricted way?

Based on lots of testing, I've noticed some interesting results. Using a phone with a higher CAT# 18/20/22 connected to the router as a modem can often outperform even the best internal modems. It might sound counter intuitive that a phone with its tiny internal antennas can achieve better speeds than an internal modem with high gain external antennas, but a phone's higher CAT# modem usually has more bands and is highly optimized for bonding multiple channels (CA) for a better throughput. Also, a used high CAT# phone can often be purchased for a less than a comparable CAT# internal modem.
Maybe something to keep in mind when looking for a high performance modem.

[xdavidx]

Based on lots of testing, I've noticed some interesting results. Using a phone with a higher CAT# 18/20/22 connected to the router as a modem can often outperform even the best internal modems. It might sound counter intuitive that a phone with its tiny internal antennas can achieve better speeds than an internal modem with high gain external antennas, but a higher CAT# phone's modem is highly optimized and can bond multiple channels (CA) for a better throughput. Also, a used high CAT# phone can often be purchased for a less than a comparable CAT# internal modem.
Maybe something to keep in mind when looking for a high performance modem.

All very good points for people to ponder. Unfortunately, my house is in a low signal area, so there is a big difference between performance with external, directional antennas and internal phone antennas, even with the parallelism the modern phone modems offer. Right now I am thinking a medium solution (phone tethering) that reduces risk to my account getting shutdown is possibly wiser than risking the account for an optimal connection (Sierra modem with directional antennas).

Luckily, I do have an unused lte phone that I can try using for this use case, so that helps.

With your tethering testing, was this with an tablet plan or a phone plan? Did you need to adjust the ttl settings in the router to avoid data being counted as Hotspot data?

[BillA]

All very good points for people to ponder. Unfortunately, my house is in a low signal area, so there is a big difference between performance with external, directional antennas and internal phone antennas, even with the parallelism the modern phone modems offer. Right now I am thinking a medium solution (phone tethering) that reduces risk to my account getting shutdown is possibly wiser than risking the account for an optimal connection (Sierra modem with directional antennas).

Luckily, I do have an unused lte phone that I can try using for this use case, so that helps.

With your tethering testing, was this with an tablet plan or a phone plan? Did you need to adjust the ttl settings in the router to avoid data being counted as Hotspot data?

Well, don't expect great results with a 3-4 year old phone (CAT9-12), gotta use something more modern from the past 2 years, preferably an unlocked Samsung S8/9/10 (CAT16-20) which can be gotten used for a couple of hundred bucks off of Ebay. When using a Samsung S9 CAT-18 as a modem, surprisingly even with only 1-2 bars I was able to get around 50Mbps, and with 4-5 bars I've seen as high as 350+Mbps on Tmobile. Seems like LTE is more forgiving when it comes to low signal. Course a good internal modem with some high gain antennas can also perform great, it's a matter of cost/benefit decision.
And yes, using a phone as a modem is probably the best way to hide your usage, since it shows up as a phone on the network, without the need for any illegal modem modifications. The TTL has to be set properly, and in some cases a custom firewall/routing rule needs to be defined (search for it, plenty of posts about it by JimHelms).

[xdavidx]

Well, don't expect great results with a 3-4 year old phone (CAT9-12), gotta use something more modern from the past 2 years, preferably an unlocked Samsung S8/9/10 (CAT16-20) which can be gotten used for a couple of hundred bucks off of Ebay. When using a Samsung S9 CAT-18 as a modem, surprisingly even with only 1-2 bars I was able to get around 50Mbps, and with 4-5 bars I've seen as high as 350+Mbps on Tmobile. Seems like LTE is more forgiving when it comes to low signal.

Unfortunately, I'm down in the "barely 1 bar" territory here. I just put the sim in a Pixel 1 and went on the roof. Handful of mbps down and 0.3 to 0.4 up. My regular phone on a t-mobile sim at least got teens down and 1-2 Mbps up, and it doesn't even support all the bands. The pixel 1 may only be 2 CA, on AT&T. I'm not sure. But it definitely isn't a solution here. Very poor signal times N carriers = slowmo, regardless of how many carriers for me, unfortunately.

Course a good internal modem with some high gain antennas can also perform great, it's a matter of cost/benefit decision.
And yes, using a phone as a modem is probably the best way to hide your usage, since it shows up as a phone on the network, without the need for any illegal modem modifications. The TTL has to be set properly, and in some cases a custom firewall/routing rule needs to be defined (search for it, plenty of posts about it by JimHelms).

Thanks for the info.

I'm considering a couple options here:

1) Try to get one of the magical post-paid tablet plans from AT&T and risk that with the Sierra modem in my router.

2) Go with one of the T-mobile backed plans, like the SimpleMobile plan, and use that until I can confirm whether another brand modem will fly under the radar with the AT&T grandfathered tablet plan.

[BillA]

Unfortunately, I'm down in the "barely 1 bar" territory here. I just put the sim in a Pixel 1 and went on the roof. Handful of mbps down and 0.3 to 0.4 up. My regular phone on a t-mobile sim at least got teens down and 1-2 Mbps up, and it doesn't even support all the bands. The pixel 1 may only be 2 CA, on AT&T. I'm not sure. But it definitely isn't a solution here. Very poor signal times N carriers = slowmo, regardless of how many carriers for me, unfortunately.


Thanks for the info.

I'm considering a couple options here:

1) Try to get one of the magical post-paid tablet plans from AT&T and risk that with the Sierra modem in my router.

2) Go with one of the T-mobile backed plans, like the SimpleMobile plan, and use that until I can confirm whether another brand modem will fly under the radar with the AT&T grandfathered tablet plan.

Ahh, decisions, decisions lol ... let us know your results.
This stay-at-home situation is the perfect time to tinker and zap the virus with LTE radiation. lol

[mtl26637]

I'm in the same boat as you xdavidx, I too have att tablet/sierra combo and am looking for a backup for safety net reasons. The way I see it is they are cracking down on the data hog abusers as of now, when they see non legit sim they suspend the account. I'm pretty sure if you keep your numbers down you will be safe (for now). ATT may even slow down on their suspensions now that everyone is at home on 'lockdown', I know a lot of carriers are throwing out free data at the moment to help with data usages. For now i'm simply gonna use the tablet plan and the tethered prepaid plan and load balance to keep numbers down. I'm not gonna quit using the tablet plan as it would defeat the purpose of having it altogether. Hopefully they don't dig any deeper into matching imei's as i'm sure this would shut down most at this point. Everyone break out your glitchers, let see if these things are glitchable, lol.

[xdavidx]

For now i'm simply gonna use the tablet plan and the tethered prepaid plan and load balance to keep numbers down. I'm not gonna quit using the tablet plan as it would defeat the purpose of having it altogether.

Is there a way to do this in a single router running GoldenOrb/WiFix or are you running two cellular routers and load balancing them in an upstream router?

I might consider doing this with a used modem to complement what I currently have, depending on what is involved. I do have an upstream router than can do load balancing of Wan sources. Just curious how the Sim card use would go if you are using a single cellular router with an internal *and* external (USB) modem.

Thanks,
David

[mtl26637]

Router1: WE1326/Sierra EM7565/ATT Tablet plan
Router2: WE826-T2/USB Note5 phone/ATT prepaid plan
Loadbalance: "wan" interface = internal sierra | "wan1" interface = ethernet cable from Router1 to Router2 WAN port.

That is just how I have it setup currently. You could just as easily use only 1 router and have the usb phone plugged in directly to "Router1" in the above setup to it's usb port.

fyi, if you end up using load balancing dont forget to enable Modem/Connection Profile/Advanced/..."Enable Load Balancing at Connection=yes" to make it persistent across reboots. Took me forever to track that down.

[xdavidx]

Router1: WE1326/Sierra EM7565/ATT Tablet plan
Router2: WE826-T2/USB Note5 phone/ATT prepaid plan
Loadbalance: "wan" interface = internal sierra | "wan1" interface = ethernet cable from Router1 to Router2 WAN port.

That is just how I have it setup currently. You could just as easily use only 1 router and have the usb phone plugged in directly to "Router1" in the above setup to it's usb port.

Thanks, that really helps me understand better. I wasn't aware (or I forgot) that WiFix (that is what you are running?) allows for multiwan and that one Wan can be internal and one external (either through ethernet or USB). I will have to research to see if Sim cards go right in external USB enclosures or they still require the Sim to be in the router. If they can be in the USB enclosures, then I could make all this work with a used modem and an enclosure.

Antennas are another variable here. Would either need to give each of my modems one of my 2 directional antennas (and skip mimo) or put some small ominis on one modem and have poorer speeds. I don't think omnis will cut it for me, but I can test it. In your case, you must get good signals on the note 5 internal antennas. I am in too much of a dead zone for phone antennas to work well.

I really appreciate you taking the time to step me through your setup. Thanks!

[mtl26637]

You might be surprised on what you find out while trying different scenarios and diff. antenna setups. Closest tower for me is 3 or 4 miles away. LTE can play mind games with you as it uses different signal paths to increase speed so sometimes not using an external antenna at all can be better than a directional pointed straight at a tower. It's just a trial and error thing. When using directionals you are limiting your modem to a single tower whereas using omni or internal antennas you could be picking up several towers using carrier aggregation (CA). It all depends on what frequencies are available on what tower and what the internal modem decides is best scenario. Using directionals, my CA is always locked to a single tower. Upload is totally different ballgame as it doesn't use CA and external setup will almost always be better.

Oh ya, I forgot to metion both routers running rooter / wifix / goldenorb firmwares.

[xdavidx]

You might be surprised on what you find out while trying different scenarios and diff. antenna setups. Closest tower for me is 3 or 4 miles away. LTE can play mind games with you as it uses different signal paths to increase speed so sometimes not using an external antenna at all can be better than a directional pointed straight at a tower. It's just a trial and error thing. When using directionals you are limiting your modem to a single tower whereas using omni or internal antennas you could be picking up several towers using carrier aggregation (CA). It all depends on what frequencies are available on what tower and what the internal modem decides is best scenario. Using directionals, my CA is always locked to a single tower. Upload is totally different ballgame as it doesn't use CA and external setup will almost always be better.

Oh ya, I forgot to metion both routers running rooter / wifix / goldenorb firmwares.

Yeah, I really hoped I would get lucky with the phone antennas and they would be "good enough", if not optimal. But I did real world testing and it just doesn't get enough signal.

My carriers here don't have intertower CA here. I didn't know that was common elsewhere. They must have some good communication between the towers to keep them in sync.

Thanks for the confirmation on firmware!

[mtl26637]

I'm pretty sure its intertower CA, you have me second guessing myself now, lol. It's been awhile since I dug deep into it. The way I picture it is all towers within the same TAC (tower area code) are all on the same network and are all interconnected kinda like a home setup of all computers tied to a single gateway/router.

[xdavidx]

I'm pretty sure its intertower CA, you have me second guessing myself now, lol. It's been awhile since I dug deep into it. The way I picture it is all towers within the same TAC (tower area code) are all on the same network and are all interconnected kinda like a home setup of all computers tied to a single gateway/router.

Not saying it isn't enabled where you are. I just know I can't do it here. Great if you can do it. Built in load balancing and high availability!

[terryjett]

Router1: WE1326/Sierra EM7565/ATT Tablet plan
Router2: WE826-T2/USB Note5 phone/ATT prepaid plan
Loadbalance: "wan" interface = internal sierra | "wan1" interface = ethernet cable from Router1 to Router2 WAN port.

That is just how I have it setup currently. You could just as easily use only 1 router and have the usb phone plugged in directly to "Router1" in the above setup to it's usb port.

fyi, if you end up using load balancing dont forget to enable Modem/Connection Profile/Advanced/..."Enable Load Balancing at Connection=yes" to make it persistent across reboots. Took me forever to track that down.

Good info! I have got to try your settings this weekend. Fiddled around with it few months ago and never got results but think messed up the wan1 interface settings.

Thanks for sharing!

[terryjett]

I will have to research to see if Sim cards go right in external USB enclosures or they still require the Sim to be in the router. If they can be in the USB enclosures, then I could make all this work with a used modem and an enclosure.

In my tests using external USB adapter / enclosure the SIM works fine outside of WE826. Even works by plugging in my phone and recognizes it as separate device.

Now I have to try the load balancing with external USB modem and my phone

[xdavidx]

In my tests using external USB adapter / enclosure the SIM works fine outside of WE826. Even works by plugging in my phone and recognizes it as separate device.

Now I have to try the load balancing with external USB modem and my phone

Any information is helpful, regarding the multi-wan with internal modem and external phone/modem through USB.

Now that I think about it in the light of day, it makes perfect sense that the sim would be in the enclosure, not the router, since an external phone works and it has the sim in the phone. I get a bit confused about such things, because my router has a sim slot *and* my modem adapter (m2. to mini pcie) has a sim slot, and I have always used the router sim slot, not the adapter slot, so I always associate the sim with the router, when I really should think of it as associated to the modem.

[BV2020]

I hate to bump this thread, but hate even more than that starting a new thread on the same subject! AND I told Bill I will post my findings here

I have some information for you on the ATT PREPAID plans. First:

1- You can change your IMEI with ATT. You can call them and they will change it and you can change it on their Website. Login to your account.

https://www.paygonline.com/websc/simupdate.html

Click on New Device IMEI and enter the number. I'm not sure if this will help you at all, BUT it can't hurt.

2- This seems to be a "modem" issue. My Cat6 works well on both the $65 and the $75 plan. I don't need to update the IMEI at all. I can swap them out at any time and they work. When I switch out the Modem, I get the redirect to "you plan has no data, login and chose a plan with data".

Using AT commands We are seeing a EMM detach.

at+cgact=2
ERROR

at+ceer
+CEER: EMM detached


We are still working for answers because we KNOW for a fact, on our CAT6 modem it works. No changing of the IMEI, 2 different plans $65, and the $75. AND it shows no data used. Just no luck on the bigger CAT(9-20) modems yet.

We are changing the IMEI today on the $75 to another modem to test. Maybe it will produce the needed change.

[xdavidx]

@bv2020... When you use the IMEI change page, are you changing the IMEI tied to the account to be the sierra modem IMEI number?

I did find something related to EMM detach errors in this thread and the original poster did report that he go things working by trying various settings. I didn't try to follow it completely.

https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/mc74 ... ed/15423/8

Maybe your bigger modems need some settings changed?

[BV2020]

@xdavidx

We did. I pulled the IMEI off the modem and changed it. HOWEVER, the result was the same. So, it did not work for that modem. I called to make sure the IMEI was correct.

But I can 100% confirm, that reverting back to the cat6 modem, that sim on the prepaid STILL works. Something about that cat6 modem is different. We are trying as much as 14 hours per day, daily to locate that issue. We are working with the manufacturer of 3 different modems and their tech team. They tell us what to run in commands even.

Thanks for the link and I hope it gives me insight that I can share.

[xdavidx]

I suppose they could have blacklisted that IMEI and not deactivated the sim. Yet, they are fine with the ca6 modem IMEI? But if you changed the SIM IMEI sanctioned IMEI in the sim account, then that wouldn't seem to jive. That makes me think maybe it is a modem setting like they mentioned in that other thread. Too many variables.

[BV2020]

I don't think it's that. We are testing 2 different ATT prepaid sims. 2 Sprint. 2 Tmobile.

Something will come along that answers the questions.

[xdavidx]

So it is not sim/provider related. Just modem related. Multiple cat9-20 modems do not work? Are they all Sierra?

[terryjett]

I hate to bump this thread, but hate even more than that starting a new thread on the same subject! AND I told Bill I will post my findings here

I have some information for you on the ATT PREPAID plans. First:

1- You can change your IMEI with ATT. You can call them and they will change it and you can change it on their Website. Login to your account.

https://www.paygonline.com/websc/simupdate.html

Click on New Device IMEI and enter the number. I'm not sure if this will help you at all, BUT it can't hurt.

2- This seems to be a "modem" issue. My Cat6 works well on both the $65 and the $75 plan. I don't need to update the IMEI at all. I can swap them out at any time and they work. When I switch out the Modem, I get the redirect to "you plan has no data, login and chose a plan with data".

Using AT commands We are seeing a EMM detach.

at+cgact=2
ERROR

at+ceer
+CEER: EMM detached


We are still working for answers because we KNOW for a fact, on our CAT6 modem it works. No changing of the IMEI, 2 different plans $65, and the $75. AND it shows no data used. Just no luck on the bigger CAT(9-20) modems yet.

We are changing the IMEI today on the $75 to another modem to test. Maybe it will produce the needed change.

Thank you for sharing your findings, I for one find them very interesting. Will be following what you find

[BV2020]

So it is not sim/provider related. Just modem related. Multiple cat9-20 modems do not work? Are they all Sierra?

I don't know the exact issue. Just that the Cat6 modem is working with both sims from ATT that are Prepaid.

- $75 plan Working with Cat6
- $65 Plan working with Cat6

None of these Modems are Sierra. Telit, Fibocom, and Mikrotik

[Twoods196]

I tried using the $65 att plan and it would work in my phone but not in my WE826. I have a CAT6 Modem, to get it to work in the we826 are you just using the apn name like "nxtgenphone" or is there anything else that needs to be setup to make it work? I was able to get a signal, attach an everything but couldnt get no data. Couldnt load websites etc....When i stuck the sim back in my phone it took it about 5 mins before it started working again. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[JimHelms]

I would think the APN for AT&T should be broadband.

[farmy87]

New here but wanted to add my experience with this play. I have the $75 dollar plan. I have have been unable to get it to work with my Netgear LB2120. I'm going to try to do a router/modem build per The Wireless Haven - so am curious if anyone could let me know a specific modem they have been able to get working with this plan?

[novasixshot]

If Verizon is the only choice in your area, there's a prepaid service called PagePlus for $55/mo with completely unlimited data. If you have already purchased a new PagePlus, SimpleMobile, or Tracfone activation sim kit from Walmart, Target, BestBuy or Ebay, I can help you activate PagePlus or SimpleMobile even with a Tracfone sim remotely, disable video throttling and test it in a phone before putting it into your router. Just send me a private message.

Sorry to revive a really old thread, but @BillA do you still do the simple mobile activation? I do have a sim kit, but I'm not allowed to PM

[mtl26637]

Keep in mind Tracfone was recently purchased by Verizon and they seem to be pushing hard to move the different plans to Verizon based service. At least for SimpleMobile anyway. They also throttle down after certain usage these days. I was forced to replace my already compatible phone with another phone and when I received it they had moved it from a tmobile plan to verizon based plan which then I lost my 5G coverage. I can't even describe how much of a pain it was to get things back to the way they were. Pretty sure the video throttling can be handled online or with phone call. I remember running across this in their TOS recently.