Forum Discussion
Using the TMobile ISP Box sim in a Netgear LB1120
I have the unlimited TMobile ISP internet modem, and it works ok, but it has limitations that I can solve by using a different modem. The TMobile ISP box does NOT have a bridge mode and it does NOT have external ports for external antennas. For those of us in rural areas this means we get maybe 1 bar of service. The NO bridge mode means I either intend to let the TMobile modem be a router as well as a modem, and I don't like this idea for several reasons: 1) The firewall sucks. 2) no masquerade 3) No detail configurable firewall with subnets, 4) No embedded GPS for location & 5) the 2.4 & 5 Mhz Wifi is not powerful enough to reach the far corners of the home and those emitters interfere with the cellular signal at 1 bar, making upload speeds suck for a Plex server. So I prefer my Mikrotik router, and my Mikrotik AP's stanmding alone on the network - which means I need the TMobile ISP modem to be in bridge mode, (but they don't have a bridge mode) or I'll encounter a double NAT issue. There are too many ports to attempt to forward on my network and opening the DMZ is counter intuitive to the purpose of a true masquerading firewall. So using the TMobile modem as a DHCP server/firewall is not an option I'll consider.
So I purchased the Netgear LB1120 modem and proceeded to transplant the sim from the TMobile modem into the Netgear 1120. I set the APN to fbb.home and - nothing. It will not connect to the TMobile network. No bars. I installed a generic TMobile sim card in the Netgear LB1120 and it comes right up - with 1-2 bars.
So how do I configure the Netgear LB1120 to use the sim card out of the TMobile ISP modem?
If I can get it to work I can install the L400 cables to the external grid antennas outdoors, pointed at the nearest cell tower, and I should get 5 bars and a truly descent internet experience.
I know this is a bit old, any updates?
Did any of you try IPV6 only. Looking at what the trashcan gets it appears to only get an IPV6 ip. No V4. Although an ipleak test shows an external IP. Maybe they are using a gateway on the ISP end and routing everything over IPV6 wirelessly. My guess is you would have to set your LAN up to bridge
I reviewed a bunch of the JS happening on the web UI. There are API functions for everything you could want. I just have to figure out the details needed to send the requests. There may be hidden pages that could set things. I see port forwarding, IPV4 address, Access Polocies, QOS, Etc.
networkdaemon wrote:
Call Me Bob wrote:
You CANNOT use the SIM from inside the gateway.
As long as the device you are transplanting it to has the same IMEI, you absolutely can. I use a Mikrotik RB and a Quectel LTE modem (see my posts above), which I now have working.
Ret60sp wrote:
The TMobile ISP box does NOT have a bridge mode and it does NOT have external ports for external antennas.
TMO's major limitation is that even if you do get a gateway device with bridge mode (or any other NAT function), TMO's CGNAT implementation makes life difficult. Possible solution = OpenVPN on a $2/mo VPS.
Ret60sp wrote:
So I prefer my Mikrotik router, and my Mikrotik AP’s standing alone on the network.
I recommend you try my solution above if you like Mikrotik (I used the smallest board, but there are several other options). Works great and the management across my network is consistent and easy if you are already familiar w/ Mikrotik. Also, there are many other modem choices out there depending on what bands and technology (LTE / 5G) you wish to accommodate (and your budget, of course!).
Hi networkdaemon! I'm working on this exact issue for a family member. I have an external yagi antenna (roof mounted) as well as a pfsense firewall and a few piholes that i set up for them, bridge mode would be amazing.
I’m comfortable with Linux, but never played around with Mikrotik and will be spinning up on that this weekend.
Can you share any notes on your process to get this working, maybe on Reddit or in this thread? I did a little research on carrier grade NAT, sounds like a little AWS instance will do the trick nicely.
