What is the new Cradlepoint? Is it still Cradlepoint?

[Tony Laubach]

Hello all!

Back in the day, more so when I had USB data sticks as opposed to hotspots and jetpacks, one could get a Cradlepoint router, plug those USB devices in, and that cradlepoint would share those connections, change the active connection should one fall out, etc...

What is being done now? I have been looking around and the answers have been foggy. I've seen bonding software, something like Speedify (a subscription service) on the software side, and I'm having a hard time isolating searches for hardware. My manner of connecting to internet on the road is now in the hands of jetpacks or phone hotspots, so everything is wireless.

Does such a thing exist anymore? What can take in multiple WIRELESS internet connections and put them into one spot, share those connections, failover those connections, etc?

Many thanks all!

 

[TJKLECKNER]

This might be more what you are looking for. 4g multiplexer router

Quad Cellular Modems and Redundant SIM slots allow you to use up to four different cellular providers for bandwidth bonding, data overage protection or eliminating blind spots.

MAX Multi-Cellular Router > Peplink

hd2 anchor hd2mini anchor hd4 anchor MFA anchor MAX 700 anchor HD2 Dual LTEMobile Router HD2 Mini CompactDual LTEMobile Router HD4 Quad LTEMobile Router MediaFast Dual/Quad LTEContent CachingMobile Router 700 Quad USB Rugged Mobile Router Transit Specialized for Transportation Wi-Fi...

www.peplink.com

 

[Mark Blue]

Unfortunately Cradlepoint no longer offers affordable routers at the price point we are accustomed to. They do have routers that do what you mentioned but they’re over 1K, especially if you buy some of the optional equipment. The COR IBR1100 series: Cradlepoint COR IBR1100 Series | Cradlepoint is close to what you’re looking for, but is so feature-rich it’s crazy. If you’re a member of RV Mobile Internet website they did a review of the COR IBR900 series here: Review: COR IBR900 Router by Cradlepoint (Mobile Routers) - Mobile Internet Resource Center, which is similar to the 1100. These new routers allow you to insert SIM cards from multiple carriers to keep you connected. My opinion of Cradlepoint is they went after a different market segment awhile ago and we were left out of their plans. The Peplink mentioned above is also nice, but they aren’t cheap either. That leaves very few options, so it’s probably the reason why we’re all using jet packs and/or mobile routers these days.

 

[B. Dean Berry]

The COR-IBR600 is now very affordable on the used market

 

[B. Dean Berry]

Lol. From the ads at the bottom of this page

Net gear unit

 

[TJKLECKNER]

Lol. From the ads at the bottom of this page

Net gear unit

I believe he needs multiple 4G connections at once. The models Netgear / advertised that are cheaper, only have one active connection. The Pepwave router/modem I posted does four simultaneous connections. Unfortunately, the cheapest used unit is $1,800.

 

[B. Dean Berry]

Oh yeah, that's always going to be ridiculously expensive.

 

[Tony Laubach]

Thanks for the replies so far, folks. Yeah, I have noticed a dramatic change in the pricing for the hardware, which is why I was wondering if there was some software equivilent. It's obviously been a few years since I've ventured into this market, but looking at some upgrades and suggestions and am amazed that the technology hasn't really advanced/gotten cheaper in the years since.

I think where I am shifting focus is on the software potential. Even if I can't find something to merge multiple connections, does anyone know of connection software that would automatically change a wireless connection should one drop out? Say I have three different data cards/providers in my car, and my main one drops, is there a piece of software that would grab another working connection?

 

[Mark Blue]

That’s a good question Tony. I can’t think of anything off hand but then I haven’t done much research either. What I do is turn on Verizon on our iPads and also have WiFi turned on because I run a Netgear MR1100 Nighthawk from AT&T in the car. I want to put it to the stress test by driving all over the place, but haven’t found time the last couple of years. My mom moved in with us after my father passed so my time is mostly used up taking care of her. Someday I’ll get there.

 

[Drew Terril]

That’s a good question Tony. I can’t think of anything off hand but then I haven’t done much research either. What I do is turn on Verizon on our iPads and also have WiFi turned on because I run a Netgear MR1100 Nighthawk from AT&T in the car. I want to put it to the stress test by driving all over the place, but haven’t found time the last couple of years. My mom moved in with us after my father passed so my time is mostly used up taking care of her. Someday I’ll get there.

Mark,

I believe you can set iOS to automatically pull from cell towers to supplement weak wifi data. I'm not sure if this means just when the signal is weak or if it means when the data speed slows down. So I'd be curious to see what you find out if/when you have an opportunity to test that out.

 

[TJKLECKNER]

One simple idea you could try, but it would require multiple hotspots, each with their own cellular contract. Multiple WiFi adapters in the computer.

By using Speedify, you’ll get a super-connection to the Internet with higher bandwidth, lower latency, increased reliability. Even if one WiFi connection drops, you’ll still be online, as Speedify will work with the remaining working WiFi Internet connection.

Grab a handful of these: NEW 2018 Mini USB WiFi WLAN Wireless Network Adapter 802.11 Dongle RTL8188 lapto 602310274036 | eBay

Use this program to combine conections:

 

[TJKLECKNER]

 

[Mark Blue]

Is this the setting you mentioned Drew?



The information about Speedify sounds promising. I’ll have to check it out as I’ve heard the name but never looked into it.

 

[Drew Terril]

Yes, that's the setting I was referring too. I'm not sure if it's keyed by wifi signal strength, or by data connection speed.

 

[Mark Blue]

After looking at Speedify you could potentially give it a shot Tony. It’s apparently a VPN that uses channel bonding to increase speed. It’s a subscription service for $48.00 each year for an individual account. You can provide a certain number of connections based on account type and even change connection priorities in the settings. It’s probably worth Googling to see if there are other companies before buying into a subscription with Speedify. I did and only came up with a couple of options one of them being iNetFusion.