Outdoor hotspot receivers-remote locations

[bluedog225]

I’ve got my solar stuff inside a shipping container. At a somewhat remote location.

I’d like to get Wi-Fi in there so I can communicate with work and monitor my system remotely.

The best option for that is to get a mobile hotspot and mount it up high under the eve of the shop. Even though it’s a 50 foot run of ethernet cable to get the data from the hotspot to inside the shipping container. Putting electronics on top of the conex seems unwise in the Texas weather.

I’m pretty technically challenged. I googled around to see if there were outdoor hotspot receivers. I didn’t find much. And I didn’t find anything compatible with AT&T.

Am I on the right track? Or do I have to start looking at something like Starlink, which is somewhat expensive?

Any suggestions as to equipment?

Thanks

 

[BrandonV]

I have a friend who has a container and I set him up with an industrial 5G router. I use them all the time in fleet vehicles that sit outside in the Arizona sun and need constant Internet connectivity.

Sierra Wireless makes a bunch of them. Usually you can pick up used ones on eBay for a fraction of the price of a new one. I will admit they're not plug & play so depending on your comfort level it may not be the right solution.

If you have an Internet connection at another location on the property I'd recommend either running it there via fiber or PtP wireless first, but if you only need a connection at the container the cellular router is a good option.

 

[BillK]

If you have good cell reception all you need is a mobile hot spot. I used a T-Mobile hot spot for years for internet at my shop for internet and it worked fine. About $60 a month. Im sure ATT offers them and I know Verizon does.

 

[loganb]

How far from the conex is your current internet.... Hundred feet... Couple hundred yards... Miles....thousands of furlong?

 

[bluedog225]

There is no internet out there. 1500 feet or so to the road.

This may turn into a mess of a project. I want internet at the place generally, and internet inside the conex.

An outdoor hotspot or robust mobile router would work. With an Ethernet cable to the conex to give me remote monitoring in the solar stuff.

Later I will want POE cameras as well.

I’ll look into the Sierra wireless. Maybe I can hit someone to get it set up in town with the sim then take it out there.

 

[racecougar]

AT&T already offers the solution: their All-Fi hub.

 

[bluedog225]

I guess I need to get some type of hotspot to the place. I’ve got the ATT cellular plan worked out.

Then build out a mesh to include getting into the conex.

The vehicle mounted mobile hotspots seem pretty robust and would do fine under the eave of the workshop. But pricey.

Apparently there’s a whole thing to learn here.

 

[BrandonV]

I guess I need to get some type of hotspot to the place. I’ve got the ATT cellular plan worked out.

Then build out a mesh to include getting into the conex.

The vehicle mounted mobile hotspots seem pretty robust and would do fine under the eave of the workshop. But pricey.

Apparently there’s a whole thing to learn here.

The 4G LTE units at this point are being ripped from vehicles left & right. As long as the one you are looking at has the bands that cover AT&T in your area you can pick them up for pennies on the dollar.

 

[bluedog225]

I have a friend who has a container and I set him up with an industrial 5G router. I use them all the time in fleet vehicles that sit outside in the Arizona sun and need constant Internet connectivity.

Sierra Wireless makes a bunch of them. Usually you can pick up used ones on eBay for a fraction of the price of a new one. I will admit they're not plug & play so depending on your comfort level it may not be the right solution.

If you have an Internet connection at another location on the property I'd recommend either running it there via fiber or PtP wireless first, but if you only need a connection at the container the cellular router is a good option.

I’m looking at eBay and there are a lot of the Sierra routers. I’d appreciate any guidance on a model.

edit-as I was typing this I saw your post on 4G. That last column is whether they are 5g.

I need to look into how big a difference 5g makes. Particularly going forward with internet cameras.

Thanks

 

[theoldwizard1]

... it’s a 50 foot run of ethernet cable to get the data from the hotspot to inside the shipping container.

For dependability/reliability you are better off going "hard wired".

The best option for that is to get a mobile hotspot and mount it up high under the eve of the shop.

I don't like that terminology, but it is accurate. It you can mount it INSIDE (or at least in a weather proof box) there are DOZENS of inexpensive (starting at less than $100) cellular modems available on Amazon. Cellular modems designed for outdoor use are $$$ ! Skip the 5G ones. They are expensive and you don't need one. A 4G cellular modem is adequate for what you want to do.

Quick technical lesson. There are 2 types of cellular networks. GSM and CDMA. Most modern cellular modems can do both.

The problem is getting a SIM card ! Most carriers will not sell you on unless you buy their device and cellular plan. THIS IS PURE ******** MEANT TO EMPTY YOUR WALLET !! Once you have a SIM card that is compatible with your modem, you can use use what ever carrier you want or, better yet, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Just don't tell them you are plugging the card into a cellular modem ! You will have to configure the modem yourself. Contact the manufacturer. DO NOT CONTACT THE CARRIER.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The best option for that is to get a mobile hotspot ...

Not necessarily !

If you already have a Internet Provider and modem/router/WAP (Wireless Access Point) installed, the simplest/cheapest option may be an 802.11 Wireless Bridge. Several available on Amazon.

2 boxes. Plug one into an RJ45 port on your existing modem/router/WAP and you camera into the other. Of course, you need power at both ends.

 

[dcg9381]

The best option for that is to get a mobile hotspot and mount it up high under the eve of the shop. Even though it’s a 50 foot run of ethernet cable to get the data from the hotspot to inside the shipping container. Putting electronics on top of the conex seems unwise in the Texas weather.

Any suggestions as to equipment?

Put the equipment inside the conex with your solar. Buy equipment that will accept an external antenna and mount that antenna outside the connex. There are a number of mobile hotspots that will take external antennas.

Note, with mobile hotspots, you can't typically attach to it remotely (from the internet) like you can with traditional internet. But if all you're doing is broadcasting your solar data out to the cloud or are interfacing with a cloud control, it should work.

If, long term, you were going to use this as "real internet" - I'd probably want something like starlink.

Note, you're also very dependent upon the available 4/5G signal out there... Having an external antenna will be a big help, but if there is a lot of density (people) out there or if provisioning of the local 4/5G signal is minimum, it's not going to work well. You can test it by a simple internet speed test on your phone to get a general idea...

 

[BillK]

Just curious, how is everything going to be powered ?

 

[ericm]

The problem is getting a SIM card ! Most carriers will not sell you on unless you buy their device and cellular plan. THIS IS PURE ******** MEANT TO EMPTY YOUR WALLET !! Once you have a SIM card that is compatible with your modem, you can use use what ever carrier you want or, better yet, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Just don't tell them you are plugging the card into a cellular modem ! You will have to configure the modem yourself. Contact the manufacturer. DO NOT CONTACT THE CARRIER.

I managed to get an ATT SIM card to put in a camera on our construction site. It's buried in their web site but it's there. It's on a pay as you go plan. The ATT store was useless. Configuring the cellular part of the camera was easy.

The other major carriers also had pay as you go data SIMs available. The MVNOs I found were not a better deal. Maybe there are some that are.

I used cellular coverage maps to find out who had good coverage for our rural location. The ones I used were overlays for a GPS navigation/mapping app that's not free but there are free maps out there, just with less resolution.

 

[bluedog225]

Just curious, how is everything going to be powered ?

I’ve got the conex insulated and air conditioned. I keep the inverter and LFP batteries in there. And I’ve got a 5000 watt inverter to power the workshop with an option to parallel another one (or more).

I like the idea of an external antenna and keeping the hotspot inside. I suspect there is a way to get the WiFi out of the conex after that. Even if just through Ethernet to a WiFi node.

There are several options for a WiFi mesh setup once I get the basic internet onsite. E.g.: ubiquiti/unifi. But most of these are way over my head.

 

[dcg9381]

E.g.: ubiquiti/unifi. But most of these are way over my head.

When you are ready, we'll help. Unifi stuff is great and they make (wireless) mesh dead simple.

 

[BrandonV]

I’ve got the conex insulated and air conditioned. I keep the inverter and LFP batteries in there. And I’ve got a 5000 watt inverter to power the workshop with an option to parallel another one (or more).

I like the idea of an external antenna and keeping the hotspot inside. I suspect there is a way to get the WiFi out of the conex after that. Even if just through Ethernet to a WiFi node.

There are several options for a WiFi mesh setup once I get the basic internet onsite. E.g.: ubiquiti/unifi. But most of these are way over my head.

Plus side of those cellular routers is they run on DC.

 

[bluedog225]

When you are ready, we'll help. Unifi stuff is great and they make (wireless) mesh dead simple.

Thanks.

I took a look at the starlink. The mini roam is only $50 a month. Very tempting. 50 GB.

I’ve been using my phone hotspot for years with a 5 GB limit and doing ok. I’ll need to figure out the Victron VRM data use.

Does starlink simply broadcast WiFi at my place? Like my google fiber router? And I can pick it up with a node of some sort and push it into the conex?

 

[dcg9381]

Does starlink simply broadcast WiFi at my place? Like my google fiber router? And I can pick it up with a node of some sort and push it into the conex?

The advantage of starlink is that it's satellite based and not cellular based. It's disadvantage is perhaps that it's more expensive.

Cellular may be better or worse depending on your specific geographic conditions, but starlink is going to have a very "known performance".

Both can be picked up as WAN (internet) and broadcast as LAN (local network) across property, just like your google fiber... With a little planning anyway...

 

[theoldwizard1]

I managed to get an ATT SIM card to put in a camera on our construction site. It's buried in their web site but it's there. It's on a pay as you go plan. The ATT store was useless. Configuring the cellular part of the camera was easy.

The other major carriers also had pay as you go data SIMs available.

I used my best google-foo and could not find a Verizon SIM card for my buddies cellular modem. Finally found an old iPhone and had that added to his plan.

The MVNOs I found were not a better deal. Maybe there are some that are.

I currently have 2 iPhones on Ting Mobile. We use VERY LITTLE data, so that part of the bill is "pay for what you use". Typical bill with taxes and fees is $5/month !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Does Starlink simply broadcast WiFi at my place? Like my google fiber router? And I can pick it up with a node of some sort and push it into the conex?

No !

Starlink has a special antenna to receive/send the signal to their satellite. The antenna connects to their modem. The modem acts as a bridge to "standard" WiFi (and hardwire?)

REPEATING

If you already have a Internet Provider and modem/router/WAP (Wireless Access Point) installed, the simplest/cheapest option may be an 802.11 Wireless Bridge. Several available on Amazon.

2 boxes. Plug one into an RJ45 port on your existing modem/router/WAP and your camera into the other. Of course, you need power at both ends.

For dependability/reliability you are better off going "hard wired". (Likely lowest monthly cost.)

 

[bluedog225]

Yes. I understand the satellite aspect. We are in agreement. No hardwired options.

 

[ericm]

I used my best google-foo and could not find a Verizon SIM card for my buddies cellular modem. Finally found an old iPhone and had that added to his plan.


I currently have 2 iPhones on Ting Mobile. We use VERY LITTLE data, so that part of the bill is "pay for what you use". Typical bill with taxes and fees is $5/month !

That's cool. I could not find a deal like that for data-only SIMS, which is what you need for a camera or the usual network router to cellular thing. And of course a camera or networking may use a lot of data.

You could use an old phone in hotspot mode except I think the OP is going to need an antenna external to the shipping container to talk to the 4g/5g tower and something inside (an ethernet cable at least) to talk to the gear that needs to be on the internet.

 

[theoldwizard1]

That's cool. I could not find a deal like that for data-only SIMS, which is what you need for a camera or the usual network router to cellular thing.

Says who ! MVNOs don't care if you already have a SIM card ! You need to check what network they "ride on".

Ting Mobile has multiple plans (use Flex). They all come with a fixed amount of "fast" data (5G or LTE) after which you are cut back to 2G speed. Various "sizes". Max is 35Gb for $55/month. You can "add" more fast data for $5/Gb