nanog mailing list archives
Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome
From: Charles Wyble <charles () thewybles com>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:02:16 -0700
Crooks, Sam wrote:
I'm considering use of AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN services and the Cisco 3G router interface cards/integrated module in C880 routers for primary or backup WAN network connectivity for routers.
I haven't used the integrated cards with cisco gear. However I do have 300+ cards deployed throughout the United States (EVDO USB modems on Linux boxes).
I'm looking for information from users of these services on thefollowing:- addressing - Do these WWAN services use dynamic, PPPoE or static IP assignment typically? Any of the 3? All? - is static IP assignment available?
We have static IP assignment for our Verizon cards. Sprint cards aren't static.
- do these service providers use NAT within their network?
Verizon doesn't. Not sure about Sprint. T-mobile doesn't either.
- How is the service reliability? In most cases, is the service available for use when you need to use it?
We have found it to be quite reliable, although a small subset (about 15 to 20 connections) have been giving us issues. I posted on this last week or so. No resolution from Verizon as of yet.
- How is the service coverage area? Do you have problems getting sufficient coverage in the deplouyment location to support desired speeds (say 512kbps up/down as a minimum)?
Frequently you will need to deploy an external antenna as a booster. Dunno if the Cisco cards have the option, but I would imagine they do. It's almost a necessity in the vast majority of indoor deployments.
- is ESP / IKE / IPsec permitted through un-rate-limited and un-molested by the providers? - If you build a IPsec/GRE tunnel over these services, do you have frequent issues with the tunnel dropping, or a dynamic routing protocol running through the tunnel going down frequently?
We use OpenVPN without incident. Dunno bout GRE/IPSEC.
Also interested in similar information on impressions of similar EMEA WWAN service providers, particularly Vodaphone and T-Mobile, if anyone has experiences with these.
I have used T-mobile EDGE via Linux with great success (even ran a skype conference call over it). See my blog post on the configuration at:
http://charlesnw.blogspot.com/2008/10/blackberry-pearl-8120-linux-ubuntu-804.htmlSpeed tests I did gave me 126k. So you would most likely want HSDPA for sure. I have yet to try HSDPA but hear excellent things about it. They recently released a USB dongle which does wifi/hsdpa/edge. See http://www.i4u.com/article23865.html for more.
I agree with the other posters about POC and site survey. All sorts of strange environmental issues can pop up and wreak havoc on signal.
This for branch office environments? Retail? Industrial? (My deployments are retail locations).
Current thread:
- Re: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area joel . mercado (Apr 14)
- Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Crooks, Sam (Apr 14)
- Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on oroff-list replies welcome Tony Varriale (Apr 14)
- Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Seth Mattinen (Apr 14)
- Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Marshall Eubanks (Apr 15)
- RE: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on oroff-list replies welcome Holmes,David A (Apr 15)
- Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Charles Wyble (Apr 15)
- Re: Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Eddie (Apr 15)
- RE: [SPAM-HEADER] - Re: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area - Email has different SMTP TO: and MIME TO: fields in the email addresses Rod Beck (Apr 15)
- RE: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Frank Bulk (Apr 15)
- RE: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Rod Beck (Apr 15)
- Re: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Neil Harris (Apr 15)
- RE: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Rod Beck (Apr 15)
- Re: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Neil Harris (Apr 15)
- RE: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Rod Beck (Apr 15)
- RE: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area Frank Bulk (Apr 15)
- Looking for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint WWAN service impressions - on or off-list replies welcome Crooks, Sam (Apr 14)
- Re: [SPAM-HEADER] - Re: Diversity - was: Fiber cut in SF area - Email has different SMTP TO: and MIME TO: fields in the email addresses Richard A Steenbergen (Apr 15)