4. September 2009 by admin.

I have a wish list item already for the Cradlepoint MBR1000.

 1.) Failover and Failback in either direction (to wired WAN [ethernet] usually used for DSL, Cable Modem, T1, etc. -or- to Cellular.)

What I am saying is this: There’s a nice Failover and Failback feature that will switch very quickly (30 seconds?) to a Cellular USB or Express Card - if it’s already plugged in. And it will switch very quickly back to wired WAN if that comes back up. So if wired WAN fails it goes right to cellular, and back to your Primary wired WAN Internet, when the Primary Fails and when it comes back up.

But Wired WAN isn’t the Primary Internet for some people, particulary in the Sailing and Motor Yacht (Marine) Industry. Cellular often is. When a yacht is in the U.S. … a lot of the time docked. Many of them will stay on Cellular Fast Internet a majority of the time. Their wired WAN isn’t really a wired WAN, although it would connect to the MBR1000 that way. It is actually likely one or more other mobile Internet Systems. It can be WiFi or Satellite. With Satellite often being very expensive - and WiFi not always being available.

The MBR1000 - it seems - has the ability to move connections up and down by priority, but in my tests it will not use Cellular as the Primary WAN for failover and failback functionality. I think that it should. It should be a configuration option. If I put the Cellular Connection at Priority #1 (top of the list) It should stay on Cellular unless it goes down, or the Cellular Adaptor is removed. In which case it could fail over to wired WAN connection - which could be WiFi and/or Satellite. And if the Cellular Adaptor and Service becomes available again … it should switch back to that automatically if it is in the #1 Priority spot. The MBR1000 should not bring up these (other expensive) WANconnections (that would add too much complication to it, and would potentially put an expensive connection ON automatically.) But it could enable that wired WAN interface and allow access to another Router that could be used to turn ON such a connection, by an authorized person.

That would allow yachts (and others in similar situations) to remain primarily on Cellular and fall back to other wired LAN (failback) if the Cellular Card is removed or Cellular is disabled. This does work going to wired LAN, but not back to Cellular as “Primary”. Of course this can be done manually right now. And it’s pretty simple, just go to the:

Advanced > Failover / Load Balance - page. Uncheck the “ETHERNET WAN FAILURE DETECTION” *Enable* box - and use the quite simple controls to mouse click to enable or disable the Ethernet (WAN) or Cellular (USB or Express Card).

Cradlepoint MBR1000 Advanced > Failover / Load Balance - page

* So there it is … my Wish List item for the Cradlepoint MBR1000

(If I am remember correctly the old Junxion Box [I did a few on yachts] had the “WAN Juggler” capability - and it did have the option of setting the Cellular [PC Card?] as the Primary, or the Ethernet [WAN] connection. It didn’t by any means seem to work as fast or as reliably as the Cradlepoint … but it does seem that it had the capability of making Cellular be the “Boss” (Primary).)

“One if by land, and 2 if by sea”. Alan Spicer works with land/mobile/marine customers…

—

Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

http://www.marinetelecom.net

+1 954 683 3426

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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4. September 2009 by admin.

Here are some pictures of a Cradlepoint MBR1000 Cellular Router that I have in to configure and install for a marine customer.

Cradlepoint MBR1000 Box - New

Cradlepoint MBR1000 Box - New (rear view)

Cradlepoint MBR1000 New - in the box us Quick Guide, Registration Card, the Main MBR1000 unit, 1 LAN Cable, 1 Power Adaptor

Cradlepoint MBR1000 New - On AT&T Cellular using USB Connect Mercury Card

* That’s all for now… More pictures later (or upon request.)

“One if by land, and 2 if by sea”. Alan Spicer works with land/mobile/marine customers…

—

Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

http://www.marinetelecom.net

+1 954 683 3426

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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