Need Cheap 3G/4G Remote Router Suggestion

EastCoastSolar

We have been using the TP-link mr3220 router along with a 3G cellular USB modem to connect to our remote solar installations to monitor performance of our PowerOne Aurora and SolarEdge inverters. The advantage was that this router was cheap (~$35) and very reliable.

My problem is that they no longer make it (hardware verison 1.2) and its successor (version 2) is not reliable and is not fully supported by custom firmware. I can't even find them on ebay anymore.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a RELIABLE router alternative (i.e. works for over a year with no user intervention) and cheap?

mike95490

Look for DD-WRT compatiable routers, load the new firmware on and you are set to go.

 you can often find used, re-flashed routers on fleabay

https://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

EastCoastSolar

mike95490 said:

Look for DD-WRT compatiable routers, load the new firmware on and you are set to go.

 you can often find used, re-flashed routers on fleabay

https://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

Unfortunately that list doesn't have any sort of reliability ratings. I need a cheap router with a USB port that won't go offline every few days or even months. Hoping someone can recommend something

littleharbor2

If this is so important why are you also concerned about it being cheap? Cheap and reliable don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Estragon

Unfortunately, expensive doesn't always mean more reliable either, as extra features can mean extra complexity and extra bugs. That said, there are industrial modem/routers from the likes of Multitech that are about as reliable as it gets (but not cheap).

For cheap, the suggestion of something like a Linksys wrt54 reflashed with dd-wrt/tomato/whatever is likely to be pretty reliable. Something like a Raspberry Pi with a stripped down *nix OS might work well too.

Dave Angelini

Yes agree with you on the Raspberry Pi with a DC supply from your battery system.

EastCoastSolar

littleharbor2 said:

If this is so important why are you also concerned about it being cheap? Cheap and reliable don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Important does not equal critical. If the link goes down for a few days it's not the end of the world however it's a pain to send someone out on a 2 hour drive just to power cycle the router. Cheap is an issue because we have dozens of sites and the economics do not justify a $300 router. If we HAD to pay that much we would take the loss but as I mentioned we have had tremendous success with the $30 mr3220 version 1.2 (which is completely different from hardware version 2) and I haven't been able to find anything similar. 

TP-Link has small newer USB units like the TL-WR902AC but it won't stay online for more than a few days with the cellular stick. Anything under $100 really would do the job, it has to have a USB port with 3G/4G support, stay connected, and be supported by DDWRT

Horsefly

For remote reliability - I would buy a Raspberry Pi box and have it as a local client on whatever router you buy. Have the power to the router go through a relay controlled by the Raspberry Pi. Have the Raspberry Pi ping yahoo.com every 5 minutes or so, and if the ping fails for something like 3 times in a row, cycle the power to the router. Then the router will reboot and be back on line.

I've used this watchdog approach with an automation PC that I needed to keep on the Internet for weeks at a time, but I had little confidence in the router. 

fratermus

I've had openwrt/dd-wrt/tomato running on $5 garage sale wrt54 models for months.   They only reboot when the power goes out or they get upgraded.

EastCoastSolar

fratermus said:

I've had openwrt/dd-wrt/tomato running on $5 garage sale wrt54 models for months.   They only reboot when the power goes out or they get upgraded.

Yeah I've had a few of those myself, the complication here is that the router has to have a USB port with a 3G/4G stick and the cell link has to stay up

Estragon

I believe all the rPi versions have USB port(s). They run USB wi-fi dongles, but might need a powered hub to run a cell stick radio depending on current draw.