jebus197 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Hi I have a reasonable collection of 48 IOT/Smart Home devices. I'm considering ditching my ISP, because my mobile provider is unlimited and is faster than my current ISP (landline) provider. The only problem is, that I don't know practically how to go about doing that? As I understand it, most mobile carriers limit the amount of connections to a hotspot to around 9 devices. But clearly I have quite a few more devices than that. So I've been reading up on using wireless routers in bridged mode? I'm not quite clear if this is applicable or how it works? Can I have a router set up in bridged mode and have all my IOT devices connect to it and have the router connect to my hotspot so that it can share my mobile connection with all my devices? If so, what would be a good candidate, not so expensive modern router to consider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Som Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 You can buy routers that take SIM cards, I'd recommend getting a second SIM and going that route. I would think using your phone as the main router would be problematic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Your phone as a hotspot will have a maximum number of devices it will allow. I bet you it’s fewer than you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 I'm not using my phone as my main router. This just provides the internet connection. I want to use a router to connect to my hotspot (I think this is called a bridged connection) and to share the internet with the rest of my devices this way. I don't think my mobile provider will have any idea how many devices are connected to my router. They will just see it as a single device that is using the connection to share the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneNutter MVC Posted February 2 MVC Share Posted February 2 The proper way to do this would be to get a router with a 4g or 5g modem built in and simply put a simcard in that, for example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Wireless-Connection-Configuration-Management/dp/B016ZWXYXG You probably shouldn't, however you can do what you want with a bridge such as this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/VONETS-VAR11N-300-300Mbps-Wireless-Repeater-White/dp/B094J5B934 The bridge would connect to your phones WiFi hotspot, then you'd connect the Ethernet port on the bridge to your routers WAN port. The end result is any device connected to your existing router would be online via your mobile hotspot. You will have a double nat, however It will work for web browsing. It really is a very hacky solution you probably don't want to use long term. I've done this when my home internet was down for example and I wanted to get some devices with only ethernet online via 4g. Depending on your phone it probably won't do it any good having to be on charge 24/7 due to your hotspot constantly been turned on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 (edited) On 02/02/2024 at 13:58, InsaneNutter said: The proper way to do this would be to get a router with a 4g or 5g modem built in and simply put a simcard in that, for example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Wireless-Connection-Configuration-Management/dp/B016ZWXYXG You probably shouldn't, however you can do what you want with a bridge such as this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/VONETS-VAR11N-300-300Mbps-Wireless-Repeater-White/dp/B094J5B934 The bridge would connect to your phones WiFi hotspot, then you'd connect the Ethernet port on the bridge to your routers WAN port. The end result is any device connected to your existing router would be online via your mobile hotspot. You will have a double nat, however It will work for web browsing. It really is a very hacky solution you probably don't want to use long term. I've done this when my home internet was down for example and I wanted to get some devices with only ethernet online via 4g. Depending on your phone it probably won't do it any good having to be on charge 24/7 due to your hotspot constantly been turned on. Yes, but the objective is to save money. Why should I pay for two data plans, or for a separate ISP, when my phone's connection is every bit as fast, if not faster, than my current landline ISP? (Or pay for an old landline phone that hasn't rung in several years?) I've seen several routers that offer a 'bridged mode' in the past. I'm just not clear on the details of how that works and if I can use this to share my hotspot internet connection with several of my other devices or not? It doesn't worry me if the phone gets a bit hot or not, or if it shortens the life of the phone. I didn't spend much on it anyway.. Edited February 2 by jebus197 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneNutter MVC Posted February 2 MVC Share Posted February 2 I've no idea where you are in the world, however some networks allow you to have multiple simcards on the same plan, so was suggesting that as an option. As to how the bridge works, it connects to an existing wireless network (the phones hotspot in this case) then any device connected to the bridge can use that connection. It would allow many devices to use the phones hotspot, with only one connection to the actual hotspot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 I'm in the UK mate, like you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Supervisor Posted February 4 Supervisor Share Posted February 4 (edited) Hello, Bridge mode usually means allowing a cable or ADSL modem with an integrated router (and perhaps even an integrated wireless access point) to disable the router and access point functionality and basically provide simple modem functions to the next device connected to one of its Ethernet ports, which essentially acts as a WAN port for the device. Plugged into that would be your residential gateway broadband router and wireless access point. Now, that router may have a USB port for tethering to a cellular modem, but I'm not sure if those routers will treat a smartphone plugged into them as a simple cellular modem. What you might want to do is ask your cellular phone service provider what they recommend or suggest for using your smartphone to provide internet access to your home. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky Edited February 4 by goretsky edited for clarity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoochieMamma Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 (edited) Gl-iNet router with USB tethering to your phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binaryzero Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Pretty much this... HoochieMamma, Jim K and +hedleigh 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted February 5 Global Moderator Share Posted February 5 On 05/02/2024 at 00:25, binaryzero said: Pretty much this... The product that Dave linked to looks fantastic for the OPs use case scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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