I know most people use some kind of hot spot, for internet.
Unfortunately, my job requires my computer be connected to an internet router, via Ethernet cable, for security purposes.
Is this possible to do, on the road?
I've tried looking up portable internet routers, but, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at.
I've tried looking on the page and I can't find any information on computers being connected to a router via ethernet cable.
But, I'm really, REALLY hoping that this is still possible to do, to take my job on the road.
If I understand correctly what you are describing you could use one of the common cellular modem/hotspots and use a client radio on your laptop that is connected by a wired ethernet connection.
I use a Ubiquiti NS2 to connect the wired ethernet port in my desktop to connect to my AT&T wireless hotspot.
Hopefully Cadillac will chime in here. All he does is work on the road apparently with big files and such. He has addressed this here before somewhere but I've no idea what thread. And he really knows his stuff.
Verizon recently started selling a unlimited hotspot plan again. You're always deprioritized which may or may not ever mean anything. As I recall the plan was in the $70/month range.
i have a verizon hotspot tethered to a Mofi 4500 router. the mofi gives me a more robust network than the hotspot alone.
the mofi gives me wireless inside my bus and maybe 100' outside. it has ethernet ports that i can connect anything to, and all the bells and whistles that mobile routers offer... fail over to other connections, either sim card or wifi. you can allow guests to use your connection, and you can cut them off.
i became a paying member years ago and the literally hold your hand while helping you make the best choices for mobile internet. they have a ton of content on reviewed equipment, they know the options and plans available better than anyone, and they will listen to your individual needs and guide you to what suits you best.
my mobile setup replaced my home internet, i just got to carry my jetpack into the house and hookit to the home router and im back up again.
It's just like as it's set up in a home... I'm sorry. I'm not entirely sure how to answer your question. I'll need my computer connected to my internet router, with an ethernet cable.
You can use a wireless bridge to connect to a wireless network and still be connected to an ethernet cable. They are pretty inexpensive and easy to find.
Do a google search for "wireless bridge" I found one from Walmart online for under $20
I use a VMNO, a virtual mobile network operator service through unlimitedtogo.com. It's not only been useful but now serves as my primary ISP, as it is truly unlimited (I pushed their 500gb suggestion to 2 tb for 2 months straight with no throttling).
I have a Netgear nighthawk right now as I needed something I could carry in a backpack for work/college. It does have 2 external antenna ports, but I have not used them and it is not suitable for mounting anywhere.
It does have a hardwired ethernet out through an RJ45 (CAT-5/6), and you can attach any network accessories just as you would straight from the cable/dsl modem you'd use in your home.
However, for my skoolie, I've got a Mofi4500 on the way which is a ruggedized version and has multiple antenna hookups that actually could prove useful. We used to use these units (though another service) in Colorado for on site techs, and they worked great. Even in the rural areas like woodland park and divide they had good speeds around 10+ MBPS on regular internet, although our crappy company VPN slowed it down regardless of signal (and even on cable). We were on Verizon at the time.
To cut down on my personal data usage and to block ads, I use a raspberry pi loaded with PiHole. It serves as a dns ad blocker and works amazingly. I'd recommend this device on any of your personal networks, not just ones you want to limit bandwidth on.
I'd recommend against using a mainstream service such as ATT or Verizon directly. I've tried nearly all the major ones, and they all have some form of throttling or, if lacking that, extremely high costs. AS I generally have substantial data usage, this is an important factor to me. If you don't use much and can stay below the major networks data limits, I'd still recommend against them on the grounds of having a 2+ year contract.
Plenty of VMNO's out there, not just the one I use. They all are a bit different, but operate the same way. As long as you go with a legitimate VNMO you'll be fine, since they are not using any "loopholes" - all major networks serve not only private customers but businesses and government as well - and the latter lack most of the limitations of the private accounts.
So, that's the service and a few devices. Let's touch on the actual devices and your local network.
RJ-45 Ports - Ethernet
Every unit through every company I looked at had an ethernet port, barring ones from the big networks (ATT, Verizon) which were smaller pocketable devices. This/these are standard RJ-45 ports just like on the back of your modem (unless your ISP only offers wifi only modem options). And just like the ones on the back of your modem, you use it/them just the same. Some mobile hotspots have only 1 RJ-45, some have more. The most I saw was 4 of them.
In the event you only have one, that's still a perfectly usable option since you can either use a switch to give you more hardlines, or use a router and turn of DHCP on the hotspot. Or keep it on, it's 2019 - they know how to play together nicely.
USB 2.0/3.0 PORTS
NAS - Network Attached Storage
Another thing each one had was a USB port. Some were only USB power out, the majority were either for a secondary wifi dongle and/or to use the device as a NAS.
I would not recommend using these mobile hotspots as a NAS since they are completely capable of being used just like a modem (they are a modem) and you can use a device built to be specifically a NAS. But hey, a nice feature to just "have" as an option built in, and you can always disable it. Just go to newegg.com and buy a NAS, right? WRONG! Unless you like head crashes and data corruption, you're gonna want to go with an SSD. Solid state, no moving parts. A little reminder for all things data storage, don't have any hard drives running when the bus is driving, unless you have air ride. Seriously, one bad head crash can corrupt an entire system, and data recover is not always cheap or easy.
USB WiFi Dongles
Wifi Dongles are a neat little unit, and I use mine whenever I go to college. They have their own wifi, so instead of always using my mobile hotspot, it can search for open or known networks on the dongle, and use that whenever it gets a connection. This saves you bandwidth, although again with a proper vnmo unlimited account, this should not be an issue. I only use the wifi dongle because my college has incredibly fast speeds with their T1 or T3 line.
Ethernet over USB
So, another neat thing is that most of the mobile hospots, even the ones without a traditional USB 1.0/2.0 port, is that they support tethering / ethernet over usb. Plug it into a USB port, you may have to install some drivers, but you're computer will recognize it as a hardwired Internet connection.
5.0V USB
My favorite is the option to simply use the USB port as a 5v supply for an external device. I like building tiny things that conserve space, from electronics to floorplans to mechanical devices. Started with a young obsession with mechanical wrist and pocket watch mechanisms. Anyways, all signs of autism aside, this is a handy feature if you don't need/want a fully blown network with a stateless firewall, dhcp server, local email server, SFTP/FTP public server, and 15 client consoles. You can find great little pocket routers on amazon and newegg that are powered through USB, and have a host of neat features aloing with the standard router features. They don't usually come in wired versions, only a single usb power input and single RJ-45 connection, but are great to piggyback with on a mobile hotspot. VPN, custom apps, ad blockers (kind of like the pihole), and they usually run a variant of Tomato or DDWRT/OpenWRT.
Do I hate the major networks?
No, of course not. I felt like I needed to say this because the above seems to put them in a bad light. That's not the case, I just don't want to spend hundreds for what I could get for a hundred.
I use AT&T's network through my VNMO, and for my personal phones. I used Verizon for my business lines in Colorado. Both have great service with all respect to the coverage in the area, and both have been mostly very good to me with the exceptions of a few human errors, which is understandable. I'd highly suggest you have at least one cellphone through a major carrier on you at all times in the bus, and specifically recommend Verizon for total coverage area, AT&T for rugged devices (they make it easy to slap a sim card in a ruggedized phone).
I use a MiktroTik RB951 router.. it has a USB port, I plug my ATT or Verizon Hotspot into the USB port.. it comes up as an LTE WAN device in the Mikrotik.. the Mikrotik is also a great Firewall and tunneling device too.. they are small form factor enterprise-grade routers with small orice tags.
I use these so that I can connect my cloud Hybrid VoIP equipment wired to the LAN on the MikroTik and get on the internet.. my router then establishes a tunnel to the Cisco ASA's in my data center.. instant secure way to bridge my office and Mobile networks..
a More exoensive solution is an enterprise grade cradle-point router that takes an LTE SIMM natively and is a router as well with LAN ports..
My guess is that your company is trying to secure their network by hoping you will not login thru Starbucks or open wifi which is a real security risk. An ethernet cable does relatively little for security, so I would recommend a VPN service. A VPN is a private encrypted "tunnel" to anywhere you want to surf, send email, etc. Anything other than encryption is a half-measure. If your IT dept. is not concerned about anything other than cabling, I would suggest it has already been compromised, or will be soon?