Thanks Jonathan! That clears up my confusion on how the SIM pins are used; they aren’t.
I’ll leave the SIM pin stuff alone.
Router still not syncing to network.
At current, my business account login and page is complete.
Except, it has the following for the “hardware”. Not sure if this is what the PepLink is seen via them as, but I thought it odd. Not sure if this would cause an issue for the network to be obtained.
It does have the proper SIM # as the PepLink IMEI.
You can safely ignore the information shown regarding hardware on T-Mobile’s site. The radio it shows is correct but that information is often inaccurate.
There’s nothing more you can do on your side, you’ll need to reach out to T-Mobile directly to get them to reset your line of service.
I got a Business tech in Arizona (same state I’m in). He performed a “master reset” as he put it. The master reset as he indicated, is the deepest hitting one they have. He said, it can take up to 2hrs.
He said he’d call back in the morning for results.
My gut though, after two network resets and if it still doesn’t work on this master-reset in the morning, they’re going to likely point the finger at the PepLink.
We’ll see how #3 turns out.
Well, they’re wrong 
If it doesn’t work they’ll likely need to cancel this line and provision you a new one. But that’s quite rare.
I agree, I don’t think it’s the hardware. The fact I can get info from the SIM and see the 5G towers (APN defined) as bands indicates to me the hardware is fine.
However, they have reset the network twice, two different SIMS, and did a master reset an hour ago which hasn’t improved anything.
If it isn’t getting online by morning, I’ll recommend canceling the line and provision a new one tomorrow morning when he calls.
However, if after that I doubt anyone will have any further ideas on their end to attempt. And likely will be told, sorry we can’t help.
I’m fully anticipating canceling the line by Friday, due to the incompetency and goat rodeo this has been to get working.
In the 30yrs dealing with data-centers and telcos, this is by far the most Mickey Mouse shit I’ve seen haha.
As with all Call Centers, it’s the luck of the draw when calling in, I have multiple Tmobile data lines that I use with Cradlepoint E3000, Pepwave BR1 Pro 5G, Inseego M3100, Sierra Wireless XR80, Cudy N300 normally when I call in to get them activated I give them the SOC code, they send me the sim, and I put it in the test units, and I get online. My apn has always been fast.t-mobile.com
I’ve been dealing with call-centers since 1997. This is by far the most chaotic disconnected Telco I’ve dealt with regarding call centers. Neither the Residential nor Business have a clear understanding of their own departments and both barely know about the other enough to be useful in the almost two weeks with dealing with them.
I’ve been around the block with T-Mobile trying to resolve this. Like literally 4-5hrs a day for the last week (except weekends when they are closed). Least 20 techs between Philippines and the USA. First 3 days were the idiots going in a circle with the account not knowing how a business internet account works; clear by how no one there KNOWS that they only have one auth server: tfb.t-mobile.com but these clowns on both sides are telling me to go to the residential login for business or if business phone accounts off that business tab? Seriously, they don’t even know their own site to notice the login goes to the same serve LOL
No one has a clue there, no one knows how the business internet works, it’s really bizarre. No one there looks at case notes, I’ve had to tell a few to shut-up with the script and read the account notes. When you ask them how their process works, and they answer, “It’s complicated” well, it’s clear they don’t even know.
I’m not saying it doesn’t work for others, and that others haven’t got it working.
But having had to deal with other hotspot/4g/LTE options in the past with verizon & at&t and as stated built data-centers and dealt with call-centers with issues building the various services; T-Mobile is clearly a goat rodeo at the business side.
If you start as a consumer and convert to business, T-Mobile is absolutely worthless. They should just tell people to close their shit and start fresh anew.
I mean almost two weeks and various actions on their side to flush out the Account Hub details of my account?
All the errors I get have been on their side, 404s, 500s, all server side errors that shouldn’t happen. So, from an IT perspective, I see a lot of mickey mouse shit going on with account migrations between the two sides.
Just utterly frustrated.
If the line account cancel/close and recreate anew doesn’t solve it. I’m just dumping T-Mobile and going Verizon / AT&T. Or if staying T-Mobile to through another data provider of their services.
I’m too old to be dealing with amateur hour Telcos when AT&T and Verizon in my experience require very little to just get working.
We’ll see how the recreate works of the line tomorrow.
The pain seriously, the pain dealing with T-Mobile.
So, no one would send me to T-Force or a DE after explaining the issue and next attempt of resolution. Even after reading the notes of the bounce arounds and me repeating myself for the zillionth time.
I was told, I need to go into a store to get a new line number created and the old one removed.
The saga continues, maybe I can make it to a store today.
Life Lesson; Use another provider to deal or interact with T-Mobile’s BS.
Nightmare seriously. By time a resolution is discovered, my first bill will be up, and I’ll be fighting to have that nulled since not used LOL
6 SIMS
4 Trips to the store
36hrs with phone support
3 network resets
1 master reset
And a whole new Line Number created to rule that out.
And verdict?
Still SOL
Green blinking repeatedly.
So, only thing I can think of:
1.) Hardware is defective and I should return and ask for a replacement/refund; it’s flashed to latest firmware and factory reset.
2.) T-Mobile is a joke
What’s more likely folks?
Does the SIM work in any other device?
Contact Frontier who are the US Peplink distributor and they’ll sort it. They sell data plans for most carriers.
231-929-1386
Well, I returned the Peplink MAX BR1 MINI 5G, and new one arrives on the 8th tomorrow. I got those two T-Mobile Line IDs still active for Business Internet. I’ll attempt those tomorrow. See what happens.
If nothing, I’ll call back Monday and have them change the IMEI number of the router to the new router on the line number accounts.
Retest and see if any change.
Well, swapping just the sims into A slot same behavior into a newly delivered MAX BR1 Mini 5G this morning.
I’ll call in a bit to have the IMEI of the router updated, but so far I think it’s safe to rule out a hardware issue on the PepLink.
And it’s totally safe to say T-Mobile is full of fscking idiots
And T-Mobile is kicked to the curb.
Updated the IMEI number of the new MAX BR1 Mini 5G with support, did another network reset and same situation.
Hardware wasn’t a suspect on my end to me–no indication, but they wanted to rule it out. Well, same stuff with a new BR1 with new IMEI number; old was sent back.
And then they started the same circle of support paths LOL.
I said just send me to billing and cancel this new never used account. Then they tried to charge me $65 for it till I mentioned it never got used look at the usage LOL
I’ll never work with T-Mobile business directly for a good long while haha
I’ll reach out to those suggested here or others mentioned. Who’d think getting 5G home internet with your own equipment would be such a PITA.
Christopher,
I don’t have other devices to test on. The people in the store said they tested the SIM on their devices, but who knows if that’s real or blurb talk. But I have used 6 sims from them on the previous device. These sims give same issues on a new device I attempted as well.
I replaced the BR1 for shits and giggles per their suggestion as T-Force or whatever their higher level suggested it was me not them; when clearly I showed it wasn’t me.
So, I swapped with another new BR1 Max Mini 5G and same issue.
Then they tried to run me in the circle of support where I said just cancel the account.
T-Mobile is so disorganized on the consumer/business sides and so difficult to get anyone who can comprehend English to give any real solution.
So, I canceled them and if I use them again, it’d be through another who deals with them more directly not me LOL.
I’ve lost most confidence in T-Mobile haha
Yeah, T-Mobile is a shit show whether you’re a single-line end user or a major enterprise. We actually make a decent amount of revenue providing “go between” services for enterprise clients and the carriers, it’s that much of an issue. Sorry you had so much trouble!
Well, after much effort, I’m on T-Mobile!
Someone here floated me a data provider who I reached out to. They got same run-around I got.
The bright side was, they knew what to tell T-Mobile to resolve it. I ended up on a different plan ID I believe and now it’s working.
Speeds not exactly what I expected in PHX; between 30mbps - 170mbps depending on time of the day. My uploads are only 7mbps tops, not sure if I can do something to make this better for either, but it’s at least running.
I know it’s mostly all NAT’d sometimes you get a public ipv4 IP; which I was hoping to avoid more NATing, but it’s NAT’d it appears. I get 192.0.0.1 for the router, 192.0.0.2 for the peplink and 192.0.0.3 for DNS. Slightly odd network arrangement I thought.
Overall for the price $55/mo I think it was is better than my $65 CenturyLink for 65mbps which seems slower at times than the T-Mobile.
I’ve only been up a few days so far, but it’s more impressive than what I remember on LTE.
That upload speed is kinda screaming to me NSA, have you tried configuring your Peplink for SA mode?
So what APN you did setup?
You will get an address that is behind CGNAT but you have the option to pay for a static address which makes the NAT go away.
Suggestions: If that is your only WAN turn off health checks. And, don’t use their DNS. (FWIW, we normally recommend filtered DNSs such as 9.9.9.9 and 1.1.1.2.) Neither of these recommendations will improve “speed” but they’ll make your life better. 
Generally, TMO tends to be the “fastest” of the three carriers in the USA – where there is good signal.
