I am using a Surf SOHO with FW 6.1 in the office and testing out different 3G USB modems. It turns out that, I can set Surf SOHO “Auto” mode in operator setting for some of the USB modems, while the others requires “custom” setting, i.e. manually enter APN and dial number “*99#”. The reason I am doing the test is that I plan to deploy Surf SOHO in many African countries and the 3G USB modems will be sourced from local market.
My questions is:
If I don’t find a suitable modem in the compatibility list, how do I find a USB modem that can work under auto mode? I plan to deploy Surf SOHO in offices in many African countries, it is not easy to find a modem in the compatibility list.
Thank you for the information. I have confidence in PepLink that an support ticket will solve the compatibility issue with one specific model.
However, in the initial plan, I will deploy the Surf SOHO in our office in 50+ countries. We will purchase the USB modems in the local market. Many offices are in Africa, therefore there is a big chance that I don’t find a suitable modem (especially LTE USB modem) in the compatibility list. In such case, I want to give a guideline to the local office on how to find a USB modem that MAY work in “auto” mode. Do you have any suggestion? Is there any particular feature in the modem I should look for to make “auto” work?
The auto functionality isn’t specifically for unsupported modems. It is used to grab APN/Dial Number and authentication information when the cellular SIM initiates a connection request to the cellular provider. In some cases, cellular providers will have custom information that needs to be defined, which can be done by using “Custom Operator Settings”. The Firmware on the SOHO is actually the determining factor whether or not it will talk to the USB modem properly.
If the USB modem is in the compatibility list, may I assume the “auto” configuration should work for that specific cellular provider? For example, I find my 3G USB modem, TP-Link MA260, in your compatibiliy list for “Celcom (Malaysia)”, so if I were in Malaysia and had used a “Celcom” SIM card, the “auto” configuration should work, is that correct?
Furthermore, if the USB modem is in the compatibility list, but not for my cellular provider, can I assume it should work with “custom” configuration?
When searching in the market for USB modem, which type of modem can “provide the necessary info to the Surf SOHO”? If I buy the USB modem from the cellular provider, should it always work in “auto” mode?
We have company phones purchased in Sweden then sent out to our offices worldwide (100+ countries). There has been no need to make any manually APN etc. configuration to connect internet over 3G. Cellular provider either push a configuration to the mobile or the mobile managed to download the setting by itself. Is there any reason why Surf SOHO and USB modem is not working in the same way?
The auto functionality should work just fine in your use case. If it does not, contact the cellular provider and request the APN information. This information should be readily available. On a general note, some Cellular providers require custom APN information for there services, the auto functionality may not work in that case.
