Is there some small and simple gateway device that I can plug into the Max Transit WAN port that will allow me to tether a phone or hotspot via USB? Yes, I know that I can use Wifi as WAN but I don’t want to.
Thank you.
pretty much any router supports this. everything from the $20 ones up to more expensive ones…
I’m not looking to buy a big ASUS router. I’m hoping to find a device that simply allows a USB tethered phone and a LAN port… NO router function, Simply passthrough cellular traffic on the WAN port of the Peplink. Mikrotik is the closest I seen but I want even simpler, pocket-sized gateway. I think of it as an adapter that takes the traffic from the cellular device and acts as any old WAN input to the Peplink. If this doesn’t exist, it should. 
tons of options. here is an example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FJ4S9JK
Purchased and returned…
It’s not as easy as you think. These products don’t provide explicit TRUE IP PASSTHROUGH. The closest that I’ve found is with Mikrotik products that have very low level configuration options - still not straight forward and simple.
Before I invest further, I will work with my Wifiranger GoAC router (a Mikrotik product - hAP AC) to get this working.
Thanks.
which mikrotik product is giving you true passthrough?
why do you need true passthrough?
i have a similar use case to you from what i’ve read (multi WiFi as WAN, cellular, hard wired WAN for a boat) and my setup is working well
What hardwired WAN service do you have? Do you have a cable modem? A cable modem does exactly what I need the router to do. The problem is that there are no cable modems that get their public IP from a tethered cell phone. Only the routers do this, so I need to configure whatever router to do IP Passthrough, emulating what a cable modem does.
The Mikrotik routers use RouterOS and, if you know enough about the low level configuration, can accomplish this. The problem is that the skins that are used on RouterOS don’t, that I can tell so far, have a simple software switch that does the configuration for me. I’m still investigating the GoAC router (Mikrotik hAP AC) to see if I can use it for my needs. After all, the WifiRanger Elite AC package has a Mikrotik Metal 52 router attached to the GoAC WAN port - in effect, they are doing what I need on the Elite AC side of their package. So I know that it can be done… just a matter of configuring it to do so.
OpenWRT, that some travel routers are based on, probably can do it as well but I’m not a network engineer and it is a difficult interface. The travel routers also don’t have an interface that lets you throw a software switch in the GUI and do everything that is necessary to get true IP Passthrough, i.e. NO NAT, NO DHCP, NO NOTHING, except act like a cable modem.
Thanks.
i have used/tested my setup using the WAN port connected to a cable modem, WiFi device such as Mikrotik for WiFi as WAN, and a cellular unit such as cradlepoint CBA850. I have had no issues but I am fine with NAT / no passthrough. I still dont understand why you cant have NAT and require passthrough?
Have you connected anything but a cable modem to the WAN port?
I do not want to use Wifi as WAN since this impacts my data plan in an adverse way. I want to tether it and control TTL.
I know that I can use Wifi as WAN and in this case, the Max Transit doesn’t get into double-NAT situation. This is what it’s built for but the implementation, according to many who have used it, is not great since it uses the client AP wifi radio to manage the connection for Wifi as WAN. Reports are that it degrades the LAN performance notably.
Perhaps you’ve read my use-case but I’m not sure you have understood. I hope that it’s clearer now. I want to use the WAN port for tethering an LTE device - period.
Thanks.
You still aren’t sharing specifics
How does WiFi as WAN impact your data plan? Cellular data plan?
Why do you need to control TTL?
What is your use case what exactly are you trying to accomplish?
As stated, I have used the WAN port on several peplink products, for A) cable modem, b) WiFi as WAN via Mikrotik plugged into ethernet port, c) WiFi as WAN via that GLI device I shared from Amazon connected via Ethernet, d) Cradlepoint CBA850 cellular device connected via ethernet port, e) may have even tried a Netgear Nighthawk I can’t remember
I use my peplink device for work, voip, streaming, fire/CO alarm, several security cameras (but they upload via a cloud service), and I have no issues so long as my source WANs are stable (I usually have 2-3 WANs going simultaneously). I am thinking about trying Speedfusion when I have some time to play around for Smoothing and encryption.
Again, what are you having trouble doing?
Very simple. I want to use a mobile phone and tether it to the WAN port of the Max Transit. Can’t do it with only the mobile phone since it’s traffic is over USB. Therefore, I need a modem in the middle that I can connect the USB phone to one end, traffic going out the LAN port on the other to the WAN port of the Max.
Read up on tethering vs. hotspot on mobile phones and the impact on data plans.
Read up on TTL management that prevents cell ISPs from determining whether VPN is being used.
That’s all I can give you.
I think that I said the same thing in my original post. Why all of the churn?
I suggest that you buy the device that you recommended (I did), connect your cell phone to it, plug it into your Max WAN, and see the results. It doesn’t work. Thanks.
I was one of the first people to figure out tethering on smart phones and some workarounds for some of the early smartphones. I admit I don’t have deep experience on the subject in current day but confused why does your cellular carrier monitor VPN usage? I use VPNs all of the time. I have never had a cellular carrier restrict or care about VPN usage.
You are saying your cellular carrier counts bandwidth usage differently whether the phone is tethered via USB versus hotspot turned on and its via WiFi? If my memory serves me correctly, way back when there were ways to redirect traffic a la PDANet.
Regardless, why can’t you tether the phone via USB to a compatible device. Pretty sure OpenWRT can handle a phone/USB modem being tethered. Then connect whatever device to your peplink via ethernet.
Another idea is to get a plan with a SIM you can throw into the peplink. I pay $20/month for unlimited data with a major us carrier. Have several of the plan actually. Some in Peplinks, some in portable hotspots. I dont know if you can find that type of plan today but its definitely available for $50-65/month at some carriers.
I have both an ATT and Verizon sim in my Max Transit. They are not throttled plans, however they will be subject to network management at 22Gb. This is EXACTLY why I want a tether option. I have two ATT phones with huge data plans and the Galaxys are cat18 modems. If I run into a network management situation, I want to be able to plug (tether) my device to the Max Transit. But using Wifi as WAN uses the Galaxy hotspot (not tethering) and there are other data plan limits on hotspot use (almost all carrier’s plans have this). By tethering, I can use all of my available data without throttling or network management (100Gb on each of my two phones).
I mis-spoke earlier. TTL allows me, hopefully, to supercede any throttling by ISP. It is not VPN related.
So, I need a modem that lets me plug my Galaxy in to USB. It then needs to ‘passthrough’ the public IP to the Max Transit. Incidentally, this is exactly what the CBA850 does but it uses sims rather than a USB tethered device - and I already have the Max for my sims.
Yes, OpenWRT likely has the ability but it is a very low-level programming job (I may have to go there). Mikrotik (RouterOS) also likely has the ability and may be an easier router to getting this done since they have technical support and a lively forum. I was hoping to buy a cheap modem with true passthrough (a software switch) and be done with it. Cheap, like NOT Cradlepoint. 
The GL-AR300M does not have the passthrough that is necessary. There is still double-NATing going on and, although the connection shows up in the Max WAN collection, it doesn’t show any traffic. I had high hopes.
Still looking…
Again, why do you care about pass through or double NAT? You likely do not get a public / static IP on your cell phone. AFAIK, tweaking TTL does not do anything with throttling. Throttling is handled at the tower/back-end.
Again, why not tether your phone to a device such as GLI or pretty much any router that supports tethering, and connect it to the Peplink’s WAN ethernet port?
I think you are over-complicating this and not understanding what is going on. So far you cannot give a sold use case / reason why you care about NAT/passthrough. It likely does not matter. And you likely do not get a public IP on your Samsung Galaxy.
Thanks for your input.
I’m no longer following this topic.
Cheers.
Does this keep your phone charged while using this configuration?
I would first try the google ethernet adapter, it’s a charger and usb adapter in one.
Next try this amazon otg hub.
https://www.amazon.com/Leagway-Adapter-Charging-Connector-Android/dp/B075GFY7BG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=79O2CBDFJ5YO&keywords=4+in+1+usb+otg+cable&qid=1641619597&sprefix=4+in+1+usb+otg+cable%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-3
Any chance something like this can be done with the Max adapter ?