3G_profiles

3G_profiles

3G/4G > Connection Profiles

Note: This is the help page for configuring the 3G/4G > Connection Profiles page for an external 3G/4G wireless WAN interface. For help with the Modem > Connection Profiles page for an external analog modem interface, see “Modem > Connection Profiles” section on page 372.

Use the 3G/4G > Connection Profiles to configure 3G/4G connection profiles and set the primary and alternate profiles.

Select the Primary 3G/4G connection profile in the Primary Profile pulldown menu. Optionally, you can select up to two alternate 3G/4G profiles.

To create a 3G/4G connection profile, perform the steps in the following sections:

General Tab

The General tab allows the administrator to configure general connection settings for the 3G/4G service provider. After selecting your country, service provider, and plan type, the rest of the fields are automatically field for most service providers.

  1. On the 3G/4G > Connection Profiles page, click on the Add button. The 3G/4G Profile Configuration window displays.
  2. Select the Country where the SonicWALL appliance is deployed.
  3. Select the Service Provider that you have created an account with. Note that only service providers supported in the country you selected are displayed.
  4. In the Plan Type window, select the 3G/4G plan you have subscribed to with the service provider.
    If your specific plan type is listed in the pulldown menu (many basic plans are labeled simply as standard), the rest of the fields in the General tab are automatically provisioned. Verify that these fields are correct and click on the Parameters tab.
  5. If your Plan Type is not listed in the pulldown menu, select Other.
  6. Enter a name for the 3G/4G profile in the Profile Name field.
  7. Verify that the appropriate Connection Type is selected. Note that this field is automatically provisioned for most service providers.
  8. Verify that the Dialed Number is correct. Note that the dialed number is *99# for most Service Providers.
  9. Enter your username and password in the User Name, User Password, and Confirm User Password fields, respectively.
  10. Enter the Access Point Name in the APN field. APNs are required only by GPRS devices and will be provided by the service provider.

Parameters Tab

The Parameters tab allows the administrator to configure under what conditions the 3G/4G service connects. The three connection types are Persistent, Connect on Data, and Manual. The mechanics of these connection types are described in the Understanding 3G/4G Connection Types.

  1. Click on the Parameters tab.
  2. In the Connection Type pulldown menu, select whether the connection profile is a Persistent Connection, Connect on Data, or Manual Dial.

    3. For a detailed explanation of how the different Connection Types operate when the WAN Connection Types is set for Ethernet with 3G/4G Failover see Understanding 3G/4G Failover.

    Note: To configure the SonicWALL appliance for remotely triggered dial-out, the Connection Type must be Connect on Data. See 3G/4G > Advanced for more information.

  3. Select the Enable Inactivity Disconnect (minutes) checkbox and enter a number in the field to have the 3G/4G connection disconnected after the specified number of minutes of inactivity. Note that this option is not available if the Connection Type is Persistent Connection.
  4. Select the Enable Max Connection Time (minutes) checkbox and enter a number in the field to have the 3G/4G connection disconnected after the specified number of minutes, regardless if the session is inactive or not. Enter a value in the Delay Before Reconnect (minutes) to have the SonicWALL appliance automatically reconnect after the specified number of minutes.
  5. Select the Dial Retries per Phone Number checkbox and enter a number in the field to specify the number of times the SonicWALL appliance is to attempt to reconnect.
  6. Select the Delay Between Retries (seconds) checkbox and enter a number in the field to specify the number of seconds between retry attempts.
  7. Select the Disable VPN when Dialed checkbox to disable VPN connections over the 3G/4G interface.

IP Addresses Tab

The IP Addresses tab allows the administrator to configure dynamic or static IP addressing for this interface. In most cases, this feature is set to Obtain an IP Address Automatically, however, it is possible to configure manual IP addresses for both your gateway IP address and one or more DNS server IP addresses if this is required by your service provider.

  1. Click on the IP Addresses tab.

By default, 3G/4G connection profiles are configured to obtain IP addresses and DNS server addresses automatically. To specify a static IP address, select the Use the following IP Address radio box and enter the IP address in the field.

To manually enter DNS server addresses, select the Use the following IP Address radio box and enter the IP addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers in the fields.

Schedule Tab

The Schedule tab allows the administrator to limit 3G/4G connections to specified times during specific days of the week. This feature is useful for data plans where access is limited during certain times of day, such as plans with free night/weekend minutes.

Note: When this feature is enabled, if a the checkbox for a day is not selected, 3G/4G access will be denied for that entire day.

  1. Click on the Schedule tab.
  2. Select the Limit Times for Connection Profile checkbox to enable the scheduling feature for this interface.
  3. Select the checkbox for each Day of Week you wish to allow access on.
  4. Enter the desired Start Time and End Time (in 24-hour format) for each day of the week.

Data Limiting Tab

The Data Limiting tab allows the administrator to limit data usage on a monthly basis. This feature gives you the ability to track usage based on your 3G/4G provider’s billing cycle and disconnect when a given limit is reached.

  1. Click on the Data Limiting tab.

    2. Tip: If your 3G/4G account has a monthly data or time limit, it is strongly recommended that you enable Data Usage Limiting.

  2. Select the Enable Data Usage Limiting checkbox to have the 3G/4G interface become automatically disabled when the specified data or time limit has been reached for the month.
  3. Select the day of the month to start tracking the monthly data or time usage in the Billing Cycle Start Date pulldown menu.
  4. Enter a value in the Limit field and select the appropriate limiting factor: either GB, MB, KB, or minutes.
  5. Click OK.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab allows the administrator to manually configure a chat script used during the 3G/4G connection process. Configuring a chat script only necessary when there is a need to add commands or special instructions to the standard dialup connection script.

  1. Click on the Advanced tab.
  2. Enter the connection chat script in the Chat Script field.
  3. Click OK.