Filter
Top Products
3G
434
SonicOS 5.8.1 Administrator Guide
• Temporary networks where a pre-configured connection may not be available, such as
trade-shows and kiosks.
• Mobile networks, where the SonicWALL appliance is based in a vehicle.
• Primary WAN connection where wire-based connections are not available and 3G Cellular
is.
Wireless Wide Area Networks provide untethered remote network access through the use of
mobile
or cellular data networks. While legacy cellular networks, such as GSM, were only able
to provide data rates of about 14 Kbps, today's emerging 3G technologies (such as UMTS and
HSDPA) provide theoretical data rates of up to 10 Mbps, rivaling many wired technologies.
The cellular networks powering Wireless Wide Area Networking have been evolving very
quickly, and as a result comprise many different implementations. Fundamentally, they fall into
two protocols:
• GSM - Global System for Mobile Communication - The most widely used protocol
outside of the Americas. GSM is often regarded as less susceptible to signal degradation
indoors. Although GSM is used both in the Americas and the rest of the world, the American
implementation operates on a different frequency, and interoperability is not guaranteed
unless explicitly supported by the equipment.
• CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access - The most widely used protocol in the Americas.
CDMA has capacity advantages over GSM, but congestion tends to reduce its operating
range.
Understanding 3G Connection Models
The WAN Connection Model setting provides flexible control over WAN connectivity on
SonicWALL appliances with 3G. Accessible from the Network > Interfaces page of the
management interface, the WAN Connection Model settings allows the administrator to
precisely control the behavior of the 3G connection. The three settings are as follows:
• 3G Only – For use when the 3G is the only WAN connection in use on the appliance.
• Ethernet Only – For use when the 3G is to be disabled. The Ethernet WAN (the WAN port,
OPT port, or both) is the only WAN connection in use on the appliance.
• Ethernet with 3G Failover – For use when both the 3G and the Ethernet WAN (the WAN
port, OPT port, or both) are to serve as WAN connections on the appliance.
In addition to the WAN Connection Model setting, the following chan
ges were also introduced
in SonicOS Enhanced 3.6 (and later versions) to optimize the operation of the 3G interface:
• To more accurately reflect the operation of WAN load balancing and Failover sub-system,
the WAN Failover & LB page has been renamed to Ethernet LB.
• Failover between the Ethernet WAN (the WAN port, OPT port, or both) and the 3G is
supported through the WAN Connection Model setting, but Load-balancing is currently
only supported on Ethernet WAN interfaces. 3G interface traffic statistics will continue to
be displayed in the WAN Load Balancing Statistics table on the Network > Ethernet LB
page.
• The WAN Load-balancing and Failover sub-system is now permanently enabled for more
transparent support of the WAN Connection Model setting. This was previously controlled
by the Enable Load Balancing setting on the WAN Failover & LB page.
• 3G interface probe monitoring appears on the 3G > Settings page under the 3G Interface
Monitoring heading. (Ethernet WAN interface probe settings is unchanged on the Network
> Ethernet LB page under the WAN Interfaces Monitoring section.)