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jmpage2
EVDO Newbie
Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject: KR1/KR2 good choice for small retail business? |
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Hi guys, I'm wondering if I can get some guidance. I happened upon the topic of the R1/R2 after starting to do some research into cell routers. I'm an experienced network engineer but have never had to contemplate cell routers before.
My wife is in the process of starting up a small dental office and has been blocked at every turn when it comes to getting Internet access. She can't get any access at this time (maybe forever) from the major DSL/Cable providers in the area, even though her office is in a large retail strip mall in a suburban area.
How well would something like the K1/K2 work for such an application? There would be about 6 PCs in the premise but they would only be checking light email and web application access.
Ideally the box would be robust enough (and hardened enough) to provide the following services;
DHCP server for the network
Dynamic DNS for remote access
VPN host (so I can VPN to the network to support it)
IPSEC firewall
etc.
Is the R1/R2 a good solution? I had been looking at more "robust" solutions such as the much more expensive Proxicast router which from what I can tell is a full blown router/firewall/VPN solution.
Is there a different box/product I should be looking at?
Thanks again! |
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Mackieman
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 440
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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| The KR2 will work for all of your needs except VPN. KR2 does not offer VPN concentrator services like a Cisco PIX or Sonicwall unit does. KR2 simply allows VPN traffic to pass through (much better than KR1 did). If having a VPN is a requirement for your network, you could get a small VPN concentrator and set it up in the DMZ of a KR2. This will create a double NAT but you can write some firewall rules in KR2 to mitigate that issue, especially when you consider that you will not be running a lot of advanced applications over the network. |
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jmpage2
EVDO Newbie
Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Mackieman wrote: | | The KR2 will work for all of your needs except VPN. KR2 does not offer VPN concentrator services like a Cisco PIX or Sonicwall unit does. KR2 simply allows VPN traffic to pass through (much better than KR1 did). If having a VPN is a requirement for your network, you could get a small VPN concentrator and set it up in the DMZ of a KR2. This will create a double NAT but you can write some firewall rules in KR2 to mitigate that issue, especially when you consider that you will not be running a lot of advanced applications over the network. |
Thanks for the information. If it was possible then I could put a Linksys RV042 behind the R2 and use that as the VPN concentrator for the network. The RV042 also has a very good firewall and is quite configurable.
The VPN concentrator is not a strict network requirement but would greatly simplify my ability to do some remote support for my wife's network as I'm the guy she would call when something wasn't working properly.  Since I'm often out of town on business the VPN access would make it possible for me to do work on the network or PCs from anywhere I can establish a VPN tunnel.
The two boxes together would cost about $400. Is there a better option around this price range that would do everything I need in a single unit? The Proxicast box would fit the bill but it prices in at about $749. |
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Mackieman
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 440
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not aware of any EVDO-capable routers out there today that include a VPN concentrator service. Mike and the 3GStore guys may know better as they touch more of the market than I do. |
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firedude
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 317
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| In addition I would also look at bandwidth usage. Do you have any idea what the office would use? For one Verizon after the 1st of March will charge $1 per MB over their 5 Gig per month limit and they oppose routers (against the TOS I beleive). Now Sprint on the other hand has no bandwidth cap and it's OK per their TOS to run a router. Just food for thought if you go this route. |
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jmpage2
EVDO Newbie
Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject: |
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| firedude wrote: | | In addition I would also look at bandwidth usage. Do you have any idea what the office would use? For one Verizon after the 1st of March will charge $1 per MB over their 5 Gig per month limit and they oppose routers (against the TOS I beleive). Now Sprint on the other hand has no bandwidth cap and it's OK per their TOS to run a router. Just food for thought if you go this route. |
It would be Sprint service as EVDO coverage in the greater Denver suburbs is pretty good. The Sprint map indicates coverage where the office is going and I would probably take my Sprint EVDO equipped laptop out there to run a speed test before making a decision.
It would also be a short term solution, as I could see swapping out the R2 with something else down the road if Comcast/Earthlink or a DSL provider was able to provide service at some point.
I have found one router that has VPN built (the $749 Proxicast) in but you have to buy a 3rd party VPN client that costs about $100. By comparison the Linksys RV042 has free VPN client and the VPN Router itself costs <$200 so if I could use port forwarding and a DMZ to get that going it would probably be the better option. I could always make the RV042 the head end of the network later if a better internet option became available at her location.
The only reason I'm even considering this is that my wife was quoted a $560 install fee and $150 a month for 1.5Mb/s service via Whisper Tel who does radio frequency line of site internet. After I heard that I started considering more esoteric options such as the Sprint EVDO solution. |
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Mackieman
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 440
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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Seriously, it's the KR2. 
You should be aware of the fact that the KR2 comes with a wired WAN Ethernet port for use with a cable or DSL modem. It also includes failover support so that if your cable or DSL connection were to go down (not out of the question when new infrastructure is rolled out) it will automatically switch over to the EVDO connection. Something to think about when you're considering the need for high availability in your office connections. |
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jmpage2
EVDO Newbie
Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Mackieman wrote: |
Seriously, it's the KR2.
You should be aware of the fact that the KR2 comes with a wired WAN Ethernet port for use with a cable or DSL modem. It also includes failover support so that if your cable or DSL connection were to go down (not out of the question when new infrastructure is rolled out) it will automatically switch over to the EVDO connection. Something to think about when you're considering the need for high availability in your office connections. |
My apologies, KR2 is now burned in my noggin for future reference. I wouldn't even look at this router if I didn't need to consider the need for EVDO as an office lifeline in the event of no other ISP availability. For a small business even the $60 a month extra for a backup wireless connection is more than they want to spend. It's hard enough getting her to spend the money on real network equipment for the rest of the stuff she needs!
Earthlink is claiming now that they can deliver 1.5Mb asynch DSL to her office for $79 a month. I repeatedly told them that Qwest says no DSL available but they say they put in their own line and that it's definitely available there, so I guess we'll find out. |
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jmpage2
EVDO Newbie
Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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One more thing. Is there something about the Cradlepoint router that's superior to the KR2?
I see several posts in the history of this forum that indicate moderators, etc, seem to feel that the Cradlepoint box is far superior to the KR2 for some reason. |
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Alex
Site Admin
Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 1754
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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| jmpage2 wrote: | One more thing. Is there something about the Cradlepoint router that's superior to the KR2?
I see several posts in the history of this forum that indicate moderators, etc, seem to feel that the Cradlepoint box is far superior to the KR2 for some reason. |
well... for one... its shipping 
we love cradlepoint because they are responsive.
we have a preproduction KR2 and can tell you there is a lot to love about it as well... but its not here yet.
our comprehensive review of the KR2 is about 40% complete, and with luck, it will be online by end of week. |
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Alex
Site Admin
Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 1754
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kentrox_info
EVDO Vendor
Joined: 25 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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Kentrox out of Hillsboro, OR has a 3G router, W1100, that has IPSEC IKE VPN built-in. The unit does not have built-in WIFI though. It's a PCMCIA router with a single Ethernet port. It only works with three (3) Sierra Wireless cards, but supports all the three major carriers, Aircard 595 (Sprint & Verizon), Aircard 875 & 881 (AT&T).
-kentrox_info
P.S. I work for the company |
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JoeCHecht
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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| jmpage2 wrote: | | It would be Sprint service as EVDO coverage in the greater Denver suburbs is pretty good. |
The fastest Sprint connection I ever had was in the Denver area (a couple of miles from the airport).
Once I got did a 50MB upload via FTP that exceeded all expectations from EVDO (I think it exceeded the specs by 2x). I do not recall just how fast it was, but I think it was something like 4.9mbs. I remember I had to double check it, just because it was so unusual, and no, I was only connected via the sprint card.
Anyway, the EVDO for the week I spent in Denver was excellent by all accounts.
Joe |
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