Connectivity from IR devices to Cellular Carriers
Alert: Cisco has made the end-of-life (EOL) announcement for the Cisco Edge Device Manager (EDM).
Note: This procedure is for the IR1101 and the IR1800 devices only.
Dual-modem or dual-SIM support provides redundancy for the remote devices in case of failure of one of the cellular uplinks or issues with the mobile network operator (MNO). You can get highly available connectivity on the IR devices to the Internet over cellular uplink with minimal time.
Dual-modem support provides continuous, reliable cellular connectivity to your Cisco IR devices on a remote site. In case one cellular uplink experiences an outage for any reason, another cellular uplink handles the connectivity and keeps delivering service until the problem is resolved. With dual-modem or dual-SIM connectivity, management and user data traffic undergoes failover whenever primary interface goes down. For more information about this topic, see Tech Guidance.
Note: The minimum Day 0, Zero Touch Deployment (ZTD) and eCVD configuration versions for IR1101 and IR1800 devices are:
IR1101 Devices
- Minimum Day 0, ZTD configuration version for IR1100: 4.2
- Minimum eCVD configuration version for IR1100: 2.2
IR1800 Devices
- Minimum Day 0, ZTD configuration version for IR1800: 4.2
- Minimum eCVD configuration version for IR1800: 2.3
Currently, IoT OD supports the following two scenarios:
- 1 LTE modem with 2 SIM cards
- 2 LTE modems with 2 SIM cards (1 SIM card per modem)
1 LTE modem with 2 SIM cards
Prerequisites
The following parameters apply:
- Using 1 LTE modem with 2 SIM cards in the IR device
- Active-passive failover between 2 different MNOs
| Cellular Uplink | Failover Configuration | Device Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 LTE modem + 2 SIM cards | Active-Passive for 2 cellular uplinks on 1 LTE modem in the bootstrap | * LTE module Slot 0 is reserved for the Active (prime) MNO link * Slot 1 is reserved for the Passive (standby) MNO link |
If the active SIM card loses connectivity to the network, a failover to the alternative SIM card slot occurs. By default the failover timer is 3 minutes.
The Auto SIM feature detects the SIM and loads the corresponding firmware. For example, if an AT&T SIM is detected, the modem loads the AT&T firmware.
2 LTE modems with 2 SIM cards (1 SIM card per modem)
Prerequisites
The following parameters apply:
- Using 2 LTE modems and 2 SIM cards in the IR device
- Active-active failover between 2 different MNOs
| Cellular Uplink | Failover Configuration | Device Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| 2 LTE modems + 2 SIM cards (1 SIM per modem) | Active-Active for 2 cellular uplinks on 2 LTE modems in the bootstrap. | * LTE module Slot 0 is reserved for the Active (prime) MNO link * Slot 1 is unused in this configuration |
Limitations in Day 0 Zero-Touch-Deployment
- During Day 0 Zero-Touch-Deployment (ZTD), if two cell interfaces have acquired an IP address, prioritize the Cellular0/1/0 interface over Cellular0/3/0 or Cellular0/4/0.
- Configuring the device using eCVD configuration, the user preferences will be applied to the management tunnel and customer tunnel if applicable. For example, if you use Cellular0/1/0 over ethernet, you can do so in the WAN Uplink template interface.
- Handle failover by applying weight/priority/Administrative distance on cellular routes. Prioritize the interface that has acquired an IP address.
Expected 4G and 5G behavior on IR devices
| SIM | Cellular Modem | Mobile Network | Status | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4G | 4G | 4G/5G | Supported | Data channel can run on 4G speeds. |
| 4G | 5G | 4G/5G | Supported | Data channel can run on 4G speeds. |
| 5G | 4G | 4G/5G | Supported | Assuming 5G-capable SIM. Data channel can run on 4G speeds. |
| 5G | 5G | 4G/5G | Supported | Assuming 5G-capable SIM. Modem attaches in ENDC mode (4G+5G) since supported from carrier. Data channel can run on 4G/5G speeds. |
| 4G/5G/5G-SA | 4G/5G | 5G-SA | Not Supported | Cisco's IoT 5G P-56S6-GL module does not support 5G-SA mode. |
Notes:
- Data speed will ultimately depend on RF environment and network configuration (throttle speed, etc.)
- 5G only network (5G-SA) mode is not supported by Cisco IoT 5G P-56S6-GL FN980 modem, currently
Expected behavior for cellular failovers on IR devices
Active-passive failover between SIM 0 and SIM 1
| SIM 0 | SIM 1 | Cellular Modem | Mobile Network | Failover Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4G | 4G | 4G | 4G / 5G | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 4G | 4G | 4G | 5G /5G-SA | Not supported Cisco IoT’s 5G P-56S6-GL module does not support 5G-SA mode |
| 4G | 4G | 4G / 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 4G | 5G | 4G | 4G / 5G | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 4G | 5G | 4G / 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported 1. 4G speeds with SIM 0 2. Up to 4G+5G speeds with SIM 1 |
| 5G | 4G | 4G | 4G / 5G | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 5G | 4G | 4G / 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported 1. Up to 4G+5G speeds with SIM 0 2. 4G speeds with SIM 1 |
| 5G | 5G | 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported 1. 4G speeds on 4G network 2. Up to 4G+5G speeds on 5G network |
Active-active failover between SIM 0 and SIM 1
| SIM | Cellular Modem | Mobile Network | Status | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4G | 4G | 4G / 5G | Supported | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 4G | 4G / 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported | Supported Data channel can run on 4G speeds 5G coming soon |
| 5G | 4G | 4G / 5G | Supported | Assuming 5G-capable SIM Data channel can run on 4G speeds |
| 5G | 4G / 5G | 4G / 5G | Supported | Assuming 5G-capable SIM Modem attaches in ENDC mode (4G+5G) since supported from carrier Data channel can be established with 4G/5G speeds. |
| 4G/5G/5G-SA | 4G / 5G | 5G-SA | Not Supported | Cisco IoT’s 5G P-56S6-GL module does not support 5G-SA mode |