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International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
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2013-05-13 15:37:04
Posts: 11
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International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-05-13 15:37:04
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Region : Germany
Model : TL-MR3020
Hardware Version : V1
Firmware Version :
ISP :
Hello all,
when visiting Switzerland and Italy with my German SIM card I noticed that roaming is not working very good with the TL-MR3020. The reason is that the internet provider needs to be set in the config, in my case to o2 Germany.
When I travel with this SIM card to another country, I roam into other networks.
As I cannot what provider is currently active (as o2 has contracts with almost every provider outside Germany) and even if I could see it I have to adjust the settings in the config if anything changes, the satisfaction effect on this trip was not very good.
Also I noticed that sometimes (only sometimes) the setting resetted itself to o2 Germany when unplugging the device, this added some extra negative satisfaction to everything.
In my understanding the router should have an auto detection for the currently active network and auto setup for the dialin parameters and everything else. Like every smartphone on the planet. Maybe you can also add a setting where you can enable or disable data roaming to save people money if they do not have a international data option booked.
Cheers,
Roi
Model : TL-MR3020
Hardware Version : V1
Firmware Version :
ISP :
Hello all,
when visiting Switzerland and Italy with my German SIM card I noticed that roaming is not working very good with the TL-MR3020. The reason is that the internet provider needs to be set in the config, in my case to o2 Germany.
When I travel with this SIM card to another country, I roam into other networks.
As I cannot what provider is currently active (as o2 has contracts with almost every provider outside Germany) and even if I could see it I have to adjust the settings in the config if anything changes, the satisfaction effect on this trip was not very good.
Also I noticed that sometimes (only sometimes) the setting resetted itself to o2 Germany when unplugging the device, this added some extra negative satisfaction to everything.
In my understanding the router should have an auto detection for the currently active network and auto setup for the dialin parameters and everything else. Like every smartphone on the planet. Maybe you can also add a setting where you can enable or disable data roaming to save people money if they do not have a international data option booked.
Cheers,
Roi
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-04 22:44:09
I did put in the bin file for the E173, see above. Nothing changed.
What settings should I put in as I do not know what Spanish provider I am using at the moment? I noticed on my netbook that it chooses a different provider very often
Unfortunately I do not get a visual feedback on the website of the router or setup a fixed provider.
I think the 3G routers of TP-Link are not thought through when it comes to roaming. It simply does not work. And it does in EVERY cheap smartphone...
What settings should I put in as I do not know what Spanish provider I am using at the moment? I noticed on my netbook that it chooses a different provider very often
Unfortunately I do not get a visual feedback on the website of the router or setup a fixed provider.
I think the 3G routers of TP-Link are not thought through when it comes to roaming. It simply does not work. And it does in EVERY cheap smartphone...
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-05 05:45:10
As I watch your problems from afar in Australia, it does seem that the router is preventing the modem from roaming, or in other words when the modem drivers connect to the modem, the modem is switched to a non-roaming state
by default,
Roaming can be switched on and off via AT commands but unfortunately you cannot execute these whilst the modem is in the router.
It is faintly possible (as a way of testing) that the Huawei may maintain it's roaming configuration if it is hot unplugged from your laptop and plugged into the 'hot' router.
I have no easy way to test router roaming here, as the next country is a 3 hour plane flight away. :)
There must be others in Europe that can test this issue?
It would be good to get to the bottom of this intriguing problem.
Cheers
John k
Roaming can be switched on and off via AT commands but unfortunately you cannot execute these whilst the modem is in the router.
It is faintly possible (as a way of testing) that the Huawei may maintain it's roaming configuration if it is hot unplugged from your laptop and plugged into the 'hot' router.
I have no easy way to test router roaming here, as the next country is a 3 hour plane flight away. :)
There must be others in Europe that can test this issue?
It would be good to get to the bottom of this intriguing problem.
Cheers
John k
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-07 16:36:17
Wahroonga Farm wrote
As I watch your problems from afar in Australia, it does seem that the router is preventing the modem from roaming, or in other words when the modem drivers connect to the modem, the modem is switched to a non-roaming state by default,
Roaming can be switched on and off via AT commands but unfortunately you cannot execute these whilst the modem is in the router.
It is faintly possible (as a way of testing) that the Huawei may maintain it's roaming configuration if it is hot unplugged from your laptop and plugged into the 'hot' router.I
The more I think about it, it is quite possible that this is the issue.
So according to theory, this may be what is happening in the Huawei connection manager:
The connection manager sets the modem to roam at start-up. During a formal shutdown it sets the modem to the non-roaming state.
The TP-Link router assumes the modem is in a roaming state (or doesn't care or the problem is unknown) and does nothing to configure the modems existing roaming state.
To test this simply unplug the working modem from the laptop, plug it into the router and boot it up. By hot unplugging the modem will retain the roaming configuration and may hopefully work. As long as the modem is not plugged into the laptop it will maintain the roaming setting and continue to work at each router re-boot.
This issue may well be different for different modems and connection managers.
Anyway that's the theory .. it needs a test. :)
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-07 21:07:49
I will test what you suggested (unplugging the working and online stick from the netbook and put it into the router).
Will be back here to tell you if it works.
Thank you for your time! :-)
Will be back here to tell you if it works.
Thank you for your time! :-)
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-14 06:37:48
No, does not work...
The status of the stick first is "identifying", then it changes to "unplugged" and stays that way. Although the stick blinks from time to time...
The status of the stick first is "identifying", then it changes to "unplugged" and stays that way. Although the stick blinks from time to time...
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-14 07:52:49
Bugger.
I guess that is not surprising as the modem will be in a not normal state when plugged in to the router.
At this point we're at a dead end unless you can interrogate the modem whilst it is active and working in the router.
For this you will need to flash the TL-MR3020 to ROOter firmware. You may not be willing to take this adventure in the name of science?
I have checked my Sierra 320U (via AT commands) and the roaming flag is set for the 320U whilst it is in the ROOter. I have also had it confirmed elsewhere that the 320U roams in a router just fine.
I have also had it confirmed by another modem manufacturer, that the connection manager "may" switch the roaming flag on and off.
All the information on ROOter is available here http://ofmodemsandmen.com/index.html
and here http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/router_openwrt
If you decide to take the ROOter path (the ROOter will do a lot of other good things to your MR3020), then keep in touch and we can get cracking with AT commands.
Cheers
John k
I guess that is not surprising as the modem will be in a not normal state when plugged in to the router.
At this point we're at a dead end unless you can interrogate the modem whilst it is active and working in the router.
For this you will need to flash the TL-MR3020 to ROOter firmware. You may not be willing to take this adventure in the name of science?
I have checked my Sierra 320U (via AT commands) and the roaming flag is set for the 320U whilst it is in the ROOter. I have also had it confirmed elsewhere that the 320U roams in a router just fine.
I have also had it confirmed by another modem manufacturer, that the connection manager "may" switch the roaming flag on and off.
All the information on ROOter is available here http://ofmodemsandmen.com/index.html
and here http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/router_openwrt
If you decide to take the ROOter path (the ROOter will do a lot of other good things to your MR3020), then keep in touch and we can get cracking with AT commands.
Cheers
John k
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-16 17:31:33
I just returned home to Germany from Spain. As this was a family trip I did not have much time to test. Sorry. I could install the suggested firmware, but it does not make any sense anymore for the problem we are trying to solve as I am at home now, right?
All I was expecting from the TP-Link router was, that I can bring my netbook, my smartphone and the smartphone of my wife online at once. Total failure.
And very disappointing, as using it on holiday or business trips to other countries is/was my main use... :-(
All I was expecting from the TP-Link router was, that I can bring my netbook, my smartphone and the smartphone of my wife online at once. Total failure.
And very disappointing, as using it on holiday or business trips to other countries is/was my main use... :-(
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-16 19:30:14
Hi,
That's fine and understandable.
Do you have a modem other than the Huawei E173 that you could try next time you roam?
Cheers
John k
That's fine and understandable.
Do you have a modem other than the Huawei E173 that you could try next time you roam?
Cheers
John k
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Re:International roaming with TL-MR3020 is a huge pain!
2013-06-16 19:46:43
Yes, I have a noname modem which works with the router.
This was the modem which worked somehow in Italy some weeks ago, but it had problems, too. As described above I always had to select the service provider by hand (and as it is not possible to see which provider is active at the moment I had to guess) and it often went to "disconnected" as well.
As the modem was not officially supported and had the problems described above I got myself a supported modem. Unfortunally it made things maybe even worse than better.
I will take both modems with me when I travel again. The next holiday trip will be France end of August, maybe I am somewhere else before.
This was the modem which worked somehow in Italy some weeks ago, but it had problems, too. As described above I always had to select the service provider by hand (and as it is not possible to see which provider is active at the moment I had to guess) and it often went to "disconnected" as well.
As the modem was not officially supported and had the problems described above I got myself a supported modem. Unfortunally it made things maybe even worse than better.
I will take both modems with me when I travel again. The next holiday trip will be France end of August, maybe I am somewhere else before.
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