Raspberry Pi Project: 4G LTE with a Raspberry Pi (Wi-Fi Hotspot Router)
Introduction:
I specifically chose this project due to a few different factors. I have always loved the world of Wi-Fi, and finding out how it works. When I realized that I could turn a Raspberry Pi into a Wi-Fi hotspot router, I was elated. Since I am an online student, Wi-Fi is a very important asset for me in order to complete assignments and get the full experience of at-home learning. If the Wi-Fi is down, it is very difficult for me to do many of these things. Learning about this project has made me comprehensively much more aware of what goes into the construction of internet devices. This class as a whole has helped me an incredible amount to learn many new and fascinating things about technology that I had never known before.
For my Raspberry Pi project, I decided to hypothetically construct a 4G LTE Hotspot Router. As previously discussed, I do not have access to a Raspberry Pi device at this time, but Professor Ryan agreed to let me hypothetically perform altercations to one.
The supplies I “used” are as follows:
Raspberry Pi 3B
- iPhone 11
- Stand to place phone on
- USB cable for Raspberry Pi
- USB cable to connect my phone to the Raspberry Pi
The process:
I began my project by plugging the SD card into my Raspberry Pi. I then plugged the Raspberry Pi into the ethernet port of my laptop. I tried to connect the Pi to the internet directly, but this would contradict the idea of my project, so this idea didn’t work. I then used the program OpenWRT (wireless freedom). I then tried to open the program, but this did not work either, as I needed to first set up a password. Next, I installed USB tethering support using the Raspberry Pi software. I used my phone on Wi-Fi Hotspot mode to open a browser on my ethernet connected laptop to the IP address of the Pi. Then, from the web interface, I logged in with ROOT and the password that I had just said. I browsed Network > Wireless. After this, I pushed the ”scan” button, and connected to my phone’s connection, which saved this one. The Pi then had internet access, however, it was not ideal.
I decided to take a different approach and use a USB connection instead of using the phone’s Wi-Fi Hotspot to tether. Next, I installed USB tethering support on the Pi. I then turned off the phone’s hotspot and connected it to the Pi using USB. Upon seeing the USB connection notification, I changed from the charging via USB default to USB tethering. I set this as a default method.
In order to turn this into the existing router, I needed to set the IP address of the Pi to that of the router and therefore, further disable any DHCP software. I decided to edit the interfaces. I set a static address to the preferred IP. I then disabled the DHCP. After this step, I Took the ethernet plug out of the broadband router, plugged it into the Pi, and powered it up. After a few seconds, the status light on the network went from red to green, indicating that all was golden!
Conclusion:
I absolutely loved researching about this fabulous project. I thoroughly enjoyed watching video demonstrations and reading articles about my project choice. I feel as though every experience is a learning experience, and this project most definitely follows that. I learned about many avenues of the Raspberry Pi that I didn’t even know existed. I realized that if I put my mind to something, I can make it work. Seeing how incredible this project is made me realize just how fascinating the world of technology is. I am so grateful for this learning experience. I would highly recommend this project to anyone who is interested in internet, Wi-Fi, or even just Raspberry Pi software in general, as there are so many things to be learned upon completion.
Resources:
https://www.hackster.io/news/how-to-turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-4g-lte-router-af866e3b7dd8
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/using-4g-lte-wireless-modems-on-raspberry-pi
Photo credits: Reddit: R/raspberry_pi
photo credits: Jeff Geerling
Featured Image credits: Adafruit Learning System
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