MikroTik has suggested the newer 5G/LTE devices will come with eSIM hardware built-in. But this does not help currently shipping (and previously shipped) 5G/LTE product WITHOUT eSIM hardware, but MT @emilst suggests the you add a “physical eSIM card”…
But the issue is which ones is supported. In various thread, folks have reported mixed results with physical eSIM & it rather complex to know which “magic SIM card” is going to work…
I have a lot of older devices that I’d like to upgrade to “eSIM” with a physical eSIM compatible with RouterOS newer eSIM commands. I’m happy to spend $ some “physical eSIM cards” – problem is I have no idea which ones might be “compatible” with RouterOS’s eSIM commands.
My idea is MikroTik should offer a physical eSIM card themselves. AFAIK, it just buying the right kinda from Gemalto, G+D, etc., and perhaps having them print a MikroTik logo on it. To me, it seems a good business… since SIM card in bulk are pretty cheap… but I’m willing to $20+ to “upgrade” an older RouterOS device to “add eSIM support” & likely not alone.
Now I’d be just as happy if MikroTik could just point me to some vendor that already sells one of the “physical eSIM cards” that is known to work too.
We’ve experience to use esim.me with Chateau 5G ax and it requires to use their app. 5ber.com needs to be checked and it also works trough their own services.
It would be good to have a direct ROS support on these ones or a Mikrotik produced card.
Here is tutorial how to do it in Linux using lpac comand with smard card reader. Not tried by myself, but in this way eSim card could be activated before inserting into MT device without using Andorid phone, yet ofc. it would be nice to have direct support on ROS for this.
The idea is there should be SOME “physical eSIM” that works with RouterOS’s /interface/lte/esim/provision commands.
While there are solutions that use their OWN apps/tools to program an eSIM, the issue is if eSIM Profile needs to change… If RouterOS commands don’t work with the physical eSIM… you’d still have to remove the card to re-program it – which is only marginally better than just swapping one carrier SIM for another.
I’d forgot about them (even though we have some CBRS SIMs from them, which are USIM so know they won’t work). But the question do the sysmocom EUICC1-C2G work with RouterOS /interface/lte/esim/provision commands?
i.e. /interface/lte/esim/provision to work on wAPacR/SXT-R/SXT-LTE6-US/AudienceLTE6-US/LtAP/LtAPmini/RB593/RBM33/L23UGSR/RB911/RB923/ChateauLTE6-US/ChateauLTE6-US/KNOT/etc… if “print” does not work, that mean you need to use a phone & remove the SIM card to change the eSIM in use — or I’m missing something in what your saying?
But the actual advantage of having an e-sim Is the possibility to not having to, i.e. avoid climbing up a pole or up a ladder, or having to walk on a roof, etc.
Unless some of these physical e-sims are FULLY supported by Mikrotik RoS, they are only an added possible point of failure.
You posted two messages that seem to be about the same product. First you say it does not work, then you say it works with two different products that have the same model name.
Could you explain a bit more clearly what actually works or does not work when provisioning using only ROS?
Any mikrotik product with R11e-LTE modem - NO esim functionality with 9esim
Any mikrotik product with R11e-LTE6 modem - can only switch profiles on 9esim
Any mikrotik product with FG621-EA modem - no data, but MIkrotik lists it as fully supported.
Any mikrotik product with t77w968-esim modem - Full esim functionality.
Any mikrotik product with t77w968 modem - Full esim functionality with 9esim.
t77w968-esim - NOT mikrotik modem with internal esim chip in m.2 form factor.
t77w968 - NOT mikrotik modem without internal esim chip in m.2 form factor.
But whey are widely available, its cat. 18, and working in mikrotik with a simple adapter.
I am happy to share that I successfully tested the following setup:
Chateau LTE18 ax
RouterOS 7.19.1
Physical card for eSIMs from www.esim.bg which are partner of www.esim.me
eSIM subscription from holafly.com for one day Internet access in EU
I inserted the physical card straight into the router. In order to download the eSIM to the physical card I had to connect the router with cable internet. Then I executed the following command:
The new eSIM was downloaded and recorded in the second “slot” of the physical card. Then I had to activate that second “slot” (0 is the first slot, 1 is the second):
/interface/lte/esim/activate number=1
And the last thing I had to do with this particular provider was to enable roaming for the LTE1 interface.
/interface/lte/set lte1 allow-roaming=yes
I confirm I was able to save the eSIM to the physical card without using the mobile app of esim.me. This is huge advantage because esim.me have some fees that confused me.
Another question:
How many “profiles” does a e-sim from esim.me has ?
And can they be switched at will?
In practice (cannot say if possible) one could pre-set (say) as profile #1 a M2M connection, and then use it (instead of the cable connection you used) to run the provisioning for the “main” connection, this way the device esim could be upgraded/changed on the field in remote locations where there is only LTE internet.
