Anyone got the new LtAP working with two LTE miniPCIe modules?

RouterOS General
1

Just got a couple of the new LtAP routerboards, with 2 miniPCIe slots and 3 SIMs. I’m trying to get 2 LTE modems working on it, but so far been unsuccessful…basically I can’t any modem in the BOTTOM to be show up as a “System > Port”, although they show up under “System > Resources > USB” so the modems are on the USB bus.

Curious if anyone has gotten two LTE modems working on the LtAP (https://mikrotik.com/product/ltap)?

I’m using the modemless version (since there isn’t US LTE kit of LtAP) but added my own modem cards…tried using the Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US, Sierra Wireless MC7354, and Quectel EC25-V. All worked fine in the TOP miniPCIe, but all just didn’t work in the BOTTOM slot. Specifically, they don’t “mount” as a port, so I can’t even get even PPP mode to work.

I also tried an “un-taped” Sierra Wireless MC7455, which is USB 3.0 module…that one did actually show up as a “port” and also under a USB 3.0 hub on the Mikrotik; however it was marked as “inactive” and thus unusable, although slightly different behavior since with the USB 2.0 modems I tried didn’t even register as an inactive port (just missing, only to be seen under resource view that show the USB bus).

Not my first rodeo with US LTE modems and Mikrotik, so tried all the options… mode=miniPCIe, both enable/disable of “Ignore IP Direct modems”, increased boot delay, many reboots/pulling power, both 6.45.1 and 6.46beta6 versions, and all modem cards were known working in other Mikrotik boards, etc. But basically I’m stuck and haven’t gotten in any modem cards to work in the BOTTOM slot. I tried reseting the USB power using /system routerboard, but apparently it only resets the TOP USB bus and there is no option to select the 2nd USB bus on the BOTTOM of the RB.

So curious if I’m missing something obvious, or is this a bug? Perhaps none of my LTE modules are “USB modems” since I do know from the specs the bottom miniPCIe slot of the LtAP is kinda weird: it only supports USB, but not full miniPCIe while apparently support USB 3.0…

2

Curious if anyone has any suggestions… Can anyone confirm any LTE miniPCIe modem that’s worked in the bottom slot of the new LtAP?

3

I contact with a provider in my countru and after some lines that he write ( but due to work i wasnt able to spy it become active )
I dont know if it work i wasnt able to make it work . And after a restart it has lost the second lte . And i become back to the start .
I am starting.imaging that they get to the market a model that is incomplete

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4

Yeah I have concerns – I even tried a 3 different modems, that were working in other Mikrotik boards.

But I did email support@mikrotik.com about it…nothing yet.

5

Thats make two of us ( about the support )

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6

giorgos1975m,

Still nothing from support - been longer than 3 days and I did provide a bunch of supout.rif files…

I ended up trying 2 brand new R11e-LTE-US modems, in a previously unopened LtAP in the mean time…same result: the bottom miniPCIe does not show up a port for PPP or “DirectIP” LTE.

I’d originally thought is was the US version of Mikrotik LTE miniPCIe, since it a different for the EU version. But realized you likely in Greece, so now I’m wonder what does work in the LtAP’s bottom miniPCIe…

Anyway, let me know if you hear anything…I presume support will respond at some point…but kinda annoying since it stalling a project I’m working that the LtAP is WOULD be perfect.

7

From support i got these
If you do not see the second LTE card please try setting the usb type to mini-PCI as it is shown below:
/system routerboard usb set type=mini-PCIe
You can change the SIM slots under system routerboard, see and example below:
/system routerboard sim set sim-slot=up
With the first command i was able to.see the secomd lte the other command doesnt work but besides that i have not been able to get the second lte to have internet noatter what i have trie . As i said to sullort i think the s/w need improvements and it wasn’t ready

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8

Mikrotik is now looking into this.

What I know various combos of 2 modems don’t work in 6.44.x, 6.45.1, 6.45.1, and 6.46beta6 on the LtAP, specifically:
Sierra Wireless MC7354 (top) / Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (bottom)
Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (top) / Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (bottom)
Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (top) / Sierra Wireless MC7354 (bottom)
Quectel EC25-V (top) / Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (bottom)*

  • Quectel EC25-V (top) / Mikrotik R11e-LTE-US (bottom) combo did work in PPP mode, but only with “Ignore DirectIP Modems” and setting Quectel to PPP mode (at+qcfg=“usbnet”,0). But PPP mode is okay with Quectel (it has 2 AT channels, so “info” works to read the signal strength), but the R11e isn’t so nice since you can no longer read the RSSI etc (only 1 AT channel when not in ECM/DirectIP mode).

Will update when I know more.

9

Hello
If you use 2 LTE cards on LtAP, is it still possible to use USB port for USB flash (storage) ?

10

Hi no it is not possible as they told me from mikrotik

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11

Pretty sure won’t work. AFAIK the “top” miniPCIe slot is shared with the external USB port, at least for modems. That mean you need to select the “top” miniPCIe OR external USB via ROS configuration, like /system routerboard usb set type=…, or via Winbox under System > Routerboard. If you set it to “miniPCI-e”, it disables the external USB port. Although I didn’t try a flash drive and modem specifically.

See the “block diagram” from the Product page, that shows the “top” board as being shared.

While Mikrotik’s https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:USB_Features normally covers these things, it doesn’t NOT discuss the LtAP… From what I’ve read in forums/MUM presentations, the LtAP is even weirder than other devices…the “bottom” miniPCIe slot has USB 3.0 support, but the “top” slot (or if selected, the external USB port) only supports USB 2.0.

Now “true” PCI device (perhaps Wi-Fi modules?) might allow the “top” miniPCIe to work with an external USB device like a flash drive… But since all LTE modems that I’ve used present themselves as USB devices, with the miniPCIe interface just being used to pass-through the USB controller in case of LTE modems. To round out the weirdness, at least as I understand it, the bottom slot of the LtAP only works with USB-based miniPCIe modules (like modems) and NOT actual PCI modules.

That being said, Mikrotik is looking into why 2 R11e-US modems don’t work together, so it’s all theoretical to me at this point. But the above are the USB specs AFAIK.

12

Little update, the same problems have some users with M33G to use two mPCIe LTE module… we found a workaround, support can replicate that case at user hardware and they forund a source problem. I think it’s the same problem at your LtAP.
Please check but this should be solved from:

What’s new in 6.47.1 (2020-Jul-08 12:34):
*) lte - fixed modem initialization when multiple modems are used simultaneously;

Means, try latest version.

About USB.. we must select USB OR LTE in UP slot.