models need to have an external modem attached via a serial cable to Port 1 (which must be configured in Local Console (modem) mode)
5.3 Cellular modem OoB Access and Failover
The LES1203-3G has an internal 3G cellular modem which can be configured in OoB mode (in which case the cellular connection will always be on) or in Failover mode (where the connection is only established in event of a ping failure). Before powering on the LES1203-3G you must install the SIM card provided by your cellular carrier, and attach the external aerial.
If the SIM Card is configured with a PIN Code, you will be required to unlock the Card by entering the PIN Code. If the PIN Code is entered incorrectly three times, then the PUK Code will be required to unlock the Card.
5.3.1 Configure for OoB and connect to carrier network
Your LES1203-3G will require a SIM card with either a publicly accessible fixed IP address or a publicly accessible dynamic IP address.
Note: By default most providers offer a consumer grade service which provides dynamic, private IP address
assignments to 3G devices. This IP address is not visible across the Internet but generally it is adequate for home and general business use.
To use the LES1203-3G you will need a corporate mobile data service/plan with a public (static or dynamic) IP address.
To configure the LES1203-3G cellular modem for OoB (out-of-band) access: Select Internal Cellular Modem panel on the System: Dial menu
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724-746-5500 l www.blackbox.com
Check Enable for Dial-Out Settings -OOB
Note: Your 3G carrier may have provided you with details for configuring the connection including APN (Access Point
Name), Pin Code (optional PIN code which may be required to unlock the SIM card), Phone Number (the sequence to dial to establish the connection, defaults to *99***1#), Username/ Password (optional) and Dial string (optional AT commands). However you generally will only need to enter your provider’s APN and leave the other fields blank Enter the carrier’s APN e.g. for AT&T (USA) simply enter i2gold, for T-Mobile (USA) enter epc.tmobile.com.
You may also need to set Override DNS to use alternate DNS servers from those provided by your carrier.
To enable Override DNS, check the Override returned DNS Servers box. Enter the IP of the DNS servers into the spaces provided.
Note: If the SIM in the LES1203-3G does not have a publicly accessible fixed IP address then a DDNS service will need
to be configured to enable the remote administrator to initiate incoming access Check Apply and a radio connection will be established with your cellular carrier
5.3.2 Verify connection to carrier network
With out-of-band access enabled, the cellular modem connection is always on and you can see the connection status from the LEDs on top of unit
Note: The LES1203-3G has two cellular status LEDs. The SIM LED on top of unit should go on solid when a SIM card
has been inserted and detected.
The WWAN LED on top of unit is OFF when in reset mode or not powered. When powered it will go ON and while searching for service it will flash off briefly every 5sec. Once a radio connection has been established with your cellular carrier (i.e. after an APN has been properly configured) the WWAN LED will blink at a rate proportional to traffic signal strength detected i.e. OFF =Low, (lower than -100 dBm), Blinking Slow = Low to Medium (-99 to -90 dBm), Blinking Fast = Medium to High (-89 to -70 dBm) and ON= High (-69 dBm or higher)
You can also verify the connection status by selecting the Cellular tab in the Statistics Verify Service Availability and verify Mode is set to Online
You can also now try accessing the LES1203-3G using the custom APN Public IP Address provided by the carrier. However by default only HTTPS and SSH access is enabled on the OoB connection. So you can browse to the LES1203-3G (using DDNS or its fixed IP address) - but you cannot ping it
5.3.3 Cellular failover
Once you have confirmed carrier connectivity with the OoB setting, the internal cellular modem on the LES1203-3G can be re-configured for failover.
This will tell the internal cellular connection to remain idle in a low power state. If the primary and secondary probe addresses are not available it will bring up the cellular connection and connect back to the custom APN.
If you wish to not use the failover feature simply leave failover set to “none” and the cellular modem will continually stay connected
Navigate back to the Network Interface on the System:IP menu specify Internal Cellular modem (cell modem 01)) as the Failover Interface to be used when a fault has been detected
Specify the Probe Addresses of two sites (the Primary and Secondary) that the LES1203-3G is to ping to determine if the principal network is still operational
Remote Console Manager
In event of a failure of the principal network the 3G network connection is activated as the access path to the console server (and its Managed Devices). Only HTTPS and SSH access is enabled on the failover connection (which should enable the administrator to connect and fix the problem)
Note: If the LES1203-3G does not have a publicly accessible fixed IP address then a DDNS service will need to be
configured to enable the remote administrator to initiate incoming access
Note: By default, the console server supports automatic failure-recovery back to the original state prior to failover. The
console server continually pings probe addresses whilst in original and failover states. The original state will automatically be set as a priority and reestablished following three successful pings of the probe addresses during failover. The failover state will be removed once the original state has been re-established.
You can check the connection status by selecting the Cellular panel on the Status: Statistics menu. The Operational Status will change as the cellular modem finds a channel and connects to the network. The Failover & Out-of-Band screen will display information relating to a configured Failover/OOB interface and the status of that connection. The IP Address of the Failover/ OOB interface will be presented in the Failover & Out-of-Band screen once the Failover/OOB interface has been triggered.