Need a GPRS hotspot

[Jiniix]

We send a lot of data via SIM cards, and it can take up to two hours to update the software.
It's not uncommon it fails, and it has to start over. Not a good system, but all we have.
I'm thinking there has to exist a sort of reverse access point/4G modem. You plug an ethernet cable in the box, and it emits a "wifi" signal that can be picked up with SIM cards.
Never heard of this, and google proved to be hard, considering both "access point" and "modem" are very common terms for this technology.

Anyone know a router/AP/modem that can do this? Price almost irrelevant.

 

[beers]

Why would you try to propagate cellular? Most hotspots will broadcast wifi, re-broadcasting gsm data doesn't really make any sense.

I'm really curious as to the technical dependencies of why things must be done that way in your setup.

 

[Jiniix]

I work for a credit card terminal company. We have models that exclusively communicate via SIM cards. Downloading a 35MB software update takes about two hours. The communication is honestly unreliable, and if disconnected for more than two minutes, it'll give up and you have to start over.
So we were brainstorming and concluded that this product must exist, however obscure, giving us much more control and assumed stability.

 

[beers]

Ah, fun times.

You're likely more limited by the cellular radio in the terminal for transfer rate. Standard GPRS was around dial up rate for transfers, even if you controlled your own cell signal you'd still be limited by the protocol.

Do they not have an Ethernet interface? I worked at a national propane company that used a lot of cellular routers in the field (Cisco 819) to allow wired connections over the air.

 

[Jiniix]

It's not the time it takes that's a problem, it's the annoyance when it cuts out at 90% download (happend today )
It comes with a docking station, which you can get a module for that allows ethernet to be plugged in. But we can't get the modules, corporate whatever bla bla reason.
For our purpose, it would be simpler if we could just replace our current SIM cards, and we wouldn't need a dock per updating terminal.

Edit: This is the terminal in question

 

[Geoff]

Do you really need GPRS? It doesn't even support 3G (EVDO or HSPA)? Carriers are already beginning to depreciate their 2G technologies, so it's not going to work at all soon enough.

They do make ethernet > cellular extenders. All major carriers in the U.S. offer this, some for free and some for a cost. You can't broadcast your own cellular signal though as they work off licensed spectrum and the SIM card is registered to a certain carrier. The best you can do is if you have say Verizon, or T-Mobile, to get a Verizon or T-Mobile branded cellular extender. The problem is, not all broadcast 2G signals. Verizon does have an older 3G extender which gives off 1x and EVDO, but as far as GPRS I don't believe the T-Mobile extender does (HSPA+ and LTE only I believe). Not sure about AT&T.

Do you have a really weak signal? If it's dropping out because of a weak signal, these would help, but if it's dropping out because it's trying to download a large file over a very slow GPRS connection, this won't change that.

 

[Jiniix]

As far as I know, they communicate only with GPRS, which should be pretty good in Denmark. We'll most likely have to look in to a cellular extender, as you're probably right about not having license to broadcast your own.