The IXrouter's cellular connection disconnects spontaneously. Reinserting the SIM card and doing a reboot or only rebooting the IXrouter may resolve the issue temporarily.

In the IXrouter log file the following events can be observed around the time of the disconnect:

daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (27060): udhcpc: received SIGTERM
daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wwan_4' has lost the connection
user.warn kernel: [430130.318954] cellular-monitor: Lost data connection. Reset udhcpc
daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wwan_4' is now down
daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wwan_4' is disabled
daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wwan_4' is enabled
daemon.notice netifd: Interface 'wwan_4' is setting up now
daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (31912): udhcpc: started, v1.28.4
daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (31912): udhcpc: sending discover
daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (31912): udhcpc: sending discover
daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (31912): udhcpc: sending discover

Important! If within ~10 minutes after the above events you do not see any events where the IXrouter receives an IP address (see below), then continue reading the causes and solutions in this article.

However, if you do see that the IXrouter received an IP address (see below) then the problem is different than described in this article. Please contact us for help.

daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (22186): udhcpc: sending select for 10.84.106.239
daemon.notice netifd: wwan_4 (22186): udhcpc: lease of 10.84.106.239 obtained, lease time 7200

1. A 3-in-1 SIM card is used

A 3-in-1 SIM card is used. This SIM card is slightly thinner than a standard 2FF SIM card. This can lead to loss of contact under specific circumstances. Mainly in case of heavy vibrations.

Since the IXrouter can only detect the SIM card at boot time, it cannot automatically reconnect. The IXrouter must be rebooted to detect the SIM card and restore the cellular connection.

2. A Dutch Vodafone SIM card is used

A Dutch Vodafone SIM card is used. For some cell towers, Vodafone requires authentication. The connection drops when the cellular connection switches to a tower where this applies.

3. Bad cellular signal conditions

Various factors influence the signal quality. Individually these are difficult to interpret, but the overall signal quality does provide a solid indication. For more information, see Signal info on local web interface.

1. A 3-in-1 SIM card is used

Any of these solutions can be used to resolve the issue:

• Use a standard 2FF SIM card instead of a 3-in-1 SIM card.
• Use a nano-SIM adapter that makes the nano-SIM thicker. Note that results may vary, because not all nano-SIM adapters add the required padding.
• Attach a piece of electrical tape to the back of the 3-in-1 SIM card to make it thicker and fit more securely in the SIM slot.

2. A Dutch Vodafone SIM card is used

Configure the cellular connection with the following combination of APN, username, and password:

• APN: live.vodafone.com
• Username: vodafone
• Password: vodafone

You can configure this in the Fleet Manager if the IXrouter is currently online:

1. Go to Fleet Manager > Devices and click on your device name.
2. Go to Network > WAN.
3. Edit the configuration for the Cellular network.
4. Tick the option Requires username and password and enter vodafone in both fields.
5. Click on Push config to device in the top right corner.

Alternatively, you can apply the settings by using a configuration file:

1. Create a new text file named ixrouter.conf.
2. Copy this content to the file:

   ixrouter.wan.3g_apn=live.vodafone.com
   ixrouter.wan.3g_username=vodafone
   ixrouter.wan.3g_password=vodafone

3. Place the file on an empty USB flash drive.
4. Turn off the IXrouter.
5. Insert the USB stick into the IXrouter and power it on.
6. Wait a minute for the configuration to be applied.
7. Remove the USB flash drive from the IXrouter.

3. Bad cellular signal conditions

Improve the cellular signal. For tips, see Improve the signal quality.