Hi everyone, need some help replacing a LHGG router/modem in a rural location. LHGG has been upgraded with a Quectel EM12G for B28 compatibility.

Here's the problem: operators in the area have monthly data caps (100 - 120 GB of traffic / month) and the user is now frequently going over the limit. No unlimited data plans are available. When user goes over the cap they have to climb a 10m pole and fiddle with the tiny SIM slot to switch between two SIMs with aforementioned 100GB plan - not ideal and not safe (they're over 60 y. o.). Our idea is to replace the current router with a custom solution with two SIM cards that would allow automatic switching after an "internal" cap is passed or that can switch between SIMs at set intervals. I can provide the person with directional high gain antennas / antenna enclosures so replacing LHGG's great antenna solution isn't a problem. I can reuse the EM12G modem, replace it with an EM160R if a 4x4 antenna is used or supplement it with another modem. The user still has the original Mikrotik cat6 module from LHGG if needed. We're considering a Poynting ePoynt enclosure for this application, which has two sets of antennas for dual 2x2 MIMO or single 4x4.

LHGG provides WAN to a separate Wifi router 50 metres away so no need for wifi at the antenna site, except maybe for testing/configuration/troubleshooting.

All this is context for the following questions to the community:

- First of all is my solution even possible - switching between SIMs or modems after a set amount of traffic is passed or, failing that, at set intervals? (I believe the latter is possible from Mikrotik's own example, but I prefer the former option of a data cap).
- What Mikrotik product(s) do you recommend for this situation?

I'm considering RMB33G (for the dual modem slots) or pulling the board from an LtAP (for the dual SIM slots on the USB3 PCIe interface). Would you recommend any of these?

Sorry for the long post but I believe context was needed. Thanks in advance for your insights.

I have both and actually I'm using LtAP. Both works great.

The only problem maybe is the antenna gain, on both cases you can put external antennas, but is really hard to find some antenna with the gain of LHG.

Obiusly for indoor, use RBM33G and for outdoor use LtAP. Now I never used USB ports on these devices.

Regards.

Thanks! Antenna gain isn't much of a problem, I'll be using a Poynting panel antenna. Big question is, can routerOS be programmed to switch between SIMs or modems after a set amount of traffic is passed, like a data cap for a SIM slot (or modem in the case of M33)?

Edit: Found the building blocks for what I need here (how to monitor tx+rx and cap) and change SIM slot here. Looks like LtAP's the winner after all.

Great. If you have some basic troubles you can find information here.

Regards.

The EM12G is a LTE CAT12 device

Mikrotik currently offers only CAT4 and CAT6 devices which, to me, is rather outdated.

So if you're switching board/radio's you're good, but otherwise you might experience lower performance