Configuring USB/Express Card Modems This document describes how to configure USB/Express card modems for use with Embedded NGX 8.0 appliances.

Note: The Embedded NGX screenshots that appear in this document relate to

Safe@Office gateways. However, the procedure is relevant for all of the

Embedded NGX appliances listed in “Prerequisites,” page 2.

Note: In order to work with an express card modem you will need a Compatible Express

card appliance.

Overview

The Embedded NGX 8.1 appliance allows attaching a wide variety of USB-based and Express

card dialup (PSTN/ISDN) and cellular (2G/3G) modems to its USB 2.0and Express card slots

ports. An attached USB/ Express card modem can serve as a backup Internet connection.

Alternatively, in locations where broadband Internet access is not widely available, in POS (Point

of Sale) applications, and in mobile applications, the USB/ Express card modem can serve as the

primary Internet connection. The modem can be permanently connected (always on), or it can be

automatically dialed when needed and disconnected when not in use (dial on demand).

Note: The Embedded NGX appliance supports attaching one USB/ Express card modem.

Prerequisites

In order to use a USB/ Express card modem with your Embedded NGX appliance, you

will need the following: An Embedded NGX appliance with USB ports These

include: Safe@Office 500W, Safe@Office 500W ADSL, Safe@Office Safe@Office

3G, 425W/425WU, UTM-1 Edge X ADSL, UTM-1 Edge W, UTM-1 Edge W ADSL,

UTM-1 Edge3G or UTM-1 Edge X Industrial. A supported external modem with

a USB/ Express card interface or a compatible dialup or cellular USB modem You can

buy a compatible USB/Express card modem directly from your local retailer, or you

can order one from Check Point. For information on pricing and availability, please

contact your Check Point representative.

Connecting USB/ Express card Modems

Warning: Before attaching a USB/ Express card modem, ensure that the total power drawn by

all connected USB devices does not exceed 2.5W per port (0.5A at 5V). If the total current

consumed by a port exceeds 0.5A, a powered USB hub must be used, to avoid damage to the

gateway. For information on the current used by your USB/ Express card modem, refer to the

modem's specifications.

To connect a USB/ Express card modem to the Embedded NGX appliance

1. Physically connect the USB/ Express card modem to one of the USB ports on the

appliance's rear panel. (3G units: side panel Express card slot)

2. Click Network in the main menu, and click the Ports tab.

3. Verify that the USB port's status is "Connected".

4. Next to the USB port, click Edit.

5. Verify that the USB modem appears in the list of USB devices, and that its status is

"Ready". If the modem is not listed, check that you connected the modem correctly, then

click Refresh to refresh the page.

6. Next to the modem, click Edit.

The Ports page appears. The USB Devices page appears.

The USB Modem Setup page appears.

7. In the Modem Type list, select your modem type.

8. If required for your modem, in the Initialization String field, type your modem’s

initialization string. Refer to the modem’s user guide for information.

For certain modem types, the Initialization String field will be filled in automatically.

9. In the Dial Mode list, select Tone.

10. In the Port Speed list, select your modem's max baud rate, as specified in “Supported

USB Modems,” page 12.

11. If required for your modem, in the APN field, type your Access Point Name (APN) as

given by your cellular provider.

Refer to the modem’s user guide for information.

12. If required for your modem, in the PIN field, type the Personal Identification Number

(PIN) code that you received with your cellular SIM card.

The PIN code is usually 4 digits long. Refer to the modem’s user guide for information.

13. Click Apply.

Configuring an Internet Connection

You can use the connected USB modem as a primary or secondary/backup Internet connection

method.

Configuring the USB/ Express card Modem as the Primary Internet Connection

To configure the primary Internet connection

1. Click Network in the main menu, and click the Internet tab. The Internet page appears.

2. Next to the Primary Internet connection, click Edit.

The Internet Setup page appears.

3. In the Port list, select USB Modem 1.

4. In the Connection Type list, select Dialup.

5. In the PPP Settings area, do the following:

a. In the Username field, type the user name provided by your ISP/Cellular

provider.

b. In the Password and Confirm password fields, type the password provided by

your ISP/Cellular provider.

c. In the Phone number field, type the phone number that the modem should dial,

as provided by your ISP/Cellular provider.

6. Click Apply.

Configuring the USB/ Express card Modem as the

Secondary/Backup Internet Connection

To configure the secondary Internet connection

1. Click Network in the main menu, and click the Internet tab. The Internet page appears.

2. Next to the Secondary Internet connection, click Edit. The Internet Setup page appears.

3. In the Port list, select USB Modem 1.

4. In the Connection Type list, select Dialup.

5. In the PPP Settings area, do the following:

a. In the Username field, type the user name provided by your ISP/Cellular

provider.

b. In the Password and Confirm password fields, type the password provided by

your ISP/Cellular provider.

c. In the Phone number field, type the phone number that the modem should dial,

as provided by your ISP/Cellular provider.

6. To use the USB modem as a backup dial-on-demand connection, do the following:

a. Select the Connect on demand check box. Additional fields appear.

b. To specify that the USB modem should automatically dial a connection whenever the

primary connection's status is not "Connected", click when no higher priority

connection is available.

c. To specify that the USB/ Express card modem should automatically dial a connection

whenever the primary Internet connection's status is not "Connected", and traffic was

initiated from the internal networks towards the WAN, do the following:

1) Click On outgoing activity.

2) In the Idle Timeout field, type the amount of time (in minutes) that the connection

can remain idle before the USB/ Express card modem disconnects.

3) In the Delay before connecting field, type the amount of time (in seconds) to wait

before the USB/ Express card modem automatically dials a connection when the

primary Internet connection’s status is not “Connected” (in cases where no higher

priority or outgoing activity is detected).

For more information on this option, refer to the user guide.

7. Click Apply.

Activating the usb modem monitor In some environments where there is a low cellular coverage one might experience very high rate of cellular disconnections which in turn may cause connectivity issues to the modem. In order to solve these issues Sofaware has implemented both hardware and software solution called “Cellular modem monitor”. In order to activate this feature please do the following. 1. activating the internet probe - on the dial-up connection (primary or secondary connections), Activate the DCD “Dead Connection Detection” by clicking on networkinternetprimary/secondary click on “show advance settings” Set the DCD to “Ping Addresses” and input 3 known IPs or URL eg. www.google.com, 8.8.8.8 Click apply to save you choice. See screen shot

2. choosing the type of action - The following actions will send a reset command to the modem causing it to restart. The action can be progressive from a software reset to a hardware reset and finally a complete reset to the appliance click setuptoolscommand Screen shot

In the command line please enter the following Set usb usbmodem-monitor mode [option] Interval Options: None – monitor is off soft_reset – software reset to the modem hard_reset - Hardware reset to the modem soft_hard_reset – Software reset then a hardware reset to the modem (if the software reset did not help) gateway_reset – reset to the whole appliance soft_gateway_reset - Software reset then an appliance reset to the modem (if the software reset did not help) hard_gateway_reset - Hardware reset to the modem then an appliance reset to the modem (if the hardware reset did not help) soft_hard_gateway_reset - software reset to the modem then Hardware reset to the modem then appliance reset if the software and hardware reset did not solve the issue interval – how often does the monitor check that the cellular modem is connected and working as expected, the values are in minute (2-15) screen shot

Supported USB/ Express card Modems

The following table lists the USB modems that are supported by the Embedded NGX appliance,

from firmware 8.0.35 and up, along with their required settings. Each of these modems has been

tested in Check Point's labs.

If a USB modem supplied by your cellular provider does not appear in this table, contact the

SofaWare support team at: http://www.sofaware.com/support.

Table 1: Supported USB Modems

Brand Model Modem

Type

Type Firmware HW

supported

Novatel Wireless X720 ExpressCard CDMA 8.2 1.4C

Novatel

Wireless/Merlin XU870 ExpressCard CDMA 8.2 1.4C

Novatel Wireless/Merlin

X950D ExpressCard CDMA 8.2 1.4C

Sierra Wireless

AirCard 880 E ExpressCard CDMA 8.2 1.4C

Sierra Wireless U250 USB CDMA EV-DO 8.2 1.4

HUAWEI K4605 USB 8.2 1.4

Sierra wireless 885 compass USB 8.2 1.4

Alcatel X220 USB 8.2 1.4

Huawei K4605 USB 8.2 1.4

Mobidata 220HU USB 8.2 1.4

Pantech UMW190 USB 8.2 1.4

Huawei E372 USB 8.2 1.4

Sierra Wireless U250 USB CDMA EV-DO 8.2 1.4

HUAWEI E1762 USB GSM/UMTS/ HSDPA/

HSUPA 8.2 1.4

ZTE AC2726 USB CDMA 8.2 1.4

Huawei EC1260 USB CDMA 8.2 1.4

Huawei EC1261 USB CDMA 8.2 1.4

Sierra Wireless AirCard 598 USB EVDO CDMA 800/1900

MHz 8.1 1.4

HUAWEI E156B USB HSDPA 8.1 1.2-1.4

HUAWEI K3565/E160 USB HSDPA/ EDGE/GPRS 8.1 1.2-1.4

HUAWEI E176G USB HSUPA / HSDPA

/EDGE/GPRS 8.1 1.4

HUAWEI E182E USB HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS/

EDGE/GPRS/GSM 8.1 1.4

Sierra Wireless 885 USB UMTS/EDGE/GSM 8.1 1.4

Sprint

U300 USB 3G/4G 8.1 1.4

HUAWEI E169 USB HSDPA/UMTS 8.1 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

MC996D USB HSPA+ 8.1 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

MC998D USB HSPA+ 8.1 1.2-1.4

Siemens ER75i USB GPRS/EDGE 8.0 1.2-1.4

TZE Corporation

MF622 USB 3G/EDGE 8.0 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

X720 Express

Card CDMA 8.0 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

XU870 Express

Card CDMA 8.0 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

X950D Express

Card CDMA 8.0 1.2-1.4

Teltonika T-USB GPRS

Modem USB GPRS 7.5 1.2-1.4

Teltonika G10 UM1000 USB GPRS 7.5 1.2-1.4

Teltonika H.1.8 USB HSDPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

Teltonika ModemUSB/H7.2 USB HSDPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

Radicom* MB-U USB Dialup 7.5 1.2-1.4

Nokia E60 Phone HSDPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

HUAWEI E220 USB HSDPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

AnyData CDMA EVDO USB CDMA 7.5 1.2-1.4

Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U USB EVDO Rev.A/0 7.5 1.2-1.4

Samsung I607 Blackjack Phone HSDPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

LASAT SPEED II

ISDN Modem USB ISDN 7.5 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

Ovation U720 USB EVDO Rev.A/0 7.5 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

Ovation U727 USB EVDO Rev.A/0 7.5 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

Ovation MC950D USB HSDPA/HSUPA 7.5 1.2-1.4

Novatel Wireless

Ovation MCD3000

USB EVDO Rev.A/0 7.5 1.2-1.4

* Can be purchased directly from Check Point or online at: http://www2.sofaware.com/shop, under the

"Accessories" category. The modem's SKU is CPUTM-MODEM-USB-R56K.

Table 2: Supported Cellular Phones

Brand Model Modem Type

Firmware HW

supported

Nokia N97 3G 8.1 1.4

Nokia E71 3G 8.1 1.4

Nokia 3120 Classic 3G 8.1 1.4

Sony Ericsson K610 3G 8.1 1.4