Prior to the introduction of Bridge Mode, mobile broadband did not offer corporates a viable option due to the limitations imposed by NAT (Network Address Translation) routing. In short, NAT routing is a process of converting a single public IP address (handed out by the operator) into many local private IP addresses within a home or office environment. Introducing a second layer of NAT on top of an existing company firewall can cause headaches for companies when connecting over mobile broadband networks. Normally, when a 4G router substitutes a Fiber or ADSL connection, it operates only in routed mode imposing that undesired second layer of NAT causing communication problems for many business-critical applications such as inbound VPN, Extranet access and e-mail, amongst others. As a result, mobile broadband hasn’t been a viable option till now.
The company solves this issue by converting its routers into a bridge, enabling the device to serve as a transparent converter between the USB modem and its Ethernet LAN port, disabling NAT-routing as a result. The single public IP address provided by the 4G or 3G network is channeled straight through the DOVADO router and directly hits the company’s existing firewall. As a result, 4G/LTE or high speed 3G provides a viable substitute for fiber as it not only offers high speed downlink and uplink but also low round-trip latency, similar to public Ethernet. This means that the company website can be accessed faster and data can be rapidly downloaded.
The company has added Bridge Mode support to over 20 different USB modems, half of which are 4G/LTE, and the rest being 3G operating at 42 and 21 Mbps.
