Infrastructure › Cellular Networking
Pillar 05 · Cellular · Netcom's Strongest Card

5G primary. LTE failover. Deployed by the people who live here.

Cellular networking is what Netcom does more of than anything else. We're a Verizon Preferred Partner with deep benches on Cradlepoint, Peplink, FortiExtender, and InHand — and a router database that tracks every model we've sold, with real-world deployment notes.

Talk to an Engineer See Reference Architectures
Verizon
Preferred Partner — direct line for SIM provisioning, plan optimization, escalation
4
cellular-routing platforms we stock and deploy at scale
<500 ms
target failover time from wired primary to cellular backup
Cellular · Multi-Site Typology
Cellular networking reference architecture showing dual-SIM primary, SpeedFusion bonded, and failover deployment patterns
The Problem

"We'll just throw a hotspot in" is not a cellular strategy.

Cellular is the only circuit you can install in an afternoon — and that convenience tempts every organization to treat it as a throwaway. The result: consumer-grade hotspots in industrial cabinets, no SIM lifecycle management, no carrier diversity, surprise overage bills, and cellular "failover" that drops the VPN tunnel the moment it cuts over.

Real cellular networking is a discipline. It's carrier-band matching to the router model. It's dual-SIM topology where one slot is Verizon and the other is AT&T or T-Mobile. It's SpeedFusion bonded circuits that aggregate multiple LTE/5G paths into one resilient tunnel. It's SIM lifecycle management — provisioning, activation, swap, suspension, reactivation — that doesn't require a two-hour call with a retail rep.

Netcom has spent years as a cellular-first networking partner. This is the pillar we sell most of. The routers we recommend are the ones we've deployed thousands of. The plans we scope are the ones we negotiate daily. When a customer asks "Cradlepoint or Peplink?", the answer comes from actual field experience, not a spec sheet.

Reference Architectures

Three deployment patterns. Specific router models.

Cellular deployments come in three flavors: failover-only, primary-cellular, and bonded-multipath. Pick the pattern that matches the job.

Cradlepoint S700 · LTE/5G Failover
Wired primary to SD-WAN edge; cellular router acts as standby circuit. Sub-second failover detection, warm-up to maintain BGP session, and NetCloud Manager for fleet-wide visibility.
Failover · wired-primary with LTE/5G backup · single-SIM or dual-SIM

Cradlepoint S700 / E300 — the standard retail failover

The most-deployed Netcom cellular pattern. Wired fiber or cable as primary, a cellular router as the backup circuit attached to the SD-WAN edge. Dual-SIM for carrier diversity — Verizon in slot 1, AT&T or T-Mobile in slot 2 — so a carrier-side outage in your area doesn't kill the backup. NetCloud Manager gives fleet-wide visibility, alerting, and zero-touch provisioning.

RoleVendor & ModelNotesPlan tier
Retail failover · 5GCradlepoint S700Sub-6 5G · dual-SIM · PoE pass-through optionVerizon Business Unlimited
Retail failover · LTECradlepoint E300 (LTE)CAT 18 LTE · dual-SIM · cost-sensitiveVerizon Business Internet
Fortinet-estate customerFortiExtender 511F5G · integrates directly with FortiGate NGFWCarrier flexible
Meraki-estate customerMeraki Z3C / MG52Cellular gateway · integrates with DashboardVerizon Business
Budget LTE backupInHand IR302CAT 4 LTE with Wi-Fi · IoT and low-bandwidth failoverPooled IoT
ManagementCradlepoint NetCloud ManagerFleet-wide visibility · firmware · ZTPNetCloud Essentials
Vendor Fit

Which cellular router for which job.

Cellular routers are not interchangeable. Band support, SIM count, management platform, and physical form factor all matter. Here's how Netcom picks.

Use casePrimaryAlternates
Retail store · LTE/5G failover behind SD-WANCradlepoint S700 / E300FortiExtender 511F · Meraki MG52
Mission-critical primary-5G (branch with no fiber)Cradlepoint E3000Peplink BR2 Pro 5G
Pop-up site · 30–90 day deploymentPeplink BR1 Pro 5GCradlepoint S700 · InHand IR315
Construction trailer · harsh environmentPeplink BR1 Mini · InHand IR315Cradlepoint IBR600C
Fleet vehicle · police, EMS, utility truckCradlepoint IBR900 / R1900Peplink MAX Transit Duo
Food truck · Wi-Fi + POSPeplink MAX Transit MiniCradlepoint IBR900
Broadcast / live video uplink · bondedPeplink MAX HD4 MBX 5GLiveU (via partner)
Emergency / mobile commandPeplink MAX HD2 IP55Cradlepoint R2100
Industrial IoT · PLC / SCADA backhaulInHand IR315 / IR302Digi IX20 · Sierra RV55
Fortinet-estate customerFortiExtender 511F / 211FCradlepoint + FortiGate branch
Meraki-estate customer · cloud-managedMeraki MG52 / Z3CCradlepoint S700
Cost-sensitive CAT 4 LTE failoverInHand IR302Sierra Wireless RV50X

What Netcom delivers

  • Carrier-band analysis — which router models support the bands your carrier actually uses
  • Dual-SIM carrier-diversity design (Verizon primary, AT&T or T-Mobile backup)
  • Plan optimization — we renegotiate bills at scale; customers routinely save 20–40% post-onboarding
  • SIM lifecycle: activation, provisioning, suspension, swap, reactivation via our portal and carrier relationships
  • Antenna selection matched to router band plan and site RF conditions
  • Deployment kits pre-configured and shipped to site with install guide
  • SpeedFusion / WAN bonding design for zero-packet-loss failover use cases
  • Optional managed service: 24/7 monitoring via our NOC partner with Netcom as your named engineer, usage alerts, pooled-plan rebalancing

Our design process

  • Site survey: carrier signal strength measurement at each site (we'll ship an RF test kit or do it on-site)
  • Application profile: throughput, latency, failover criticality, workload type
  • Carrier recommendation per site based on coverage, not just national brand
  • Router model selection matched to bands, SIM count, form factor, and environment
  • Plan sizing — pooled, per-line, IoT, or unlimited — based on measured and projected usage
  • Antenna and mounting plan · licensed low-voltage install partner coordination
  • Management platform setup · NetCloud or InControl · alerting thresholds
  • Pilot site first · validate failover · measure real throughput · adjust before fleet rollout
Applied In Industries

Where cellular is the whole conversation.

Failover at every site. Primary where fiber can't go. Vehicle and pop-up where nothing else reaches. These are the verticals that buy Netcom's deepest bench.

Retail

Cradlepoint S700 failover at every store · E3000 as day-one primary on new locations.

Industrial

SCADA backhaul from pump stations and remote outbuildings · E3000 + panoramic antennas.

Government

FirstNet-ready Cradlepoint R1900 in patrol vehicles · fleet dashboards for transit.

Hospitality

Per-property cellular failover on FOH and BOH WANs independently · transparent to guests.

Pairs naturally with

SD-WAN & WAN Edge

Cellular as the backup transport in a dual-circuit SD-WAN fabric, with app-aware routing.

Explore →

Security & Firewall

IPsec tunnels over cellular terminated at the NGFW, with posture checks on every connection.

Explore →

Managed Services

24/7 monitoring of the cellular fleet via our NOC partner, SIM lifecycle, plan optimization.

Explore →

Cellular done by the people who sell the most of it.

Tell us your site count, current carrier, and the workloads running over it. We'll return a router recommendation, a carrier / plan proposal, and a deployment plan within 10 business days.

Request a Cellular Review Back to Infrastructure