Knowledge Center

Mobile Network

When connected to a mobile device or a broadband dongle over USB, your Synology Router can connect to the Internet via a mobile network. The settings at Network Center > Internet > Mobile Network help you set up a wireless Internet connection via your mobile device and dongle.

Note:

  • For a complete list of mobile broadband dongles supported by Synology products, please visit www.synology.com.

To set up a mobile network:

When a mobile broadband dongle is connected to one of the USB ports on your Synology Router, the Synology Router will try to connect automatically. If a connection cannot be established automatically or you would like to modify connection settings, please see the following:

  • SIM Unlock/Settings: If the SIM card is PIN protected, it must be unlocked to allow the Synology Router to connect to the network. Once unlocked, this section provides options to modify PIN settings.
  • Edit: You can manually configure the connection or choose according to locations and carriers. Manually setting up the connection requires entering your APN, phone number, username, and password. If you do not know this information, please contact your mobile carrier.
  • Connect/Disconnect: These buttons allow you to connect or disconnect the Synology Router from the mobile network.
  • Options: This section includes an option to configure the mobile broadband dongle interface as the default gateway for your Synology Router. When you configure the mobile network as the default gateway, Internet traffic from your Synology Router will go through the mobile network instead of the wired network.

Note:

  • When connected to the Internet, some mobile broadband dongles might not display signal strength if they do not support this feature.
  • For some mobile broadband dongles, you cannot change the SIM settings when they are connected to the Internet.

To set up USB network tethering from a mobile device:

When a mobile device (including iOS and Android devices) is connected to one of the USB ports on your Synology Router, the Synology Router will try to connect automatically. If a connection cannot be established automatically or you would like to modify connection settings, please see the following:

  • Make sure you have enabled USB tethering on your mobile device.
  • Make sure the SIM card status is normal. If a SIM card is not installed, or if it is PIN locked, your mobile device may not be able to enable USB tethering.
  • If your mobile device has been connected to a VPN, it may fail to tether the network to your Synology Router. We recommend disconnecting the VPN first, or contacting the manufacturer of your mobile device.

Note:

  • Once the network is successfully tethered from your mobile device to your Synology Router via USB, it cannot be manually disconnected through SRM operation. If you wish to disconnect, you can disable USB tethering on your mobile device, or just unplug the USB cable between your mobile device and Synology Router.
  • SIM unlock and settings must be configured on your mobile device since your Synology Router has no privileges to any network settings on it.
  • Connection information (e.g., signal strength or the service provider name) will not be displayed on SRM since your Synology Router has no privileges to access any information on your mobile device.