# Setting up dial-up connection

**URL:** <https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311>\
**Category:** Installing & Running IPFire\
**Created:** [22 September 2021 14:44 UTC](https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311 "2021-09-22T14:44:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mikew](https://community.ipfire.org/user_avatar/community.ipfire.org/mikew/32/238_2.png) [@mikew](https://community.ipfire.org/u/mikew)\
**Post date:** [22 September 2021 14:44 UTC](https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311/1 "2021-09-22T14:44:46Z")

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I have a ZTE-MF823 USB 4G dongle which I was hoping to use as a dial-up backup to my broadband connection. It is detected by the O/S & the ttyUSB devices are created but I don’t have the Dialup option in my System menu, it goes from Home to Mail Service, so I have no way to configure it.  
It is showing as working in the Network Adapter Hardware Compatibility List and It works fine on a Linux laptop. Have I missed a step somewhere?

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**Author:** ![bonnietwin](https://community.ipfire.org/user_avatar/community.ipfire.org/bonnietwin/32/12350_2.png) [@bonnietwin](https://community.ipfire.org/u/bonnietwin)\
**Post date:** [22 September 2021 14:55 UTC](https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311/2 "2021-09-22T14:55:57Z")

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Hi @mikew

Welcome to the IPFire community.

The dialup backup option using a 4G connection is only available when your main connection is a DSL connection.

You can’t do it with an ethernet main connection.

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**Author:** ![mikew](https://community.ipfire.org/user_avatar/community.ipfire.org/mikew/32/238_2.png) [@mikew](https://community.ipfire.org/u/mikew)\
**Post date:** [22 September 2021 15:15 UTC](https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311/3 "2021-09-22T15:15:03Z")

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Thanks Adolf, that would explain it. I was hoping to be able to have an automatic backup solution, looks like I’ll just stick with my current manual one.

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**Author:** ![rodneyp](https://community.ipfire.org/user_avatar/community.ipfire.org/rodneyp/32/16575_2.png) [@rodneyp](https://community.ipfire.org/u/rodneyp)\
**Post date:** [23 September 2021 05:41 UTC](https://community.ipfire.org/t/setting-up-dial-up-connection/6311/4 "2021-09-23T05:41:36Z")

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Although it won’t auto failover, all might not be lost. I do use an Ethernet main connection to my DSL router and was using a ZTE-MF823 as a manual reserve, for a while. I was using an SBC for IPFire and had two SD cards setup:

- the main one having DSL router at RED
- reserve having ZTE-MF823 at RED

It looks like your ZTE-MF823 is set to “automatically connect when plugged in”, which would be a prerequisite.

The other essential is to specify the base address of the router/ZTE-MF823 as your Gateway. This is easier if RED is configured to a STATIC address, with which ZTE-MF823 would probably work.

A downside is the need to shutdown and exchange SD cards every month or so, in order to do core upgrade