Verizon dual APN setup

Introduction

Minimum firmware: 18.4.54

Verizon offers a Split Data Routing feature that allows a SIM card to be provisioned with two separate APNs that can be used simultaneously. The following diagram shows how this dual-active-APN access can be used to leverage split data routing in the real world. This setup provides two separate networking paths through a single cellular modem and SIM. This can be used to perform features such as:

• segregating public vs. private traffic, including policy-based routes to ensure the customer's internal network always goes through the private connection
• separation of untrusted Internet traffic from trusted internal network traffic
• VPN-less secure connection to internal customer network
• separate billing structures for public vs. private traffic
• site-to-site networking, without the overhead of per-device tunneling

Note Dual APN configuration is currently only available with Sierra Wireless modems. Telit-based modems do not support more than one active cellular connection at a time. As such, the following models/modems are incompatible with this feature: 1002-CM04 and Digi IX14. All other ACL routers and modems are compatible with this dual APN feature.

Sample

The following diagram shows a sample setup of a 63xx-series router establishing a client connection to a separate wireless router's SSID (Accelerated Guests), and then using that interface for a WiFi as WAN connection. A laptop is shown connected to one of the LAN Ethernet ports of the 63xx-series router as an example end-user device utilizing the WiFi as WAN connection.

Binding

Each Binding should be uniquely bound to a network interface. A binding contains the policies and rules applicable packets exiting on that interface. Each binding includes the following configurable fields:

Sample dual APN configuration

1. Create a new modem interface (for example, Network -> Interfaces -> modem2).
2. Enter in the private APN (for example, accelera.vzwentp) into the Network-> Interfaces -> Modem -> APN list section.
3. Enter in the public APN (for example, vzwinternet) into the Network -> Interfaces -> modem2 -> APN list.

Sample policy-based routes for segregating dual APN traffic

The following are optional routes that can be configured to segregate traffic between the two APN connections. This will configure the Accelerated router to send all of its maintenance traffic through the private APN, and also leverage the Accelerated internal DNS server for resolving *.accns.com domains.

Note On firmware versions 18.8 or higher, you will also need to increase the Maximum number of interfaces from 1 to 2 under the Network -> Modems -> Modem section of the configuration. This enables the device to allow more than one active cellular connection at a time.