Connect with your own SIM

HiveCatcher Connect runs over the internet you already have: Ethernet, your own SIM, or a mix. We never require our cellular service, and a line you provide is yours, so it costs nothing from us at the carrier. Connect is the plan for that line; there is no separate BYO tier.

Your own SIM usually needs its own APN, and sometimes a username and password. Set it once and the device remembers it. You can set it on the box, or from the device page in your dashboard.

What you need

A data SIM that is active with your carrier.
The APN for that SIM (from your carrier). A username/password only if the carrier requires one.
A modem that ModemManager recognises, which covers the usual LTE modules. If the site has Ethernet, the device works without cellular at all.

Set the APN from the dashboard

Open the device page and find Cellular APN.
Choose Change APN, enter the APN (and a username or password if your carrier needs them), and save.
The device applies it on its next check-in. You will see the change reported back, and if someone edits it on the box it shows as changed on device.

We do not store the password: it is pushed to the device and forgotten on our side. The device keeps it, root-only.

Set the APN on the box

When there is no cloud link (for example, a wrong APN, which is exactly when you need this), set it locally over SSH or on the local network:

# show the APN in use
hivecatcher-agent modem show

# set your carrier's APN (and credentials if needed)
hivecatcher-agent modem set --apn internet.example

# with credentials
hivecatcher-agent modem set --apn internet.example --user me --password secret

# go back to the HiveCatcher APN
hivecatcher-agent modem set --reset

The value is written to /etc/hivecatcher/modem.conf and the cellular connection is restarted. A change made here is reported to the cloud on the next check-in.

If the device drops off after a change

A wrong APN can drop the cellular link, so the fix has to work on site. Connect a laptop to the same network as the box and run hivecatcher-agent modem set --apn … over SSH, or use the local interface. Once the APN is right the device reconnects and the cloud sees it again.

What we can and cannot see

We can see the APN in use, whether it carries credentials, the serving operator, and the connection state. That is how the device page shows whether a line is up.
We do not see the password, and we do not supply, activate, or manage your line at your carrier. It is your SIM and your account.
An administrator can change the APN for you, and a HiveCatcher super admin can revert a device to the HiveCatcher APN.

Prefer that we supply the connection? HiveCatcher Cellular includes a managed SIM that roams the major networks, with nothing to configure.