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Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by j45 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:05PM (#50319601)
I believe there are VOIP phones that are sim card based. Imagine a country that doesn't have land lines but folks want a home phone.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by wolrah on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:27PM (#50319806)
There are SIP to cellular gateways which have historically been very popular in regions where landline to mobile calls cost money but mobile to mobile do not, but they mostly don't exist in the US market other than high-density devices mostly used by SMS spammers.

The only actual VoIP phone with a SIM card I'm aware of is the Yealink T74LTE which for a long time was exclusive to Verizon's business phone service but has recently become available for general purchase, those can support both SIM over LTE data and VoLTE (which is also basically SIP but over a prioritized channel).

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by Scoundreller on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:17PM (#50320331)
I'd like this kind of setup because my VoIP provider charges a couple bucks a month for 9-1-1 while sending 9-1-1 over cellular would be free
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by j45 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @06:20PM (#50320823)
I recall seeing some that were offered in Asia but might not be elsewhere.

It looked like an office desk phone but instead of Ethernet, a SIM card goes only. Some came with a cordless handset with it too. seeing

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by wolrah on Saturday October 31, 2026 @10:21PM (#50322181)
> It looked like an office desk phone but instead of Ethernet, a SIM card goes only.

Eww, I hate that such a thing exists. Everyone involved in its development needs their decision-making privileges revoked for anything more consequential than breakfast.

There is no good reason for an internet connected device to be cellular-only unless it's intended to effectively never be in "home territory". Every other such device should at least have WiFi so it's useful in areas where there is no cell service and doesn't need to use limited cellular spectrum even wheb there is service.

There is also no good reason for an internet connected device that's not expected to move while in operation to not have an ethernet port. It's unfortunately common amongst consumer-targeted devices (e.g. Nintendo Wii and a surprisingly large number of printers) but it's bad nonetheless. If it can reasonably be wired it should be wired, period. If it doesn't move and isn't in a weird spot, you need to have a really good reason why it can't be wired to justify using WiFi and "I don't like wires" has never been and will never be such a reason.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by j45 on Sunday November 01, 2026 @09:29AM (#50326047)
Everything doesn’t have to be for everyone.

The reason why this product exists is for homes in places where there is no telephone or cable tv wiring to the house.

This is a massive part of the world and part of why the countries that didn’t have a wired setup in many cars jumped straight to wireless.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by mycall on Saturday October 31, 2026 @02:25PM (#50318605)
Will LTE continue to work when 6G rolls out in 3 years?
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by j45 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:04PM (#50319589)
Probably for a while - lots of IoT uses it, especially with the push away from 3G.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by mycall on Sunday November 01, 2026 @02:11PM (#50328678)
Yeah, LTE is good enough for lower bandwidth applications.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by wolrah on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:22PM (#50319757)
> Will LTE continue to work when 6G rolls out in 3 years?

A significant change that came with LTE is the use of OFDM as the base of the air interface, which means that cellular providers no longer need to allocate large segments of spectrum to one protocol or another. Towers that were upgraded from 4G to 5G didn't need to disable 4G or consistently split their spectrum between the two they way they did when upgrading from 2G to 3G or 3G to 4G, they can dynamically allocate subchannels in each mode based on the immediate needs of their users.

It seems unlikely that whatever technologies come in the future will regress in this way, so there shouldn't be a need for a hard cutoff at any point and I'd expect LTE devices to keep working for many generations to come.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by retatop on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:53PM (#50320109)
I don't think your conclusion is correct. 4G -> 5G will result in 5G networks completely consuming the 4G ones. T-Mobile has already been talking about shutting down LTE in a few years. The reason afaik that 4G and 5G are seemingly compatible right now is that most networks are in 5G NSA mode (non standalone) which means that LTE is actually used for negotiation and orchestration stuff, with 5G only used for the actual data pipe. I have been told that most of the benefit of 5G comes with 5G SA (standalone), but that requires not supporting the LTE stuff
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by cowlevel on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:10PM (#50320278)
Ironic given that LTE, literally called Long-Term Evolution, was supposed to make future backwards incompatible changes unnecessary.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by DaiPlusPlus on Saturday October 31, 2026 @06:10PM (#50320749)
> was supposed to make future backwards incompatible changes unnecessary

I struggle to think of any system/scheme/protocol/spec/etc that promised this to have actually delivered. One can never predict the future.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by mycall on Sunday November 01, 2026 @02:09PM (#50328654)
IPv6?
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by DaiPlusPlus on Sunday November 01, 2026 @10:23PM (#50332790)
Thing is, IPv6 has not replaced IPv4 yet ;)
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by gruez on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:54PM (#50320110)
It's not just spectrum, though. The core network is totally different than 5G SA or whatever 6G has. Maintaining all of that will eventually be considered not worth the trouble, and it'll be decommissioned. If anything decommissioning will be faster for LTE because unlike 2G/3G (which were needed because VoLTE support was flakely and had device whitelists) there isn't much point in keeping LTE around for legacy reasons.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by cowlevel on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:12PM (#50320291)
What are the differences between 4G and 5G core networks?
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by gruez on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:16PM (#50320326)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G#Core_network_architecture

Big enough that most carriers can't even launch 5G with its associated core network ("5G standalone"), and had to use the kludge of 5G + 4G core network ("5G non-standalone)

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by cowlevel on Sunday November 01, 2026 @12:39AM (#50322755)
Doesn't sound incompatible. So far these new architectures have just been different ways of describing mostly the same thing. E.g. the NodeB from 3G becomes the eNodeB in 4G, and it's not actually a different thing, it just describes one that has been upgraded with 4G support. In practice the exact same device is both NodeB and eNodeB in a 3G/4G network.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by OJFord on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:07PM (#50320246)
> they can dynamically allocate subchannels in each mode based on the immediate needs of their users.

Right, so if I'm still rocking 4G only while 'everyone' else in the area is using 6G with some other stragglers on 5G, ...

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by cowlevel on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:09PM (#50320266)
They're (mostly) the same channels shared by all of them. It's not like an ethernet address (where everyone on the network speaks the same protocol and just ignores packets not for it), it's a radio frequency timeslice that's allocated to you, and you and your nearby tower can speak any radio modulation they want in that timeslice, even ones that other phones or other towers don't support.

However new technologies sometimes also bring new spectrum blocks like mmwave 5G.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by wolrah on Saturday October 31, 2026 @09:43PM (#50322008)
> Right, so if I'm still rocking 4G only while 'everyone' else in the area is using 6G with some other stragglers on 5G, ...

You will keep receiving service until it becomes unprofitable to do so, same as always, but that time will be a lot further down the road than it used to be because there's basically no reason to care outside of congested cells where making the most of every bit of airtime matters.

If you're in a congested area, prepare for newer tech to be prioritized, often legitimately because the newer modes tend to be better at sharing the air and thus more users can be better served by prioritizing them on limited spectrum.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by ChocolateGod on Saturday October 31, 2026 @06:36PM (#50320938)
6G will likely replace 5G rather than 4G.

4G has become the new 2G when it comes to IoT etc.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by Vaushite on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:04PM (#50319590)
Obviously AI vibed, which means the project probably has never been built and wouldn't work if you built it.
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Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by drum55 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:29PM (#50319828)
The PCB looks super weird, what is going on here?

https://files.catbox.moe/nijoin.png

https://files.catbox.moe/suazr4.png

They sort of look sensible until you look closer and then the whole board is fever dream autorouting.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by cowlevel on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:12PM (#50320286)
they answered with AI and got flagged for being AI. You can turn on showdead in settings to see it but there's nothing of value in their comment really.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by abijahkaj on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:20PM (#50320364)
yeah it's raw output from the router i'm coding without a trace smoothing pass yet, so it draws ugly jagged steps. looks bad to a human layout engineer, no argument there. either way it won't stop it from working, the electrons don't care how ugly the bend is at 2 MHz. just want to see if it boots when the jlcpcb parcel lands.

edit: idk why my comments are being [flagged], i've written to hn but the issue is apparently still there

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by mh- on Sunday November 01, 2026 @01:15AM (#50322902)
Probably because of some of them appear to be LLM-authored.

https://www.pangram.com/history/67234835-58ff-4603-ba17-2234...

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by Neywiny on Sunday November 01, 2026 @09:00AM (#50325768)
It's not about your clock speed, it's about your edge rate. Anyone who's had to lower drive strength or slew rate can tell you that even at 0.0000...1 Hz clock speed, if your routing is trash it can ring to the point of detecting multiple edges or interfering with other signals.

Also some of the issues were on USB lines which hopefully aren't running at 2MHz.

Lastly, since you're coding it, maybe make it pull reference layouts+routing for power supplies from the datasheets. That's step 1 for any real eCAD student.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by mcculley on Saturday October 31, 2026 @04:42PM (#50319990)
This is great. Apple needs to figure out how to fit one into a 16" MacBook Pro.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by sellmesoap on Saturday October 31, 2026 @08:03PM (#50321480)
If they can hack one into a hardware crypto wallet why not a MacBook https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50054092
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by ProllyInfamous on Monday November 02, 2026 @08:03AM (#50336281)
This is a terrifying exploit ("yes, absolutely"), but it is a one-time exploit that is not intended for sustained data xfer. It steals your initial cryptoseed (via SPI display linkage; no cryptographic exploit of ledger device is publicly-known, yet), and only has to broadcast one time from its literally-hand-wound antenna.

I believe one million+ devices are "suspected."

----

I'm just beginning to play around with Docker, and I have a spare eWaste Intel 4xxx (with dual PCI slots and two 56k modems!~); hoping that my own MacBook can "dock" in to my landline's RJ-11 "virtually" – that I can figure this out with LLMS as a dumbass electrician is incredible! – exciting stuff to learn'bout.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by DaiPlusPlus on Saturday October 31, 2026 @06:00PM (#50320672)
They don’t want to: it helps deuce demand for the iPhone via the macOS/iPhone tethering integration, and for calls taken via FaceTime.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by wlesieutre on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:03PM (#50320208)
They could if they wanted to, I’m a bit surprised that they didn’t add it with this big new MBP generation.

Especially now that they have their own modem and wouldn’t need to pay whatever royalties Qualcomm would demand, which I’ve read are based on the device price and would get very high on a premium laptop.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by drum55 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:14PM (#50320307)
There was a prototype macbook pro on ebay from 20 years ago with a 3G modem in it, the retail MBP from the time even has the space for a SIM card near the battery door. Presumably they decided against it for a good reason.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/14/photos-of-a-prototype-m...

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by kotaKat on Saturday October 31, 2026 @06:41PM (#50320965)
They're not fully confident yet on the mmWave to go in the Macbook.

There's a reason they carefully have been bringing their own modem in via "weird" devices. The C1 came in on the 16e, C1X was the Air (phone+iPad), and they're finally confident enough to bring C2 to the mainline iPhones, but it seems like maybe not ready until C3 comes around next fall.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by Vaushite on Sunday November 01, 2026 @01:59AM (#50323057)
Just buy a different laptop - not an ultra-thin one. The WiFi card is usually on a separate module that plugs in by a standard connector and can be swapped to a cellular module.
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by efren6 on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:06PM (#50320243)
Er
Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by gruez on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:20PM (#50320356)
>Where 2G and 3G are switched off, calls need a module firmware with VoLTE and a carrier that allows it; ask the seller.

This is a huge caveat. OP, does your setup even support VoLTE? Otherwise this might become a brick in a few years as your carrier shuts down 2G/3G, as many carriers around the world have already done

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by abijahkaj on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:53PM (#50320617)
Yes, the Quectel EC25-EUX supports VoLTE natively on the modem baseband, and from the board's perspective the audio path is identical: the modem handles the IMS/SIP registration and AMR codec internally and outputs standard 1.8V PCM digital audio to the RP2040 whether the call is over VoLTE or 2G/3G fallback.

I put that caveat in the README because VoLTE support in practice depends on carrier whitelisting and having the right carrier MBN profile loaded on the Quectel module (AT+QMBNCFG), not on the rest of the PCB. Here in Europe, 2G/3G is still up for a few more years, and major carriers have MBN profiles in the standard EC25-EUX firmware, so testing both VoLTE registration and CSFB fallback will be part of bring-up when the board lands.

Re:Show HN: A USB-C LTE modem that gives my computer a phone... by whalesalad on Saturday October 31, 2026 @05:56PM (#50320640)
I’d love one of these as a framework module