LTE Modem that supports eSIM?

Hardware Hub
1

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga Gen 3. I’d like to add an LTE modem to it, preferrably one that would allow me to use at least 2 different carriers simultaneously.

I live in a rural area, and I have to travel for work a lot. In some areas, Verizon works great, and AT&T not at all, and in others, the opposite is true.

I currently have 2 cellphones (one Verizon, one AT&T), and I just set up mobile hotspot with whatever phone has sufficient signal.

I’d really like to just get a PCIe modem for my laptop that will support both carriers. My Lenovo didn’t come from the factory with an LTE modem, but it does have the slot available for it. There is a SIM card slot on the laptop, but I don’t know if it’s wired to work with that slot.

2

You probably need the Fibocom FM350.

HOWEVER, check that your laptop actually has the antenna leads. Lenovo deleted the cellular antennae from non-WWAN ready models several generations ago. You can find them on eBay and add them after the fact but it basically involves tearing apart the entire display assembly.

3

Previously we had USB LTE modems. They kind of suck, reliability wise.

I was sort of wondering if StarLink is viable?

4

Thanks for the input.

I’m pretty sure that the antenna is basically just a piece of coax attached to some copper foil, which is taped to a non-metalic surface somewhere on the chassis, no?

I would imagine I could either buy an antenna from a laptop (even if a different model I could probably get to work), or just make them myself…

I’ve been a ham operator and tinkerer for a number of years so this doesn’t seem like it would be too challenging.

5

Is Starlink viable for me? Not in the slightest. I’m often working out of a hotel room, client’s site or a coffee shop/restaurant.

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