How to Set Up Cellular Connectivity on Raspberry Pi and Other SBCs

Wi-Fi is great until your project leaves the building. A weather station on a farm, a camera on a construction site, a kiosk in a parking lot or a tracker in a delivery van all share the same problem: there is no network to join. A cellular connection fixes that by giving your Raspberry Pi its own mobile data link, just like a phone. Whether you are looking for a Raspberry Pi 4G LTE HAT, want to connect a Raspberry Pi to the internet with a SIM card, or need a Raspberry Pi 5 4G modem, the overall workflow is similar: choose compatible hardware, activate a suitable data SIM, connect the antennas, configure the cellular module with the correct APN, and establish the data connection. Exact steps vary by modem model, firmware, carrier, and Linux distribution.

Before buying hardware, confirm that the modem supports the LTE or 5G bands used by your target carrier and country. A modem can be technically capable of LTE yet still be unsuitable if its regional variant does not support the required bands.

You would be in good company. Ericsson’s June 2026 Mobility Report counts about 4.5 billion cellular IoT connections at the end of 2025 and expects close to 8 billion by 2031. Almost 60 percent of today’s connections are 4G and 5G “broadband and critical IoT”, the same class of connectivity a Raspberry Pi LTE setup uses (Ericsson IoT connections outlook).

In this guide we explain how it works, what to buy, how to choose between NB-IoT, LTE-M, Cat 1, Cat 4, 5G RedCap and 5G, and how to avoid the mistakes that trip most people up.

How does a cellular connection work on a Raspberry Pi?

A Raspberry Pi has no cellular radio of its own, so you add one. That radio is the cellular modem: a small module, such as a Quectel EC25 or Telit LE910C4, that registers on the mobile network the way a phone does.

The modem needs three companions:

• A carrier board. It holds the modem and the SIM card and links them to the Pi. The Sixfab 3G-4G/LTE Base HAT, a Raspberry Pi 4G HAT for mini PCIe modems, does this and stacks directly on the Pi’s 40-pin header, while data travels over a short USB cable between the HAT and one of the Pi’s USB ports.
• A data SIM with an active plan, plus its APN (the “access point name” that tells the modem which gateway to use).
• Antennas. Cellular signals are weak indoors and in the countryside, so the antenna matters as much as the modem.

Once everything is connected, the modem shows up in Linux as a new network interface, much like plugging in an Ethernet cable. Your apps don’t need to know they are on cellular: anything that works over Wi-Fi or Ethernet works over LTE too.

What do you need for Raspberry Pi 4G? HAT, modem, antennas and SIM card

The simplest route is a ready-made kit. The Sixfab 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit for Raspberry Pi bundles the Base HAT, a mini PCIe LTE modem, a Sixfab SIM, an LTE antenna and an LTE-GNSS antenna, headers and the USB cable (kit overview). It supports Raspberry Pi 3, 3B+, 4 and 5 (assembly guide).

If you prefer to choose each part yourself, here is the shopping list:

Which SIM card works with a Raspberry Pi?

Many data SIM cards can work with a Raspberry Pi cellular modem, provided that the SIM plan is active, the modem supports the carrier’s frequency bands, the APN is correct, and the plan allows the required network technology, roaming, and device type. Some IoT SIMs have restrictions around NB-IoT, LTE-M, public IP access, roaming, IMEI registration, or carrier-grade NAT.

Sixfab offers ProSIM and SuperSIM as plug-and-play options: you insert the SIM and it is ready to use. They come as a 3-in-1 physical card (Mini, Micro, and Nano sizes) or as a digital eSIM profile installed via QR code or activation code. SuperSIM works across more than 180 countries and 400+ networks, while ProSIM is the recommended choice in countries where it is available. A single prototype SIM starts at $3 plus $1 per month, with data billed pay-as-you-go or shared across devices through Data Pools. SIMs can be activated, paused, and moved, and their usage tracked, from the Sixfab Connect dashboard or through its API, so you can start with one SIM and scale to thousands with no long-term contract (Sixfab SIM docs).

Does it work on Raspberry Pi 5?

Yes. Raspberry Pi 5 LTE works with the same 4G HAT: the Sixfab 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit supports Raspberry Pi 3, 3B+, 4 and 5, and only the spacers and headers differ between the Pi 4 and Pi 5.

How to connect a Raspberry Pi to 4G LTE in five steps (Raspberry Pi 4 and 5)

Here is the whole journey at a glance. Sixfab’s ECM guide has every command and expected output if you want to follow along on a terminal.

1. Assemble the hardware. Seat the LTE modem on the 4G HAT, attach the antennas, insert the SIM, stack the HAT on the Pi and connect the short USB cable between them.
2. Insert and activate your SIM card. With a Sixfab SIM, register and activate it on Sixfab Connect. With another carrier, make sure the data plan is live.
3. Get ModemManager out of the way. Recent Raspberry Pi OS versions ship a service called ModemManager that tries to manage modems on its own. Sixfab recommends stopping and disabling it so it doesn’t interfere.
4. Tell the modem two things: your APN and how to talk to the Pi. You do this by sending AT commands, the modem’s simple text language. On a Quectel EC25 or EG25-G with a Sixfab SIM, it is just two lines:

AT+CGDCONT=1,"IPV4V6","super"
AT+QCFG="usbnet",1

The first sets the APN. The second switches the modem to ECM mode, so it appears as a USB Ethernet adapter. Telit modules use slightly different commands, covered in the same guide.

5. Check that you are online. After the modem restarts, a new network interface should appear. Its name can vary by modem, driver, kernel, and connection mode, so confirm it with ip link rather than assuming a fixed name. A ping through it confirms the link, for example ping -I usb0 sixfab.com. When you see replies with 0% packet loss, your Pi is on the mobile network.

That’s it. From here, anything on your Pi that needs the internet, from software updates to a cloud dashboard, can use the cellular link.

ECM or QMI: which connection mode should you pick?

Modems can present themselves to Linux in different ways. For a Raspberry Pi, two matter:

Sixfab calls ECM one of the easiest methods for a single-board computer, and recommends QMI over the older PPP dial-up method when speed and long uptime matter (Base HAT tutorials). You only need one of them. If you later want to switch, the QMI guide walks you through it.

NB-IoT, LTE-M, Cat 1, Cat 4, 5G RedCap or 5G: which cellular network is right for your project?

The right choice depends on how much data you send, whether the device moves and how long it must run on its own. Start with the workload, not the top speed. For a deeper comparison of data rates, bands and module options, see our guide on how to choose the right cellular module for Raspberry Pi.

LTE Cat 4 is the sweet spot for most Raspberry Pi projects. A Quectel EC25 Cat 4 module is rated for theoretical peak speeds of up to 150 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink and falls back to 3G and 2G where those networks still exist. The Telit LE910C4 Mini PCIe module is the Cat 4 alternative on the same Base HAT, available in regional variants for North America (LE910C4-NF), Europe (LE910C4-EU) and Asia-Pacific (LE910C4-AP), so you can match the module to the bands in your deployment country. Real-world throughput depends on available bands, carrier aggregation, MIMO, antenna quality, signal strength, signal quality, network load, backhaul capacity, data-plan limits, and the installation environment.

LTE-M trades speed for reach and battery life. The GSMA describes it as a low-power wide-area technology, standardised by 3GPP in Release 13, that reuses existing LTE towers and can let many devices run for 10 years or more on a battery (GSMA LTE-M). Sixfab recommends its Cat 4 kit instead if you need to stream large amounts of data.

NB-IoT is the other low-power wide-area option. The GSMA describes it as built for huge numbers of low-cost devices, with extended coverage in rural and deep-indoor locations and battery life of over a decade for many use cases (GSMA NB-IoT). The Telit ME910C1-WW supports it, but the Sixfab SIM does not, so you would need a SIM plan with NB-IoT access.

LTE Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis sit between LTE-M and Cat 4: up to 10 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up, enough for payment terminals, EV chargers and telematics. Cat 1 bis keeps the same speed with a single antenna, which makes devices smaller and simpler, and it supports power-saving modes (Quectel on Cat 1 bis).

5G RedCap (“reduced capability”) arrived in 3GPP Release 17. It targets devices that need more than LTE-M but not the cost, size and power draw of full 5G (RedCap overview, arXiv). Ericsson points to smartwatches and health trackers, real-time industrial sensors and surveillance cameras, in fields such as ports, manufacturing, mining, power grids and healthcare (Ericsson on RedCap). The GSMA adds smart meters, point-of-sale terminals, video telematics, digital signage, drones and AR/VR glasses to the list. One thing to check first: RedCap runs only on 5G standalone (SA) networks, so devices should fall back to LTE where RedCap coverage is missing (GSMA RedCap for IoT, 2025).

5G is for bandwidth-hungry work. The Sixfab 5G kit uses an M.2 modem such as the Quectel RM520N-GL over a USB 3.0 bridge. Real speeds depend on the modem, coverage and operator.

Can you use the same setup on other single-board computers?

Yes. Nothing in this setup is unique to Raspberry Pi. The modem connects over USB, and the drivers for ECM and QMI are part of standard Linux, so the steps carry over to other boards and even regular PCs.

• Any Linux board or laptop. The Base HAT can run standalone over micro USB, without sitting on a Pi. One Sixfab community member ran the Raspberry Pi kit on a drone’s mini PC over USB only, with both cellular data and GPS working (community thread).
• NVIDIA Jetson Nano. Sixfab makes a dedicated 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit for Jetson Nano, set up with the same ECM or QMI methods.
• 5G on other boards. The 5G HAT in the 5G Development Kit v2 also works as a USB dongle with Jetson Nano, BeagleBone, ASUS Tinker Board, NXP i.MX 8 boards and PCs.
• Raspberry Pi 5 with AI and storage. The Edge AI Expansion Board adds an M.2 slot for an LTE modem such as the Quectel EM05-G, alongside NVMe storage and an AI accelerator.
• Microcontrollers. A Raspberry Pi Pico doesn’t run Linux, so it works differently. The Sixfab Pico LTE 2 puts a Pico 2 W, an LTE-M modem and an embedded SIM on one board, programmed in MicroPython.

What can you build with a cellular Raspberry Pi?

A Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere. A Pi with LTE can share its connection over its own Wi-Fi, which is handy for a pop-up event, a remote cabin or a vehicle. Sixfab’s LTE hotspot tutorial shows how.

Fleet and asset tracking. Many LTE modules include GNSS, and the kit ships with an LTE-GNSS antenna. That means one modem can report both data and location from a van, trailer or container (GNSS guide).

Remote sensor monitoring. For a soil sensor or a tank-level meter that sends a few readings an hour, LTE-M is a good fit. With a Pico LTE, readings can go straight to a broker over MQTT (MQTT example) or to AWS IoT.

A smart camera at the edge. On a Raspberry Pi 5 with the Edge AI Expansion Board, you can run AI detection locally and send only the alerts over LTE. Sixfab reports no measurable loss in AI performance while cellular is active.

Outdoor installations. Weather and dust are the enemy of field deployments. The Sixfab IP65 Outdoor Project Enclosure houses the Pi, the HAT and the antenna connections.

How do you access a Raspberry Pi remotely over a cellular connection?

This is the question most people hit right after their Pi goes online. Mobile carriers usually hand out private addresses behind carrier-grade NAT (often in the 10.x.x.x or 100.64.x.x ranges), so you can’t simply SSH into the Pi’s IP from the internet (Sixfab cellular guide).

The easy fix is a remote-access service that works even when your browser and the Pi are on different networks. Sixfab recommends Raspberry Pi Connect, the official Raspberry Pi service. It gives you a remote shell in your browser, plus screen sharing on Raspberry Pi 4 and later. When a direct connection isn’t possible, it routes the session through a relay server, and a personal account is free. Remote shell works on every Raspberry Pi model running Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later (Raspberry Pi announcement).

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Most “it doesn’t connect” problems come down to a handful of causes (Base HAT troubleshooting):

• The SIM isn’t active. Check its status in your carrier or Sixfab Connect (if you have a Sixfab SIM) dashboard before anything else.
• The APN is wrong. The modem may register on the network yet never get data. Confirm the APN with your SIM provider (super for Sixfab SIM).
• ModemManager is still running. It can take over the modem and undo your settings. Disable it before configuring connection methods such as ECM or QMI.
• Antennas are loose or missing. Weak signal looks like a software problem. Check the connectors and the orientation of the antennas, and try a higher-gain external antenna for basements, rural sites or metal enclosures.
• The modem variant doesn’t support your mode. For example, the Quectel EC25-AF does not support ECM; use QMI instead.
• The link doesn’t come back after a reboot. On Telit modules in ECM mode, the data session must be restarted after each reboot (ECM guide). For unattended devices, set this up to run automatically at boot.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Raspberry Pi use a SIM card for the internet?

Yes, with a cellular modem. The Pi itself has no SIM slot, but a cellular HAT such as the Sixfab Base HAT adds one along with the modem.

Does Raspberry Pi 5 support 4G LTE?

Yes. The Sixfab 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit supports Raspberry Pi 3, 3B+, 4 and 5.

Which 4G HAT should I use for Raspberry Pi?

Pick a HAT that matches your modem. The Sixfab 3G-4G/LTE Base HAT takes mini PCIe LTE modems such as the Quectel EG25/EC25 and Telit LE910C4 and fits any 40-pin Raspberry Pi. If you want everything in one box, the Sixfab 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit bundles the HAT, modem, SIM and antennas.

How fast is 4G on a Raspberry Pi?

An LTE Cat 4 modem such as the Quectel EG25/EC25 or Telit LE910C4 is rated for up to 150 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload. Those are theoretical peak figures: what you see in the field is usually lower and changes from site to site. Real-world speed depends on signal strength and quality, the antennas (connecting both the main and diversity antennas helps), the frequency band and operator, network load at that moment, and any speed limits in your data plan. For comparison, LTE Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis modules top out at 10 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up, LTE-M at a few hundred kbps on typical modules, while 5G modems such as the Quectel RM520N-GL go far higher. To check your own link, run a speed test over the cellular interface at the actual deployment site rather than at your desk.

Which is better for IoT: NB-IoT, LTE-M, LTE Cat 1, Cat 1 bis, 5G RedCap or 5G?

It depends on how much data the device sends, whether it moves and how it is powered. NB-IoT suits fixed, battery-powered devices that send tiny amounts of data, such as meters and parking sensors. LTE-M suits low-power devices that move, such as asset trackers and wearables. LTE Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis suit devices that need everyday LTE at moderate data rates (up to 10 Mbps down), such as payment terminals, EV chargers and telematics; Cat 1 bis does this with a single antenna. LTE Cat 4 suits gateways, remote access and camera uploads that need up to 150 Mbps. 5G RedCap suits mid-range devices such as industrial sensors, surveillance cameras and smartwatches on 5G standalone networks. Full 5G suits bandwidth-heavy work such as live multi-camera video and high-speed hotspots.

What is 5G RedCap?

RedCap (“reduced capability”) is a class of 5G devices introduced in 3GPP Release 17. It aims for lower cost, smaller size and longer battery life than full 5G, for uses such as industrial sensors, surveillance cameras, smartwatches, smart grid equipment and point-of-sale terminals. It needs a 5G standalone network.

Can I use a Raspberry Pi cellular HAT on other boards?

Yes. The Sixfab 3G-4G/LTE Base HAT fits any Raspberry Pi or 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible board, and it can also run standalone over micro USB with a PC, laptop or other Linux board, without being stacked on a Pi. Because the modem talks to the host over USB, and the ECM and QMI drivers are part of standard Linux, the same setup steps carry over. One Sixfab community member ran the Raspberry Pi kit on a drone’s mini PC over USB only, with both cellular data and GPS working. Sixfab also makes a dedicated 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit for NVIDIA Jetson Nano, and the 5G HAT in the 5G Development Kit v2 works as a USB dongle with NVIDIA Jetson Nano, BeagleBone, ASUS Tinker Board, NXP i.MX 8 boards and PCs. Check that your board runs Linux and has a free USB port; microcontrollers such as Raspberry Pi Pico need a different approach, such as the Sixfab Pico LTE 2.

Get started

The quickest way to put a Raspberry Pi on the mobile network is the Sixfab 4G/LTE Cellular Modem Kit: HAT, modem, SIM and antennas in one box. Building something low-power? Start with the LTE-M Cellular IoT Developer Kit. Need serious bandwidth? Go for the 5G Development Kit v2. Not sure which technology fits? Read How to Choose the Right Cellular Module for Raspberry Pi first. Questions along the way are welcome in the Sixfab Community.

Sources

Industry and standards

• Ericsson Mobility Report: IoT connections outlook (June 2026)
• GSMA: Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M)
• GSMA: Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)
• GSMA: Ensure IoT SMS continuity after 2G/3G shutdown
• Kadan Veedu et al.: Overview of 3GPP Release 17 RedCap (arXiv:2203.05634)
• Ericsson: RedCap, unlocking scalable and efficient 5G IoT connectivity (2024)
• GSMA: RedCap for IoT white paper (2025)

Vendor and Sixfab documentation

• Quectel: EC25 Mini PCIe series
• Quectel: What is LTE Cat 1 bis
• Raspberry Pi: Connect documentation
• Raspberry Pi: Connect remote shell announcement
• Sixfab: Cellular Internet Connection in ECM Mode
• Sixfab: QMI connection with libqmi
• Sixfab: Base HAT tutorials
• Sixfab: Cellular modems technical documents
• Sixfab: Sixfab CORE discontinuation notice
• Sixfab: Edge AI Expansion Board cellular guide
• Sixfab: Sixfab SIM documentation