Router that has WAN and LTE/4G failover - Advice

[Vicious]

I'm trying to set my home network up with the spare 4G Telkom 40GB sim I have, as a failover.

If the fibre drops for whatever reason, the 4G needs to kick in and get you up in no time, without removing cables and login into routers and changing configs. Install and leave it as is, is the idea?

What options do you guys know about?
I've heard Teltonika has a very fast switchover when the main primary connection goes down, but they seem hell-expensive!

Any advice would be great.

Again, I want to set it up next to my ONT, router (Which ever we choose here) feeds 2x TP-Link Deco's for extended range coverage. If A drops, B kicks in and you enjoy the World Wide Web without noticing the drop.

 

[Switch]

The cheaper all in one option is to use a router with built-in wan and 3g like this,

Billion 7800NX Wireless N300 ADSL2+ Router With 3G Failover

Triple-WAN ports for 3G/4G LTE, ADSL2+, Gigabit Ethernet WAN (EWAN) for broadband connectivity Gigabit WAN and LAN Fibre (FTTC/FTTP/FTTH) ready with high WAN throughput 16 IPSec VPN tunnels Embedded IPSec and PPTP VPN endpoint /server with powerful encryption IPv6 ready (IPv4/IPv6 dual stacks)...

nivo.co.za

huawei used to offer quite a few router modem options with auto switchover, was very popular with adsl offerings but in your case you probably need something that has wan + 3g/4g/5g instead of adsl/vdsl, this will double nat with an upstream fibre ont/cpe/router.

Second more expensive hands on option is to use software like pfsense/opnsense to manage two separate gateway devices, one is your cpe/router and the other is a dedicated 4g modem router.

 

[Soul Assassin]

You could do a router with a USB port running OpenWrt with mwan3 and then you set it up where if your fibre fails x amount of pings in a row it swaps to the mobile data and when it successfully pings x amount in a row again it swaps back.

 

[Vicious]

The cheaper all in one option is to use a router with built-in wan and 3g like this,

Billion 7800NX Wireless N300 ADSL2+ Router With 3G Failover

Triple-WAN ports for 3G/4G LTE, ADSL2+, Gigabit Ethernet WAN (EWAN) for broadband connectivity Gigabit WAN and LAN Fibre (FTTC/FTTP/FTTH) ready with high WAN throughput 16 IPSec VPN tunnels Embedded IPSec and PPTP VPN endpoint /server with powerful encryption IPv6 ready (IPv4/IPv6 dual stacks)...

nivo.co.za

huawei used to offer quite a few router modem options with auto switchover, was very popular with adsl offerings but in your case you probably need something that has wan + 3g/4g/5g instead of adsl/vdsl, this will double nat with an upstream fibre ont/cpe/router.

Second more expensive hands on option is to use software like pfsense/opnsense to manage two separate gateway devices, one is your cpe/router and the other is a dedicated 4g modem router.

TP-Link Archer MR200 4G LTE Router
Found this on the forum, seems it has a setting that will failover to 4G when the primary drops? Still digging around the internet to confirm this.

 

[Switch]

TP-Link Archer MR200 4G LTE Router
Found this on the forum, seems it has a setting that will failover to 4G when the primary drops? Still digging around the internet to confirm this.

Read the manual for it from its product support page, either it will say exactly how to set it up for fail over or totally omit it which means there won't be support for this feature.

 

[Nemo415]

I have a huawei HG659

Under the usb / lte section it has 3 options
1. Always online
2. Dial on demand
3. Automatically access the Internet with the data card when the fixed cable fails

Option 3 seems to fit your requirement

Then it gives you a option to specify a
Switch delay time: which has 15 set. I think this is 15 seconds.

OP i can borrow you my router, but i need to check if i have a compatible lte stick to go with it.

 

[Vicious]

I have a huawei HG659

Under the usb / lte section it has 3 options
1. Always online
2. Dial on demand
3. Automatically access the Internet with the data card when the fixed cable fails

Option 3 seems to fit your requirement

Then it gives you a option to specify a
Switch delay time: which has 15 set. I think this is 15 seconds.

OP i can borrow you my router, but i need to check if i have a compatible lte stick to go with it.

I was wondering about the Huawei models as well, so thank you for confirming the settings bud

Wonder if it pings the wan interface for 15sec before failing md switching over. Either way, sounds we’re on the right path
Thanks

 

[MakeMemesDreams]

Cudy 5 Port Gigabit Multi-WAN VPN Router | R700

Cudy's CD-R700 features 5x Gigabit Ethernet Ports which are comprised of 3x LAN/WAN ports, 1x dedicated WAN and 1x LAN port. The router supports multi-WAN load balancing, flexible traffic control, DNS over TLS (DoT) and more.

scoop.co.za

My thinking is you use this as a fiber router, it has multiple wans, so if you connect an lte router to it as a secondary wan, that can be used as a failover. No idea if this would work, but my logic says to me that it should? Obviously only do this if you have an lte router that doesnt support the failover feature

 

[MakeMemesDreams]

I have an mr200, testing this now

TP-Link Archer MR200 4G LTE Router
Found this on the forum, seems it has a setting that will failover to 4G when the primary drops? Still digging around the internet to confirm this.

 

[MakeMemesDreams]

Okay so my findings are:

This works on the MR200. I have a fiber connection coming from one of my lan ports on my main router, going into the wan port on the mr200 and an mtn sim in the mr200.

The mr200 needs to be setup as Wireless Router Mode, not 3G/4G mode.

The fiber takes priority, and when I turn off my main router, the sim kicks in a while later. No more than 20s delay on my side

When I turn the main router on again, it boots up and the MR200 sees that its wan connection is back, so it switches over again.

 

[glitchfreak]

This is easily achieved using a Ubiquiti ER-X.

The wizard has single and dual failover options.

This will thus sit between your ONT, LTE Router and local LAN

 

[KirenG77]

Take a look at the Cudy LT700. I have one of these for my dad and it works well. Primary connection is fibre and failover is LTE.

 

[Vicious]

This is easily achieved using a Ubiquiti ER-X.

The wizard has single and dual failover options.

This will thus sit between your ONT, LTE Router and local LAN

Love this little piece of hardware
But I need a sim slot, so far I dont see one on this unit

 

[Vicious]

Take a look at the Cudy LT700. I have one of these for my dad and it works well. Primary connection is fibre and failover is LTE.

Any idea how long it takes to failover
And if you can set these parameters, like pinging to the WAN port to see if it failed.

 

[Vicious]

Okay so my findings are:

This works on the MR200. I have a fiber connection coming from one of my lan ports on my main router, going into the wan port on the mr200 and an mtn sim in the mr200.

The mr200 needs to be setup as Wireless Router Mode, not 3G/4G mode.

The fiber takes priority, and when I turn off my main router, the sim kicks in a while later. No more than 20s delay on my side

When I turn the main router on again, it boots up and the MR200 sees that its wan connection is back, so it switches over again.

Thanks for the effort, it adds this unit to my list then. Seeing as I have Deco units around my place, it might be worth considering.

 

[MakeMemesDreams]

Thanks for the effort, it adds this unit to my list then. Seeing as I have Deco units around my place, it might be worth considering.

No worries. Just note that the MR200 only has 10/100 ports, no gigabit

 

[Asteroid Z]

I'm trying to set my home network up with the spare 4G Telkom 40GB sim I have, as a failover.

If the fibre drops for whatever reason, the 4G needs to kick in and get you up in no time, without removing cables and login into routers and changing configs. Install and leave it as is, is the idea?

What options do you guys know about?
I've heard Teltonika has a very fast switchover when the main primary connection goes down, but they seem hell-expensive!

Any advice would be great.

Again, I want to set it up next to my ONT, router (Which ever we choose here) feeds 2x TP-Link Deco's for extended range coverage. If A drops, B kicks in and you enjoy the World Wide Web without noticing the drop.

I searched for a similar setup like this for a while but I needed the router to have Wifi so in the event of load shedding everything still works including the second link.


The problem I had was the USB dongle wouldn't work correctly on my router or the one that did was very slow.
I even tried this router for a few month. [For Sale] - Tenda W18E Multi Wan WiFI Router | Networking and internet

The solution that works for me is
Mikrotik HAP AC2 Router main router with recursive routing for failover
Huawei B535 LTE router

Metrofiber ONT into > ETH1(WAN1)
LTE (B535 into > ETH2(WAN2)


LAN 3,4,5 and Wifi all work as normal without any need for intervention.


Heres a copy of the routes

https://imgur.com/a/kJ4Lhbh

As you can see in this picture, Theres a continuous ping to 1.1.1.1 from ISP 1 (WAN 1 - fiber) and to 8.8.8.8 from ISP 2- (WAN2-LTE)
After 20 seconds of fail response to ISP 1 it will failover.


Edit > The tenda router worked fine but I had issues with it(could be my fault) . sometimes switch to use WAN2 even if WAN1 was online, or it will drop the link to WAN 2, amonst other things such as no SNMP to monitor etc

 

[Asteroid Z]

TP-Link Archer MR200 4G LTE Router
Found this on the forum, seems it has a setting that will failover to 4G when the primary drops? Still digging around the internet to confirm this.

If im not mistaken for this Billion router, You will require separate USB LTE modem

 

[AinsleyHarriott]

I searched for a similar setup like this for a while but I needed the router to have Wifi so in the event of load shedding everything still works including the second link.


The problem I had was the USB dongle wouldn't work correctly on my router or the one that did was very slow.
I even tried this router for a few month. [For Sale] - Tenda W18E Multi Wan WiFI Router | Networking and internet

The solution that works for me is
Mikrotik HAP AC2 Router main router with recursive routing for failover
Huawei B535 LTE router

Metrofiber ONT into > ETH1(WAN1)
LTE (B535 into > ETH2(WAN2)


LAN 3,4,5 and Wifi all work as normal without any need for intervention.


Heres a copy of the routes

https://imgur.com/a/kJ4Lhbh

As you can see in this picture, Theres a continuous ping to 1.1.1.1 from ISP 1 (WAN 1 - fiber) and to 8.8.8.8 from ISP 2- (WAN2-LTE)
After 20 seconds of fail response to ISP 1 it will failover.


Edit > The tenda router was unreliable and would sometimes switch to use WAN2 even if WAN1 was online, or it will drop the link to WAN 2, amonst other things such as no SNMP to monitor etc

+1 on this

Have assisted many clients with this type of config where the Mikrotik is used for routing main and failover connections (has Wi-Fi built-in too)

Takes a bit of initial setup but it can be done on any Mikrotik as they all have the same OS and it’s more solid than a rock.

 

[Tollie69]

I have a active Re-Piff for a Mikrotik which I used as a Loadbalancer/Failover with PCC with 3 WANS that did the job just needs a bit of configuration

 

[Asteroid Z]

+1 on this

Have assisted many clients with this type of config where the Mikrotik is used for routing main and failover connections (has Wi-Fi built-in too)

Takes a bit of initial setup but it can be done on any Mikrotik as they all have the same OS and it’s more solid than a rock.

Took a few hours to figure it out, but once the setup is working, you don't have to worry about. The router can be powered by 12v DC so all 3 routers are connected via DC UPS and haven't been off in a few months

 

[AinsleyHarriott]

Yeah. With the Mikrotik, ChatGPT will be your friend if you don’t have experience with it.

 

[TRINITRON]

Cudy 5 Port Gigabit Multi-WAN VPN Router | R700

Cudy's CD-R700 features 5x Gigabit Ethernet Ports which are comprised of 3x LAN/WAN ports, 1x dedicated WAN and 1x LAN port. The router supports multi-WAN load balancing, flexible traffic control, DNS over TLS (DoT) and more.

scoop.co.za

My thinking is you use this as a fiber router, it has multiple wans, so if you connect an lte router to it as a secondary wan, that can be used as a failover. No idea if this would work, but my logic says to me that it should? Obviously only do this if you have an lte router that doesnt support the failover feature

I do this with my 5g router but not on that cudy

 

[bunnypants]

The solution that works for me is
Mikrotik HAP AC2 Router main router with recursive routing for failover
Huawei B535 LTE router

+1 For this

A Mikrotik and an LTE with some tinkering with static routes and Netwatch works very well.

You will be able to control your own parameters too, if you want it to failover quickly.

 

[el3venth]

Just a mentioned by a couple of people, I used a Microtik and a Huawei LTE modem/router.
So it does work.

 

[Vicious]

Just a mentioned by a couple of people, I used a Microtik and a Huawei LTE modem/router.
So it does work.

So don't bug around with a entry level router that takes time to failover, get a Mik/Hauwei combo that can kick in as you set it for a more streamlined failover process

 

[Vicious]

I searched for a similar setup like this for a while but I needed the router to have Wifi so in the event of load shedding everything still works including the second link.


The problem I had was the USB dongle wouldn't work correctly on my router or the one that did was very slow.
I even tried this router for a few month. [For Sale] - Tenda W18E Multi Wan WiFI Router | Networking and internet

The solution that works for me is
Mikrotik HAP AC2 Router main router with recursive routing for failover
Huawei B535 LTE router

Metrofiber ONT into > ETH1(WAN1)
LTE (B535 into > ETH2(WAN2)


LAN 3,4,5 and Wifi all work as normal without any need for intervention.


Heres a copy of the routes

https://imgur.com/a/kJ4Lhbh

As you can see in this picture, Theres a continuous ping to 1.1.1.1 from ISP 1 (WAN 1 - fiber) and to 8.8.8.8 from ISP 2- (WAN2-LTE)
After 20 seconds of fail response to ISP 1 it will failover.


Edit > The tenda router worked fine but I had issues with it(could be my fault) . sometimes switch to use WAN2 even if WAN1 was online, or it will drop the link to WAN 2, amonst other things such as no SNMP to monitor etc

Thank you for the insight!
I'm pretty sure I can dig out a Mik hap ac somewhere. That means, I can buy a used Huawei device on the forum and just configure it onto the Mikrotik.

 

[aiccc]

Asus has routers in RSA that do this. You just connect the Fibre NTU to the lan port on the router.

Asus provides firmware upgrades for reasonable time period.

ZTE routers also used to have this functionality build in as fail over

 

[aiccc]

It this for home use or home/work use.

 

[Vicious]

It this for home use or home/work use.

Home kind sir