Practice Scenario

In scenarios where users opt to set cellular connection as the second fail-over instead of the third, several factors such as cost, latency, and total bandwidth play crucial roles, especially when comparing options like cellular, Starlink, and VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal).

Cost Concerns

• VSAT systems generally involve higher operational and setup costs due to the need for a satellite dish, and other associated equipment, which is more expensive than typical broadband or cellular setups. Maintenance and the proprietary nature of the equipment can also drive up costs.

• Starlink offers a lower cost compared to traditional VSAT with service plans typically starting around $120 per month with an additional $599 equipment fee*. Starlink’s approach uses a vast network of low-Earth orbit satellites, which can offer more competitive pricing and lower equipment costs compared to traditional VSAT solutions.

• Cellular connections are much lower in terms of equipment and setup costs. Cellular is relatively inexpensive and widely available, making this an attractive option for cost-sensitive environments.

Latency and Bandwidth:

• VSAT typically exhibits higher latency due to the greater distances that signals must travel to geostationary satellites, usually resulting in latencies around 550~650ms**, which can significantly affect performance for real-time applications

• Starlink, by using a low-Earth orbit constellation, substantially reduces latency, generally between 25-60ms***, making it suitable for a broader range of applications including interactive services like video conferencing.

• Cellular networks, while varying in performance, typically exhibit higher latency than cable or fiber-optic internet, yet they can compete with or outperform satellite depending on regional network conditions

Given these considerations, choosing cellular as a second fail-over before VSAT could be driven by the significantly lower latency and cost, despite potentially limited bandwidth. In contrast, VSAT might only be considered as a last resort due to its high costs and latency issues, despite its ability to provide coverage in remote areas where other services might not be available.

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How to configure

This section introduces the configuration page and scenarios. When WAN1, WAN2, and WWAN are enabled in Gateway > Interfaces. Navigate to Dual WAN Preference > Primary WAN interface to choose between WAN1 or WAN2 as the primary WAN interface. Then, enable Dual WAN Preference > Load Policy > Failover to set your preferred failover settings

If WAN1 and WAN2 are enabled and WWAN is disabled, the Failover Preference cannot be configured. In this case, the Primary WAN is chosen first, followed by the Secondary WAN

Daul WAN Preference

Failover Preference

WAN Fail Over Scenario

There are three scenarios to indicate WAN failover when WAN1, WAN2, and WWAN are enabled.

Under Normal conditions, the internet connection routes through the primary WAN, with the secondary and tertiary connections on standby. In the event of a primary WAN failure, the system switches to the secondary WAN. If both the primary and secondary WANs fail, the system then switches to the tertiary WAN

Failover Scenario For 3 WANs

Once the primary WAN recovers, the connection reverts back to the primary WAN again.