Dual WAN

Web, e-mail and other business applications depend on a working Internet connection. Your business can grind to a complete halt if the Broadband connection goes down, even if it is just for a short period of time. Some people believe that installing a secondary ADSL connection is a good solution, but this is not true. If road works sever the BT cable between your business and the BT exchange, both ADSL connections will fail and your business will suffer.

We can advise on high availability dual WAN Internet router solutions that use 3G Broadband as the secondary connection. This is a far more robust solution as 3G Broadband provides a diverse path to the Internet, compared to a secondary ADSL connection that shares cables in the same road and potentially the same ATM DSLAM in the exchange.

Dual WAN 3G failover is completely automated - you won't need to re-configure your computers to use the 3G Broadband connection if your ADSL connection fails. The connection can be configured to auto-failback, when the ADSL connection is restored.

With reasonable costs, why risk downtime with staff unable to work efficiently - implement a dual WAN Internet connection and be safe in the knowledge that your business can continue to operate if your ADSL Broadband fails.

What do I need to implement a Dual WAN solution and how much will it cost?

Our first question is whether you require a public static IP address for your 3G failover connection, or whether a standard private dynamic IP will suffice. To help answer that question, please read the following section on 3G failover and the implications with e-mail.

Dual WAN 3G Failover DNS and SMTP e-mail Implications

One of the most common questions we are asked are the implications of 3G failover on the ability to send and receive e-mail. We will cover the three most popular e-mail configurations:

A) POP3 e-mail using 3rd Party Hosting

If you don't have an internal e-mail server and use POP3 e-mail supplied as part of a web hosting or domain package, you will need to enable SMTP roaming on your mailboxes (also known as SMTP authentication and sometimes called an 'advanced' mailbox), otherwise any e-mail sent during 3G failover will be rejected by your ISP with a '550 - no relay allowed' error.

You will also need to re-configure your e-mail client software to enable SMTP authentication. We recommend contacting your e-mail host to confirm if they support SMTP authentication.

B) MS Exchange Server using POP3 connector

If you have an Exchange server collecting e-mail using the POP3 connector, you will need to enable SMTP authentication on the outbound connection to your ISP's SMTP server to avoid relay errors during dual WAN 3G failover.

For options A and B above, a 3G connection with private dynamic IP address will serve your requirements.

C) MS Exchange Server using SMTP connector

If you have an Exchange server with SMTP delivery direct to your server, you will need a 3G connection with public static IP address and configure a secondary DNS MX record pointing towards the 3G static IP address. The 3G router will need to have port forwarding set up on Port 25 (SMTP) to your Exchange servers IP address. Note: The authoritative DNS server for your e-mail domain should be hosted on the Internet, not on your internal network.

Now that we have established whether your e-mail configuration requires a static IP, we can ask if there any other reasons for having a static IP? The most obvious one from an IT Manager's perspective, is the ability to perform remote management through the 3G connection. If your 3G connection has a private and dynamic IP, you will not be able to connect to the WAN interface on the 3G router, or other management facilities such as the Remote Web Workplace on a Small Business Server. A public static IP will allow an end-to-end connection, so bear that in mind.

For more applications of static IP addresses, please look on the 3G with static IP page.

Essentially there two options to choose from: public static IP address, or standard private dynamic IP. Follow the steps below to order your dual WAN failover solution.

Dual WAN 3G failover with private dynamic IP

1) Please check Vodafone 3G Coverage in your area before you buy.

2) You will need 3G data card compatible with the BiPAC 7300GX router and our current recommendation for 3G failover where monthly data usage is below 3GB is the Vodafone ExpressCard 3G data card @ £12.77 + VAT / month. If you are able to commit to a 24 month contract, the data card is supplied free. The links below show all the ExpressCard tariff options. Click on the  link to visit Vodafone's online shop, where you can buy direct.
 

	Inclusive Monthly	Contract	Monthly	Out of bundle	ExpressCard	Check 3G	Link to Vodafone
	Data	Length	Tariff + VAT	Data Charges	Cost + VAT	Coverage	website
	3GB	12 months	£12.77	£15 / GB	£84.26	Coverage
	5GB	12 months	£21.28	£15 / GB	£50.21	Coverage
	3GB	18 months	£12.77	£15 / GB	£58.72	Coverage
	5GB	18 months	£21.28	£15 / GB	£16.17	Coverage
	3GB	24 months	£12.77	£15 / GB	Free	Coverage
	5GB	24 months	£21.28	£15 / GB	Free	Coverage

3) Purchase the BiPAC 7300GX from our online shop - approx £104 + VAT delivered. Order from us and we will send you a step-by-step guide on 3G failover configuration. If you run in to problems, we will talk you through it.

Dual WAN 3G failover with public static IP

1) Please check Vodafone 3G Coverage in your area.

2) We can provide a 3G SIM with public static IP address assignment for £20.00 + VAT / month with 3GB data allowance.  Contact us and we will organise the necessary data contract for your static IP. Your static IP SIM will be despatched within 72 hours, once you have passed credit checks.

Please note: We recommend you apply for the data contract before you buy any hardware from us, in case of any issues during data contract credit checks.

3) You will need 3G data card compatible with the BiPAC 7300GX router. Our current recommendation is the Option GT Max HSUPA 3G data card, as it supports the future proof HSDPA / HSUPA technology. If you already have a data card, you can check if it is compatible with the BiPAC 7300GX on the compatibility list.

4) Purchase the BiPAC 7300GX from our online shop - approx £104 + VAT delivered. Order from us and we will send you a step-by-step guide on 3G failover configuration. If you run in to problems, we will talk you through it.

Please call 0800 3277 923 and select option 2 if you have any further questions on our dual WAN 3G failover solutions.

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