WRT54g3Gv1or v2-ST dual-WAN load-balancing

powrby4d · EVDO User Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

Has anyone figured out a way to use multiple Sprint EVDO connections as dual WAN interfaces that load-balance? I am more interested in a way to use two routers with individual cards than one router with multiple cards as I want to achieve both load-balancing for greater throughput and fail-over in case either router/card has trouble. I've already got multiple WRT54G3G routers and s720 cards but not sure how to configure them. It did occur to me that I could (at least with the v2 router) put one router on the WAN port of the other router such that I'd get auto fail-over but that doesn't allow me to take advantage of increasng total throughput by using both. Ideas?

I know some routers can load-balance but would like to de-risk problems with any one router having trouble as well.

socksbb · Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject:

Well...

If your using cards from the same provider, or cards that will roam onto the same tower... there is almost no point in doing this.

Most towers are only fed by a single T1, so the maximum speed shared between all users will be ~1.2Mbps after overhead and what the telco reserves for themselves.

.. So it would not matter if you had 5 cards in a load balance scenario, the max speed you are going to get will not change.

Now, if you had say a Sprint and Verizon card, then you would see some actual results.

Also, I would try and sell your routers on Ebay and pickup a Cradlepoint MBR1000, as it is much more stable then the linksys sprint routers, and can have 3 active cards. (2USB and 1 Express Card) connected at once, with load balancing.

powrby4d · EVDO User Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

Good point about the towers. I should have mentioned that in my application in order to get decent EVDO I have a grid antenna with an amplifier (highly directional) and a choice of two towers , each about 12 miles away, that are in essentially opposite directions, so each setup would be running a grid pointed in a different direction. I did find the Linksys RV042 router with dual WAN ports that I might be able to uplink into each WRT54G3G

clayworx · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:47 am Post subject: Multi-homing.

[quote="socksbb"]Well...

If your using cards from the same provider, or cards that will roam onto the same tower... there is almost no point in doing this.

Really?
I'm thinking about doing the same thing. Not for an increase in speed but keeping 4 or 5 users(small office) with some sort of bandwidth. The area we are in the Sprint cards are the only option for service.

I know that if the network on the office Linksys WRT54G3G-ST is slow, I can use another Sprint card in my laptop and get a better speed. If I add another router-sprint card combo, and I guess a linux box to set up a Multi-homed netowork your telling me it's pointless for what I'm wanting to accomplish being on the same tower?
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Alex · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:09 pm Post subject:

in my opinion, you guys are going about this the very hard way.

two sprint devices, one each in a linksys, feeding another mutli-wan linksys, just to load balance and failover?

i can just imagine that PITA that support calls to linksys would be like if you tried asking for help. "good luck with that"

what's the easy way? -- i'd suggest you look at cradlepoint MBR1000 and load balancing with it instead: http://www.EVDOinfo.com/LB

of course, you'll need to switch from PCMCIA S720's to either both USB or expresscard and USB, in order to use an MBR1000

besides, pcmcia cards are a dying breed anyway
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powrby4d · EVDO User Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

The MBR1000 doesn't do what I needed to do, which is load balance packets - it only load balances distinct sessions.

Alex · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:29 pm Post subject:

powrby4d · EVDO User Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

clayworx · Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:10 am Post subject: Dual wan

clayworx · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:09 am Post subject: Dual wan