Best options for redundant residential internet.

Admetos

Admetos

Admetos

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I’m trying to gain advice / people views on redundant internet access for a residential address. I’m attempting to reduce any downtime of internet.

Currently I’m using PlusNet fibre package, with a Draytek Vigor 2860n router. This router can take triple internet connections, including ADSL, VDSL, WAN and 3g/4g USB dongle, individual connections can run concurrently or backup only.

The only services at my address are ADSL and VDSL2 (Bt Infinity 2), there is no cable service.

Speaking to a BT engineer there is 2 phone lines into my property (both underground), currently only 1 is connected.

These are my thoughts.

1) Have a second VDSL connection, with another IPS (say Zen), then if Plusnet have outage I won’t be effected. Downside both connections are by the same cabinet, if the cabinet is out of action I’d loose both connections.

2) Have the Plusnet VDSL line (as now) and a separate ADSL connection? Would being on two different technologies mean that internet access is more redundant (compared to 2 VDSL connections). I presume the ADSL would still be going by the same cabinet as my VDSL line.

3) Have a mobile dongle that only activates if connection is lost. Closest 3G mast is 800 meters away.

4) Have both either 1 or 2, and option 3!

5) Option 1 and 2 are both useless if someone digs into the cable bunch running from cabinet to my house.

Anyone have any thoughts on the above?
 
The most "stable" option would be a failover to a 3G dongle but you have to ask yourself, for a residential service is it really needed?

DSL of all kinds isn't a faultless service and it will go down at some point. Thats just how it is. You could stick 4 lines in there and have a periodic REIN problem that takes all 4 out simultaneously.

You could go with DSL/DSL failover but you've already pointed out all the problems with it. Technically it'll still be BT no matter if you are with plusnet or Zen and you end up paying twice as much for a service that probably isn't awful in the first place (unless your connection is dropping badly and you havent mentioned it) at which point, get on to plusnet to fix it rather than costing yourself more money over engineering this.
 
Thanks for your replies.

I did a search on SamKnows and Zen does not show, the only LLU operators showing are O2 / Be, AOL, C&W, Sky / Easynet, Tiscalli & TalkTalk. Does this mean if I pick one of these i'm separate from BT Infinity?

I do agree the most stable would be failover to a 3G dongle. My Plusnet service is incidentally ok.
 
What's so important that you need redundancy?

I'd do nothing until there's a problem. It there's an outage that actually starts to hurt go out and buy a 3/4G dongle to tide you over.

Spending several hundred £/year just in case seems wasteful. You're probably more likely to suffer an extended power cut than you are an extended broadband outage.
 
I'd suggest a 3G/4G if you really need it. Supplier diverse is one thing with phonelines, but they still go to the same exchange.
 
Thanks again for the responses.

I'm going to look at getting a 3G dongle and use as fall back on the Draytek.

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of a SIM that works well for connection via the Draytek router?
 
If you leave a dongle connected as fall back then you won't have any direct indication that the primary connection has dropped. You could very easily use all of your credit or run up a massive data bill without ever knowing.
 
JasonM said:
Bremen, you make a very good point, however the Draytek can send emails when connections are dropped or started.
Click to expand...

All nice and dandy if you can pretty much guarantee picking up your emails. What would happen let’s say on the second Tuesday of each month when Bill Gate’s mob releases their updates / patches etc. which can be huge for a 3G connection?
 
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JasonM said:
Thanks again for the responses.

I'm going to look at getting a 3G dongle and use as fall back on the Draytek.

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of a SIM that works well for connection via the Draytek router?
Click to expand...
The compatibility you need to worry about is the USB dongle model, not which SIM card. Draytek publishes the list of known tested USB dongles.
 
Pretty much what I'm doing - FTTC main, 3G failover and backup 2nd ADSL2 line (there are people here who work in IT who need to be able to do remote support/work from home, etc.).
 
Rotor, yes i've seen the Draytek support list. I have noticed Draytek themselves make a dongle for around £30 that's compatible with their router and for simplicity was going to get this.

Rroff said:
Pretty much what I'm doing - FTTC main, 3G failover and backup 2nd ADSL2 line (there are people here who work in IT who need to be able to do remote support/work from home, etc.).
Click to expand...

Rroff, can you say what your frequency is of FTTC and ADSL2 being down at the same time? Obviously all situations are different but interested to know the times you need the 3G failover?

Yes i'm an IT professional and work from home.
 
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You could probably fudge something on the DrayTek's load balance policy to prevent software updates happening over a 3G link.

Whether you manage to get them set up before killing yourself at having to use the DrakTek UI is a totally different matter.
 
Not Rroff, but here's my two-penneth...

I do most of my work from home and rely on my internet connection. I use a dual WAN Vigor router that's capable of taking a 3G dongle, but I've never seriously considered adding one.

Over the last 12 years I've had Virgin cable, three different ADSL(2) providers, and more recently two different FTTC providers. In that time the longest outage was for less than a day, and the total outage (I've noticed) must add up to less than a day a year.

If I ever really do have a problem I can tether to my phone. I've never needed to. For brief outages I can find other things to-do, and I'm still in touch because my email comes to the phone.

I've lost more working time because of power cuts than broadband problems, and that still only accounts for a couple of days over the 12 years.
 
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bremen1874 said:
Not Rroff, but here's my two-penneth...

I do most of my work from home and rely on my internet connection. I use a dual WAN Vigor router that's capable of taking a 3G dongle, but I've never seriously considered adding one.

Over the last 12 years I've had Virgin cable, three different ADSL(2) providers, and more recently two different FTTC providers. In that time the longest outage was for less than a day, and the total outage (I've noticed) must add up to less than a day a year.

If I ever really do have a problem I can tether to my phone. I've never needed to. For brief outages I can find other things to-do, and I'm still in touch because my email comes to the phone.

I've lost more working time because of power cuts than broadband problems, and that still only accounts for a couple of days over the 12 years.
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Hi Bremen, I have read this and your other posts also, and understand what your saying and agree i'll need some UPS devices at some point also.

Eventually I'm trying to get where if there is internet outage the router would immediately switch to backup. One of the needs is VOIP, where the call keeps going even if a connection drops out.
 
From what I recall the only 1 outage we've ever had in several years took out both the FTTC and ADSL2 lol (3G filled in well enough though wasn't great) - the ADSL is actually a business product with SLA whereas the FTTC residential but never really needed the SLA.

Pretty much had 99% uptime so far.

EDIT: Not including the screwup when they installed FTTC that took out connectivity for a few days.
 
JasonM said:
Eventually I'm trying to get where if there is internet outage the router would immediately switch to backup. One of the needs is VOIP, where the call keeps going even if a connection drops out.
Click to expand...

I'm 99.99% sure that you'll never get the type of fall over you're talking about to keep a live VoIP call up. If you switch over to a 3/4G connection (which won't be instantaneous anyway) your WAN IP and all of the routing will change. The sensible option is to pick up your mobile or landline phone and call them back.

If the connection is as important as you seem to be suggesting then your primary internet connection should be something with a proper SLA, not a FTTC connection.
 
JasonM said:
Eventually I'm trying to get where if there is internet outage the router would immediately switch to backup. One of the needs is VOIP, where the call keeps going even if a connection drops out.
Click to expand...
There is zero chance that this will work (VOIP call continues throughout a failover).
 
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