(Pepwave Max 700 Connected to Multiple Connections)
When comparing
3G/4G router features the terms "Load Balancing or Bonding," can cause some confusion on what the differences are.
Cradlepoint routers are known for load balancing, while
Peplink/Pepwave products can establish both load balancing as well as physical modem bonding. Each of these features can be highly beneficial and determining if you need load balancing or bonding will depend on what you want to accomplish. The best way to figure out what you need is to ask yourself if your trying to support a lot of end users, or if you need one single high bandwidth stream to support things like real time video streaming. If the answer is lots of users then chances are load balancing will be perfect for you, but if you need one single data stream to support a bandwidth intensive application then modem bonding is what you need.
How Does Cradlepoint Load Balancing Work? In the connection manager (pictured above) you'll see multiple entries for the wireless modems. This indicates the following options:
- Load Balance Check - If you have an available connection you'd like to Load Balance, simply place a check mark by the connection.
- Enabled - Placing a check mark in this field enables the corresponding connection
- Up/Down Arrows - This indicates connection preference if not used in a Load Balance configuration. In a Load Balance configuration the order indicates which device you want higher on the priority list.
Load Balancing uses available bandwidth to determine which WAN device to send a connection over. When the first connection is requested, the router will look at the available connections and compare available speeds. In this example we will say the router sees the Ethernet (
Cable/DSL) connection that has 1200 kbps of bandwidth available, and the modem connection has 800 kbps available. So, the first user that connects will be sent over Ethernet because there is more bandwidth available. Now, suppose this first connection only uses 200 kbps, which still gives the Ethernet WAN connection 1000 kbps available of usable bandwidth.
When the next user gets online, the router cross references the available speeds on both connections and would again utilize the Ethernet based connection. This is because (1200Kbps - 200Kbps = 1000Kbps) and the Ethernet connections bandwidth is still greater than the wireless modem. This will continue until the available bandwidth of the Ethernet connection is less than the total speed available on the secondary modem. From our example when the Ethernet connection falls below 800Kbps the next connection would be prioritized to the USB modems connection. As you introduce more modems into the load balancing configuration this same formula occurs ensuring you have the maximum amount of bandwidth available per connection for any given user.
The
CBR400,
CBR450,
MBR1200 and
MBR1400 routers all support load balancing. The CBR400/CBR450 can load balance between one USB modem and one ExpressCard, the MBR1200 can load balance between up to five modems (3 USB, one ExpressCard, one PCMCIA) and the MBR1400 can balance up to five modems (3 USB and 2 ExpressCard). The new Cradlepoint NetBSD platform makes it easier than ever for you to load balance all of your active internet connections.
How Does Peplink/Pepwave Load Balancing Work?The Peplink/Pepwave products take load balancing far beyond what Cradlepoint routers are capable of. This is thanks to their sophisticated
outbound policy management system that allows you to distinguish and control how each connection is physically utilized. Peplink/Pepwave offers seven different algorithms (five on Balance 20/30 products) for a variety of different applications that can be highly beneficial for system admins struggling with multiple network connections. Below you can find a list of each algorithm and how they can be integrated into a variety of applications:
Weighted Balance: This algorithm is very similar to the Cradlepoint "Load Balancing", but you have the option to manually adjust the load amount based on individual connections. Using this in conjunction with the outbound policy management allows you to create a sophisticated network and intelligently offset your network usage. The dials go from 0-10 with '0' not using the connection at all, and '10' using the connection at 100%.
For example - You could have WAN1 (cable) and WAN2 (DSL) set at '10' for a VOIP phone system and USB1 (Verizon 4G) set to '5' so it's used as other connections begin to max their connection. Now, lets say you have a slow Satellite connection and are using WAN1 (cable) and USB1 (Verizon 4G) for the phone system and use WAN2 (Satellite) as a backup connection. You can physically set the WAN2 connection for that IP range at '0' so it's never used for the Satellite system. You could then add another rule for the Satellite connection that handles data that doesn't rely on low latency.
Persistence: This algorithm allows you to dictate which connections are active by either source or destination. If you choose "by source" the same WAN connection will be used for traffic matching the rule and originating from the same machine regardless of its destination. If "by destination" is chosen, the same WAN connection will be used for traffic matching the rule, originating from the same machine, and going to the same destination. This option can better distribute load to WAN connections when there are only a few client machines.
For Example - If you want WAN1 (Cable) to go to a specific group of computers on your network, while WAN2 (DSL) manages another branch the persistence algorithm is the perfect choice. By indicating the source or destination address you'll ensure each computer has the maximum available bandwidth.
Enforced: This algorithm is the easiest way to link specific connections to different network components. Several users will use this algorithm with our
failover solution allowing them to only run mission critical applications when on a backup connection. This will save you money by preventing wasted bandwidth on application that don't need access, while on a more expensive backup connection.
For example - Lets say that WAN1 (Cable) is designed to run your whole office network and USB1 (Verizon 4G) is configured for priority failover on select components. These components could be a VOIP or PBX phone system, POS or other mission critical hardware. If the machine doesn't have a rule to use that Verizon modem they'll simply have no connectivity when the primary network goes down. You can see this algorithm in action here -
Peplink/Pepwave Outbound Enforced Policy Management
Priority: Traffic will be routed through the healthy WAN connection that has the highest priority. With this algorithm each active connection will perform a health check down the list from highest to lowest priority. If you have hardware that need to get priority over other equipment then will ensure you have the highest availability connection active.
For example - this can be used to specify the WAN order for Site-to-Site connections. You could use WAN1 (Cable) as the highest priority connection for your VPN and WAN2 (DSL) as a second priority, if WAN1 fails to pass its health check. For added convenience all Site-to-Site VPN's will be shown to the right of your priority setup allowing you to easily drag specific Site-to-Site VPN's to specific connection types.
Overflow: This algorithm is ideal for networks that are constantly under heavy strain, or for business that may have an unreliable T1, Cable/DSL, etc connection. If part of your network becomes overloaded giving you inconsistent performance this algorithm we help you offset the load when needed.
For example - if WAN1 (Cable) and WAN2 (DSL) are constantly overloaded with users you can configure USB1 (Verizon 4G) as the third connection to help offset employee usage. The USB1 (Verizon 4G) connection would only be utilized when the less expensive connections become overloaded and begin to stall.
Least Used*: The "least used" algorithm looks at each available connection and sees which connection has the most available bandwidth and uses it. This is an easy way to ensure that your traffic will always have maximum throughput by using the connection with the most throughput available.
For example - You could give a specific computer group a rule that indicates WAN1 (Cable) and WAN2 (DSL) should run specific computers. Depending on the computer and how much bandwidth is available each user will always be using the connection that offers the most throughput to quickly complete tasks.
*
Least Used algorithm only available on Balance 210 or above and Pepwave Max 700
Lowest Latency*: This algorithm is ideal for applications that require low latency to preform optimally. If you have hardware like a VOIP or PBX phone system you can use this algorithm specifically so that your phones will always stay connected to the network with the best latency.
For example - If you traditionally use WAN1 (Cable) and USB1 (Verizon 4G), but also use USB2 (3G modem or equivalent) on your phone system this will identify the best connection to use. From our example it would go Cable to 4G modem to 3G modem giving you the best possible voice quality on available connections.
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Lowest Latency algorithm only available on Balance 210 or above and Pepwave Max 700Load Balance Wrap Up:If you have a small business the load balancing feature on the Cradlepoint routers can be a great low cost solution. If you run a small to large business and demand complete control over your network connections the
Peplink Balance series and
Pepwave Max 700 offer the ultimate end user control. You can actually combine different algorithms by IP Address, IP Network or Mac address giving you unprecedented amount of control over your network. In addition to these additional options the Pepwave Max 700 in conjunction with a Peplink Balance 210 or above also offers "Modem bonding," which is something the Cradlepoint routers can't do.
What is 'Bonding?' Physically bonding allows you to take multiple connections and turn them into one single stream, which allows you to have an increased download and upload speed. This can be incredibly useful for companies that demand a single pipe that offers faster speeds to download or upload real time video, route large amounts of traffic and handle video conferencing. After the connection has been bonded you can use their outbound traffic management feature to optimize outbound traffic and prioritize your VPN traffic. All you need to do modem or cable bonding is a
Pepwave Max 700 and a
Peplink Balance 210 or higher to establish the bonded VPN back to the Pepwave Max 700 bonding router. For detailed information on Pepwave Max 700 bonding see this article -
Click: Pepwave Max 700 Bonding InformationCradlepoint routers
DO NOT 'bond' multiple connections together to give you one faster download/upload speed on the network. The
Pepwave Max 700 is the only router on the market that can physically bond multiple connections together without any monthly recurring fee's. This means the only costs will be the hardware and the monthly service from your ISP that you're already paying for. In fact, if you're using any leased lines you'll be able to configure specific priorities ensuring you utilize the cheapest connections, and only use more expensive connections when necessary to further save you money.
Load Balancing and Bonding Wrap Up: The concept of "Load Balancing" and "Bonding" can be somewhat confusing, but it's very important to understand the difference so you can make the correct decision for your environment. If you run a small business and don't need to configure outbound policy rules or distinguish multiple connections
Cradlepoint routers are a great option. If you would like to manage each connection type, or require the ability to add different rules based on connection types, the
Peplink/Pepwave products are the best choice for you. These rules are great for managing multiple IPSec VPN, Site to Site VPN's and PPTP servers across your entire network.
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