RT-N66U, Dual WAN? Link Agg? 2 ISPs...

[XeroGio]

@KAD and/or @RMerlin

So while I'm not a complete novice at networking, I certainly am compared to all of you.

I've been trying to figure out how to properly utilize my two ISPs with the Asus RT-N66U. I am not currently using the Merlin firmware, but am not opposed in the least to it. Just not sure if Link Aggregation is the necessary method, or if there's something else that I'm overlooking in the standard Asus firmware for Dual WAN.

I've literally browsed every forum thread here pertaining to the RT-N66U and elsewhere during the past week trying to educate myself on it, and both KAD's successful Link Aggregation thread and Merlin's comments on several threads have increased my knowledge, but also my confusion!

This is what I have, and what I would like to do:

- 2 ISPs w/ modem each, 1 ASUS RT-N66U with most recent firmware.
- Mac OS X and Windows 7 computers at my disposal--need to use these two OS because of programs that are not supported for my secure testing and academic services in law school. I can certainly use Linux if necessary, but would prefer not outside of for setting up the router purposes.
- This is because almost all of my computer use must be done on OS X or W7 for my files to properly work with exam-taking and document-uploading programs. I'm sure someone will mention that Linux can be used, but the last thing I want to do is try to work-around and then have an invalidated exam file--hopefully this doesn't turn people off! It's law school, so when they say "Supported OS: Mac OS and Windows"...I stick to the terms with them!
- Open to using Merlin by any means, just want to know what I need to do first before I begin anything.
- I have already backed up my router's current settings in the event I trash everything in my adventure...
- I would like to use the two ISP broadband connections for either greater combined throughput on a single device connected to the router or load balancing to enable multiple downloads being split amongst the two modems/ISPs.

- My personal attempts without posting have resulted in a few problems:
- Torrent downloading through the Download Master is one of the main reasons, which is why I'm perfectly content with a load balancing set up that has the two ISPs dividing each of the many connections within a torrent. However, with Dual WAN enabled, I don't see the aggregate download speed of a torrent file exceeding the speed of a single connection on its own. I know I must be doing something wrong.
- Secure connections have problems, such as HTTPS:// connections. I presume I have to set up routing rules for that, but I get different routing rule directions from different threads I've read, so I don't even know which one is right without having to reboot my router after each attempt. (I'd like to direct all web browsing to only one ISP, for instance, while allowing downloads to either balance or combine throughput)

If there is any other information needed, I can provide it. While I do not know networking that extensively, I do know how to follow directions quite well and learn on the move. It's just that I'm not able to find clear resources regarding what I need to do for the functionality I want.

I hope this all makes sense... If this seems like having to do baby-steps with someone, I won't take it personally. While I understand it may be trivial for some of you guys, we've all got to start somewhere, and I've tried to educate myself without wasting time but it just hasn't worked out properly...

Thank you for your time, and I've learned a lot anyway!

Sincerely,
Gio

 

[KAD]

well, I'm not sure that what you want is practical or for that mater I doubt it's even possible

the only LinkAgg mode I've ever tested or used is 802.3ad
this will not work if your connecting the 2 ethernet cables to different devices

kernel doc's are here
https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/networking/bonding.txt

 

[XeroGio]

Thank you for the response! I think I may have written too much "writing" and not enough actual information.

Currently, I have both my U-Verse and Time Warner Cable plugged into my Asus RT-N66U. The TWC is in the WAN port; the U-Verse is in the LAN 4 Port set up as a secondary WAN.

From there, my laptop is connected by Ethernet into the router's LAN 1 Port. I know both ISPs are functioning simultaneously, as when I check my IP, it switches between the TWC IP and the U-Verse IP, so I know it is Load Balancing at the moment. If I start two downloads, like I just did to test it out, one downloads at 2.5 MB/s, the other at 2.25 MB/s. Simultaneously, mind you. This is consistent with the fact that I have a 20 Mbps TWC and an 18 Mbps U-Verse.

The problem is that accessing any secure site, like HTTPS, the connection consistently lags behind, as it's probably seeing both IPs hitting the server simultaneously.

I want to route web traffic through only one of the ISPs, ports 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS/SSL I believe...I could be wrong? Not sure if this should be done in QoS, the Dual WAN routing rules, etc.

Also, I'll definitely take a look at what you've linked.

Maybe I overcomplicated it in my first post. Thank you either way!

 

[KAD]

ok, I guess I mis-understood

sounds to me like LinkAgg is not part of the equation

to sum it up
you have dual WAN set up and want to filter all WAN activity to 1 port

my guess is IP tables, but I'm not sure

 

[XeroGio]

Yeah. Guess that was more condensed and direct haha... my apologies for the essay :/

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[dianacrown88]

Yeah. Guess that was more condensed and direct haha... my apologies for the essay - I just do my physics homework with help from online service :/

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Thanks merlin that fixed it! It was actually the next step I was going to try. I had moved my router last week and a few of the cables are too short. I stretched them to make work for the location. In doing so it pulled the wan cable (which isn't short) and made a bad connection.

 

[Aiadi]

Dual WAN (Load Balance) has always been really flaky for me no matter how many changes to various settings I have tried. The whole system keeps on hanging every few hours for few minutes before it starts working again. I just want some simple setup to work without so many disconnects and dropouts. Is this to much to ask? I have looked at all sorts of threads here but could not find an easy and straightforward answer to what appears to be quite a common issue.

 

[Tech9]

could not find an easy and straightforward answer

There is no answer. There is a hope though:

Dual WAN Failover Script

WAN Failover is designed to replace the factory ASUS WAN Failover functionality, this script will monitor the WAN Interfaces using a Target IP Address and pinging these targets to determine when a failure occurs. When a failure is detected in Failover Mode, the script will switch to the...

www.snbforums.com

 

[Aiadi]

There is no answer. There is a hope though:

Dual WAN Failover Script

WAN Failover is designed to replace the factory ASUS WAN Failover functionality, this script will monitor the WAN Interfaces using a Target IP Address and pinging these targets to determine when a failure occurs. When a failure is detected in Failover Mode, the script will switch to the...

www.snbforums.com

Absolutely tried that as well but did not work as well for load balance as it did for failover. Still same problem with unexplained internet disconnects and the whole network appearing to grind to a halt a couple of times a day. The problem disappears when going back to a single WAN.

 

[Tech9]

None of the Asus routers I have ever tested does dual WAN properly. The advertised functionality caught my attention because I operate multiple dual ISP networks and wanted to see what a home router can do. It's nothing even close to the expected behavior for both load balancing and fail back/over. The closest thing from home routers is Synology RT2600ac, perhaps the newer Synology models too. I currently have 3x Netgate 6100 appliances and 1x Cisco RV router in use for dual ISP networks. The cheapest proper multi-WAN router is ER605 for $60. It's the basic Omada compatible router and can work in stand alone mode for most of the features, including multi-WAN.

 

[Aiadi]

None of the Asus routers I have ever tested does dual WAN properly. The advertised functionality caught my attention because I operate multiple dual ISP networks and wanted to see what a home router can do. It's nothing even close to the expected behavior for both load balancing and fail back/over. The closest thing from home routers is Synology RT2600ac, perhaps the newer Synology models too. I currently have 3x Netgate 6100 appliances and 1x Cisco RV router in use for dual ISP networks. The cheapest proper multi-WAN router is ER605 for $60. It's the basic Omada compatible router and can work in stand alone mode for most of the features, including multi-WAN.

That is really helpful to know. I will look at these routers and options. GL.iNet have just started implementing Dual WAN feature with their latest testing firmware but it is still in its infancy and I am really hoping that they will progress well with it as I already own the Slate AX and the Flint. The ER605 was quite promising but the lack of ability to use with commercial openVPN and no wireguard was a deal breaker for me. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Ranger802004]

Absolutely tried that as well but did not work as well for load balance as it did for failover. Still same problem with unexplained internet disconnects and the whole network appearing to grind to a halt a couple of times a day. The problem disappears when going back to a single WAN.

What is your set up? Are you using failover or load balance mode? This is the first I have heard of this issue if failover mode, there are some issues with load balance mode that cause these types of problems by are resolved with my script unless there is something new to investigate. Did you happen to capture any debug logs?

 

[Tech9]

The ER605 was quite promising but the lack of ability...

It's the cheapest Omada integrated router. The hardware is weak and similar to Ubiquiti ER-X. You can use this type of routers for multi-WAN purposes only before your Asus router. Resulting double NAT is not an issue. This way you have proper multi-WAN for cheap + user friendly Asuswrt features you are familiar with. Don't look at Netgate 6100, the unit price is $800. I use them for business purposes. They are capable x86 hardware units with 10GbE ports, but too expensive for home use and pfSense is not very user friendly for average users. Cisco RV34x series were good basic routers, but EOL now. I use one for non-critical home network application. I actually have one Cisco RV32x router still in use in a home setup, also EOL. Both are not recommended to purchase second hand in 2022. If the budget allows, check Peplink Balance and DrayTek Vigor models.

 

[Aiadi]

What is your set up? Are you using failover or load balance mode? This is the first I have heard of this issue if failover mode, there are some issues with load balance mode that cause these types of problems by are resolved with my script unless there is something new to investigate. Did you happen to capture any debug logs?

Thanks @Ranger802004 for your work and your excellent script. The problem I encountered was with the load balance mode going through the very basic initial setup of your script as I am not too techie when it comes to more involved changes. I haven't captured any logs but will definitely do so whenever I am back to using my Asus again as I am now experimenting with the various settings of the GL.iNet instead.