Your SimpleWAN device supports failover to a secondary connection in the event your primary connection has an issue. You can easily add this feature by contacting your Reseller/support agent and asking them to activate the feature as it needs to be added at an administrative level.
Once the Failover feature is activated, update the new WAN2 interface with the failover connection IP info (static, DHCP, etc.). Once that new information is saved, power down the SimpleWAN, plug the secondary connection into the OPT port and then power the SimpleWAN back up so that it can run a speed test on the failover connection for QoS settings. Be sure to go into the Diagnostic Tools section, and then click speed tests to verify that both a WAN and a WAN2 speed test were run. If there is no WAN2 speed test result, verify that the WAN2 information was input correctly, and reboot the unit again.
*If you are utilizing the failover feature of the SimpleWAN, we recommend that the primary connection is set to static. If it is set to DHCP, the device could have issues connecting back to the primary internet connection. Also, if the failover itself is taking a long to negotiate an IP address, set it to static as well to ensure a quick failover time.*
The OPT port may be used for dual WAN / teaming / balancing. It is only activated when the Load Balancing/Failover feature is active. Please choose the appropriate option under the WAN2 interface menu as shown below. As mentioned above, please verify that a speed test was run for both the WAN and WAN2 interface. YOU MUST USE OUR DHCP AND DNS SERVERS TO USE LOAD BALANCING.
The MiFi hotspot bridge option allows you to use an approved wifi dongle (please contact your Reseller/Distributor for pricing and model information) to connect the SimpleWAN device to a standalone MiFi hotspot. Simply go to the interface where you would like to set up the connection and choose hotspot bridge from the drop-down options. Then input the correct SSID (network name) and PSK (wifi password) in the fields below.
Things to watch out for: Settings on the MiFi device must allow it to remain on/active at all times (i.e. never goes into a sleep mode). The LAN IP on the Mifi must remain 192.168.1.1. The LAN IP of the SimpleWAN is recommended to be at 192.168.2.1.
SimpleWAN now supports 4G failover through Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. We recommend that you use the Mifi option rather than using the 4g USB dongles because carriers are starting to restrict usability to these devices. The Mifi option gets around this limitation. You can contact your sales representative or SimpleWAN directly to inquire about adding this service. You Must be running Version 6.0.0. for 4G compatibility.
Verizon UML290:
When you have your 4G failover device, simply plug it into any USB port. You can use a USB cable to extend the length or place the antenna in a better position.
*If you are having connectivity issues with the UML290, it is possible you need to change the IP mode of the device. This can be done by connecting the 4G device to a laptop, open the Verizon wireless manager panel. Once there you will need to do the following. Press Cntrl-D this will bring up a password text box, enter the password diagvzw. This will bring up another window of configuration settings. Set them as you see below.
Sprint 341u:
AT&T 340u:
NOTE: On both Sprint and AT&T devices, even when they are connected in this IP Passthrough mode the display says “Ready to Connect”. After you apply Failover, you'll need to reboot your SimpleWAN Appliance. If you do not see the speed test results on WAN2 after 10 mins please reboot the unit to initialize a speed test on both the primary and secondary connections. Double check or repeat the steps above if needed.
NOTE: When using failover, you need to use external DNS servers Like Google otherwise failover won't kick on.
Check 4G Signal Strength
From the unit's control panel page, you will see a box for the signal strength of your 4g card. the response can be slow as the box will run a strength test then upload it, allow 3-5 minutes for a response.