Load balancing

[houghton19]

I have 2 connections that I’m playing with.

VDSL at about 55meg
4G at about 130/160 meg. I was hoping load balancing and putting my ratio 1:5 might improve my speed, it did lift it to about 70meg while downloading however my ip isn’t consistent and it’s trying to send my ip to the 4G all the time. Is it possible to set my VDSL connection to the main ip? Thanks.

 

[JDB]

Loadbalancing doesn’t bond the 2 uplinks speeds.
It means each individual TCP/UDP connection is either VDSL or 4G - so if you do a load of single thread download tests with 50:50 loadbalancing, roughly half will get VDSL speed and the other half 4G.
The confusing thing is most speed tests sites do a multi connection test (which may use both uplinks) and average the result so giving you an incorrect representation of what a normal download will get. See speed test app option;

There is no “main ip”, you have 2 IP’s, one for each uplink and can’t change that. Which one is used per connection follows the rules above.


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[houghton19]

Fantastic reply thanks. Guess there is no way cheap/easy/ good way to actually bond the 2? Obviously I want the speed from the 4G but it’s CGNAT so that means I can’t log into my PC. I have been looking at tunnelling in but have had little to no joy.

 

[JDB]

Bonded Internet is very expensive! You either have to have the same ISP provide both links or have a 3rd party device on the internet that you tunnel your connects to for it to aggregate out your 2 tunnels as a single connection. Either way requires an enterprise level device at your end well beyond an Asus home routers capabilities.

As for access, you could set 4G as primary and VDSL as active backup, then set up OpenVPN and you should be able to get in via the VDSL connection all the time, but the 4G be used as your primary outbound link.

It may need some under the hood tweaks to make OpenVPN listen on the stand by link all the time (or it may just do it!), I’m not sure. I used to have VDSL and 1Gbps FTTH dual WAN and would have happily tested it but I’ve since cancelled the VDSL now that I’m all switched over and happy on FTTH. I’m sure someone will know the answer though! The other option if the standby link won’t allow OpenVPN is to set loadbalancing with 99:1 4G:VDSL, that way you get pretty much all connections using 4G and inbound OpenVPN will definitely work on the VDSL as it’s always active.


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[JDB]

Other option is talk to the 4G provider, many can disable CGNAT or even give a fixed public IP on the SIM for a small additional charge per month.


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[houghton19]

Bonded Internet is very expensive! You either have to have the same ISP provide both links or have a 3rd party device on the internet that you tunnel your connects to for it to aggregate out your 2 tunnels as a single connection. Either way requires an enterprise level device at your end well beyond an Asus home routers capabilities.

As for access, you could set 4G as primary and VDSL as active backup, then set up OpenVPN and you should be able to get in via the VDSL connection all the time, but the 4G be used as your primary outbound link.

It may need some under the hood tweaks to make OpenVPN listen on the stand by link all the time (or it may just do it!), I’m not sure. I used to have VDSL and 1Gbps FTTH dual WAN and would have happily tested it but I’ve since cancelled the VDSL now that I’m all switched over and happy on FTTH. I’m sure someone will know the answer though! The other option if the standby link won’t allow OpenVPN is to set loadbalancing with 99:1 4G:VDSL, that way you get pretty much all connections using 4G and inbound OpenVPN will definitely work on the VDSL as it’s always active.


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I tried calling the provider and got the reply of “what is CGNAT?!”

wish I could get FTTP,

when I have been trying to tunnel in I’m struggling a little bit, I normally use a ddns service, when using an app like Sab or RealVNC I normally type in my ddnsort and have port open on my ASUs. What would I add to the app? I tried the IP address on the VPN but didn’t work.

 

[JDB]

Well for sure opening a port for VNC is a terrible idea from a security perspective!

OpenVPN is the only way to solve this, in part due to the dual WAN.

If you open a port and say it’s working (is forwarding through packets), what would actually happen is this;
You>WAN2>PC

But the responses from the PC will go;
PC>WAN1>You

As a result the “you” device will drop the incoming packets as they are not coming from the WAN2 it’s expecting.

With a VPN it looks like this;
You>WAN2>Router VPN Subnet>PC
PC>Router VPN Subnet>WAN2>You

Basically the Router running the OpenVPN (use TUN mode not TAP) acts as a back to back go between so ensures the reverse packets go the correct way.


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[houghton19]

Before even getting to openVPN side of things, having load balancing enabled I’m getting lots of issues, trying to open YouTube on my phone and kids iPad it doesn’t load. I was watching Disney plus and that also stopped loading. Would we say this is CGNAT limiting what I can get too or is this a load balancing issue? Thanks.

 

[JDB]

Is your 4G plan designed for home broadband?
If it’s not, most have service limitations to slow bandwidth usage down, so could be that.

I would switch load balancing off, set 4G as primary WAN for a day, see what happens.
Then switch VDSL to primary for a day, see what happens.

I’d much rather have a wired 55Mbps than a wireless 130Mbps connection myself (and that’s coming from someone that owns a mobile broadband ISP!!!).


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[houghton19]

Thanks for such a early reply, that had been my thought for today, why would you stick to the slower wired?

I’ve been having line issues but when they come to check we can’t find anything. I’m having multiple dropouts a day. This is one reason for change over.

 

[JDB]

Wireless internet has various issues;
High/inconsistent latency
CGNAT (unless you pay to have a public IP)
Inconsistent speeds (many factors including weather affect it)
Restrictions on bandwidth usage (unless you pay for a proper home broadband package)

I could have free unlimited 4G internet with a fixed public IP from my own company, but choose to pay for a fibre line from another ISP!

If your VDSL is not solid, I would suggest putting the ISP provided modem/router on it and ringing them every day until it’s fixed. In my previous house I had a similar problem and on the 3rd visit from BT Openreach decided to get involved, I ended up telling him the problem after looking at his diagnostics - most of them are morons TBH.
Plus if you are not using BT as an ISP they all have to use BT OpenReach for the last mile anyway and so will blame each other for as long as possible, that’s the only benefit of using BT as an ISP is they can’t blame anyone else!


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[houghton19]

Wireless internet has various issues;
High/inconsistent latency
CGNAT (unless you pay to have a public IP)
Inconsistent speeds (many factors including weather affect it)
Restrictions on bandwidth usage (unless you pay for a proper home broadband package)

I could have free unlimited 4G internet with a fixed public IP from my own company, but choose to pay for a fibre line from another ISP!

If your VDSL is not solid, I would suggest putting the ISP provided modem/router on it and ringing them every day until it’s fixed. In my previous house I had a similar problem and on the 3rd visit from BT Openreach decided to get involved, I ended up telling him the problem after looking at his diagnostics - most of them are morons TBH.
Plus if you are not using BT as an ISP they all have to use BT OpenReach for the last mile anyway and so will blame each other for as long as possible, that’s the only benefit of using BT as an ISP is they can’t blame anyone else!


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Im actually an openreach engineer however I refuse to work on my own line as it’s not worth the “why did it take so long to fix”. It’s not an easy job in all honesty. You get a a line to pass and essentially there is no fault on the line. It just annoys me so much that I get 130meg plus on my mobile yet on a landline I can only get 55. No plans for FTTP Here yet either which sucks. I thought getting the 5G modem may solve this and future Proof myself for when 5G is in this area. However not looking promising.

 

[JDB]

I don’t get it, you’re an Openreach engineer but won’t fix your own problem!?
Surely it’s worth it to remove all this hassle!? Seems like there is a simple solution here, plus you can look it long term and not have the usual issue of 30 mins on site hoping the internment fault happens while you are there!

If you really want to continue the wireless route you need to find a package designed for home broadband (if not already on one) - they should normally already not have CGNAT. That removes some of the issues at least.

The other thing is, although you might be getting good speeds, they might be good but flakey so worth looking at signal strength and seriously considering external antenna and placement of them (ideally you want the antenna outside, the modem 12 inches away (read thickness of exterior wall!) and then run Ethernet from the modem to the ideal router placement in the house).

Home broadband is normally a compromise in many ways, very cheap/naff equipment provided by ISP, poor placement of equipment etc. If you want solid and fast internet you have to approach it like an enterprise would - which normally is going to cost a couple of hundred quid at the minimum to get decent kit and put it in the right places.


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[houghton19]

Number of reasons that I won’t work on my own line..... 1) broadband isn’t a easy task, also jobs are sometimes looked at task times. I never want to be put in the position of why did you work on your own line for 5 hours remaking joints ect, was I working, was I at home with my feet up?!?!

I think it has something to do with the modem. I have put my sim in the TPLink 7350 and Everything is loading with the BT sim, this is also connected to my ASUS, I have put it onto fallback USB and disconnected my VDSL for now. Seems very strange a modem would stop throughput to some sites.

 

[JDB]

Why not just do it on your own time?

I’ve seen modems do all sorts of odd things!


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[houghton19]

Vans have trackers on, can’t use them in personal time, also at the moment I’m in long term hoist (cherry picker) cover so I have no guards ect.