Load Balancing
A dynamic and flexible mechanism to distribute network traffic across multiple internet connections.
Multiple WAN
The load balancing feature manages multiple Internet connections, encompassing various sources such as wired landline connections through the WAN port, mobile modems, and wireless WiFi relays.
Note: You can skip this section if your router has a single Internet connection. Incorrectly configured settings may lead to issues, particularly when non-functional Internet links are falsely enabled, potentially disrupting the router's Internet connectivity.
When the router has multiple internet connections and load balancing is disabled, the router will use all the enabled Internet links and allocate network traffic based on their respective interface metrics.
For instance, if the WAN metric is set to 1 and the mobile metric is set to 3 on default settings. The lower number takes precedence, indicating higher priority for that connection in traffic distribution.
In such cases, activating the load balancing function allows for the distribution of network traffic according to predefined policies and the current state of each connection. This enables the optimization of bandwidth utilization and improvement of network performance.
Basic Introduction
Go to "Network > Load Balancing" after logging into the router to enable and configure the load balance function. Below is a fundamental overview of key components within the load balancing system.
Interfaces Overview
Navigate to the "Interfaces" default tab and review the "MWAN - Interfaces" overview page to identify the supported internet sources on the router.
WAN - A wired connection linked to the WAN port from a landline modem or another internet router.
MOBILE - Mobile internet accessed through the mobile modem of OutdoorRouter.
WWAN - Wireless WiFi relay (repeater) connected to another router's WiFi hotspot.
Enable Internet Interface
The "Enabled" header in the "MWAN - Interfaces" chart signifies the status of the internet source managed by the load balancing feature. All the interfaces are disabled on default settings.
When you have more than one relative internet connection activated, click the "Edit" button of the interface. Choose "Yes" on the Enabled option. Then click the "Save & Apply" button to enable the internet interface.
Metric & Weight
Navigate to the "Members" tab to review each interface's network metrics and traffic weight within the load balancing system. The chart below displays the default values, where the lower number holds priority.
Suggest to retain the default metric and weight settings. In the subsequent "Policies" settings step, you can establish the order for traffic connections.
To utilize all traffic sources concurrently, set the members with identical metrics.
| Member Name | Interface | Metric | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
wan_m | wan | 1 | 1 |
MOBILE_m | MOBILE | 3 | 3 |
wwan_m | wwan | 2 | 2 |
Policies
Access the "Policies" tab to examine the pre-configured policies and profiles.
Policies serve as profiles that group one or more members, dictating how the load-balancing function allocates network traffic. The prioritization is based on lower metric values assigned to member interfaces.
You can create a new policy or modify an existing profile to specify the internet sources you wish to utilize. In the subsequent "Rules" step, the default configuration is set to employ the "ALL" policy, directing traffic through "WAN > Mobile > WWAN (WiFi Relay)".
Rules
Click the "Rules" tab to check the load balancing rules.
The load balancing rules delineate the traffic designated for a specific policy and are determined by factors such as IP address, port, or protocol. These rules are sequentially matched from top to bottom, with any rules beneath a matching one being disregarded. Traffic that doesn't correspond to any rule follows the routing path outlined in the main routing table.
You can either establish a new rule or modify the "default_rule." Select the policy you defined in the preceding step from the "Policy Assigned" dropdown.
Global Settings
You can disregard the "Global" setting tab in the latest firmware version. Click the "Enable" checkbox for older firmware versions to activate the load balancing function. There is no requirement to reboot the router for the load balancing to take full effect.
Status & Debugging
Navigate to "Status > Load Balancing > Tab: Interface" to assess the operational status of each internet source.
The "Status" indicator reveals whether the interface is active.
A green background signifies that the internet ping tests have been successful, confirming a functional internet connection.
Click the "Detail" tab to check the interface status and assigned policies.
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