Fail-over connection

Soldato
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Hello OcUKers!

I’m making our business a little more robust, and alongside getting IPCCTV which auto-uploads to the cloud, I’ve also invested in a UPS to look after the PoE switch/NVR.

I’m looking to install the final piece in the puzzle - connect a failover 4G router to the network (and UPS) so that the cameras and remote feed access is possible even if the wires internet is down AND power is down at the same time.

the question is, does such an automated facility exist?
I would be looking to keep my existing Router (which manages DHCP, also on a small UPS) but get an additional 4G router or device which can sit on the network redundant until required, and when it detects no wired WAN connection, it kicks in the 4G automatically and feeds that into the network.

Any advice or product recommendations gratefully received.
 
Caporegime
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You’d need a CCTV system that connects to a cloud service and doesn’t need port forwarding, otherwise managing the failover will be tricky, and you won’t get a public IP address from a mobile SIM unless you buy an expensive per-MB M2M plan or limit yourself to Three.
 
Soldato
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What kind of Router/WLAN system do you have? If you’re running the UniFi controller then have a look at uLTE which is available as a Beta product in Europe at the moment but it’s been out in the US for quite a while and it’s pretty robust. That would do most of what you want. But you need to be running the UniFi controller.

https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/early-access/products/unifi-lte-pro-beta

CCTV - that’s going to need a P2P connection so Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Verkada, Synology and QNAP solutions will all do that. Just be aware that it’s not exactly secure because you’re going through their servers but beggars can’t be choosers and it’s only for failover purposes.
 
Soldato
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7,176
You’d need a CCTV system that connects to a cloud service and doesn’t need port forwarding, otherwise managing the failover will be tricky, and you won’t get a public IP address from a mobile SIM unless you buy an expensive per-MB M2M plan or limit yourself to Three.

Connecting to a VPN end point which supports port forwarding would seem like an obvious workaround unless I missed something? It does however add another layer of complexity and potential point of failure.
 
Soldato
OP
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What kind of Router/WLAN system do you have? If you’re running the UniFi controller then have a look at uLTE which is available as a Beta product in Europe at the moment but it’s been out in the US for quite a while and it’s pretty robust. That would do most of what you want. But you need to be running the UniFi controller.

https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/early-access/products/unifi-lte-pro-beta

CCTV - that’s going to need a P2P connection so Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Verkada, Synology and QNAP solutions will all do that. Just be aware that it’s not exactly secure because you’re going through their servers but beggars can’t be choosers and it’s only for failover purposes.

We do actually have a UniFi system and a controller. No spare PoE ports though, but could justify upgrading the UniFi switch.

I appreciate that device is beta in EU, however will it play happy and only be used when the main internet drops?

the business has BT Fibre via a SmartHub2
 
Caporegime
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If you have BT Business already then just add 4G assure. This also solves the public IP problem as they fail over as well.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Location
Norfolk, South Scotland
We do actually have a UniFi system and a controller. No spare PoE ports though, but could justify upgrading the UniFi switch.

I appreciate that device is beta in EU, however will it play happy and only be used when the main internet drops?

the business has BT Fibre via a SmartHub2

The Beta EU status is purely to do with the fact that the original device was offered in the US with an embedded AT&T SIM and this version has a SIM card slot. That’s the only difference. The device is very robust in my experience.
 
Soldato
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The South
unfortunately there are no suitable 4G suppliers that BT could piggy back in my area from, so they couldn’t offer that solution.

Unable to use the EE(/BT) network in your location? Or there isn't a 4G signal from any network in your location?

I believe the BT 4G Assure dongle is the same as a Huawei MS2372h, in which case you should be able to swap the SIM card (requires opening the case) to another network and still use the SmartHub2 to handle fall-over.
Alternatively you could try a Huawei MS2372h.

I would be looking to keep my existing Router (which manages DHCP, also on a small UPS) but get an additional 4G router or device which can sit on the network redundant until required, and when it detects no wired WAN connection, it kicks in the 4G automatically and feeds that into the network.

Does the SmartHub2 support multiple WAN's, other than USB 4G, for fall-over?
From what i know it doesn't, so you'll need to change it to something that can handle fall-over to another WAN if you want to implement the above.

Personally, it'd be easier to replace it with a AIO solution like a Draytek V2862LAC.

...UniFi LTE Pro...

Can this be used independently as a 4G modem/bridge or does it require a USG (etc)?
 
Soldato
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Deep dark hole
Most of the 4G desktop modems have pass-through, so you plug your incoming modem into the 4G one then 4G to router, and they handle the fail-over
You do need separate modem and router for this to work though
 
Soldato
OP
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Unable to use the EE(/BT) network in your location? Or there isn't a 4G signal from any network in your location?

I believe the BT 4G Assure dongle is the same as a Huawei MS2372h, in which case you should be able to swap the SIM card (requires opening the case) to another network and still use the SmartHub2 to handle fall-over.
Alternatively you could try a Huawei MS2372h.



Does the SmartHub2 support multiple WAN's, other than USB 4G, for fall-over?
From what i know it doesn't, so you'll need to change it to something that can handle fall-over to another WAN if you want to implement the above.

Personally, it'd be easier to replace it with a AIO solution like a Draytek V2862LAC.



Can this be used independently as a 4G modem/bridge or does it require a USG (etc)?

So, the Huawei MS2372h device must be plugged in directly to the SH2, or can it sit anywhere on a network infrastructure device with USB connections?

Yes, we don't have any BT/EE signal here, much to my dismay.
 
Soldato
Joined
3 Jun 2005
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3,047
Location
The South
So, the Huawei MS2372h device must be plugged in directly to the SH2, or can it sit anywhere on a network infrastructure device with USB connections?

Yes, we don't have any BT/EE signal here, much to my dismay.

IIRC, the xDSL/"fibre"* SmartHub2 doesn't offer an additional WAN port (of any sort) so the only fall-over option is to a USB dongle which is physically attached to the unit (USB socket on the rear).
If you can find a cheap/secondhand BT 4G Assure or Huawei MS2372h (others may work but would require a bit of research) then it'd be worth trying as it would be the cheapest and easiest option.

Otherwise there's plenty of SMB/SME xDSL routers than support fall-over to 4G/4G USB dongle/Ethernet WAN that you could replace the SmartHub2 with.

* To confuse things, there was a FTTP variant of SmartHub2 which offered an Ethernet WAN port.
 
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