I do not have expertise with auto failover. I am running a small wireless wifi network onboard a sailing yacht and am using GPS NMEA 0183 data over IP using the built in GPS receiver combined with freeware chart plotter software. Already figuered out how NMEA data output to IP can be used without the need to push to an HTML server…
There are only a few wifi clients that actually need to connect the internet via the wifi. I want to use a Groove-A52Hpn routerboard as primary public internet bridge in my home harbour. When I am out of reach of the harbour wifi signals I want to switch over to internet via 4G LTE. I am trying to figure out how to set it up for automatic failover if our primary internet via the Groove-A goes down. I need to configure failover from ethernet WAN to the internal LTE modem
Hardware:
1x Groove A-52HPn Mode CPE/Router connected to the public internet (to be installed on 10 meters hight in the mast of a sailing yacht)
1x LtAP LTE6 kit Mode WISP AP/Bridge AND an LTE1 Profile provider KPN internet (to be installed in the electrical system room)
both Mikrotik devices are powered via PoE using a managed switch 24V PoE on port 1&2 Question:
Is it possible to configure internet failover from the ethernet as WAN Groove-A to the LTE1 WAN interface in the LtAP Routerboard?
What mode do I have to set in both devices? What is the best and easiast way to make failover possible?
Thanks for the info. As a beginner I understand I have to create two routes in the LtAP. One via LTE provider and the other via eth1. The distance and rules make it possible to switch from ETH1 (primary WAN) to LTE (secundairy WAN). But as the LtAP can also provide GPS signals via remote-acces over IP this NMEA 0183 data need to be available at all times on both the WLAN1 connected PC’s and ETH1 connected PC’s. With the same IP service port connection. Freeware OpenCPN plotter software for example is able to configure multiple IP connections. So it is does not matter when the serial NMEA GPS signals come from the remote-connection via ETH1 or WLAN1. As long as it is available on either one of them.
OpenCPN can handle multiple ports to connect to…
This is an actual situation onboard a sailing yacht:
Groove-A in CPE / Brdige has wireless connection to the public internet (hotspot or AP on the shore) and ETH1 is connected on a switch. ETH1 from the LtAP kit is also connected to the same switch. PC’s and other devices onboard sailing yacht are either connected via ETH1 (on the same switch) or via WLAN1 on the LtAP.
The scenario I am looking for is primary internet via Groove-A if no connection to the internet available then use LTE modem in the LtAP. In all situations the clients (via ETH or WLAN connected) need the NMEA data available, internet or not.
Can this be configured.at all? Or can’t this be done because there is only one physical ETH1 port in the LtAP? Remember I am a MikroTik basic beginner.
How is the NMEA data sent, is it just sent from the GPS or does the chartplotter reply to confirm receipt? If it need to reply then you need a specific route to the IP address of the NMEA source. The separate and more specific route will still remain in effect when the the general Internet route changes between LTE or Wireless.
For your internal device, like the chart plotter, which of the two Mikrotik devices is their own default gateway?
Ideally a diagram with addresses shown would be helpful. However to give an example of what I mean, our main router is an RB4011, it has two Internet routes one to a separate LTE router and one to a separate ADSL router. However in addition to these it also has local routes to the two routers as well, so even if Internet is running over LTE I can still access the ADSL router for management, or vice versa. And I could for example hard code a specific route on the Internet to only use one of these two routers and not to fail over.
NMEA 0183 data is polled from the GPS module over IP via remote-access the application is OpenCPN
/system gps set port=serial1 channel=0 enabled=yes
/port remote-access add port=serial0 protocol=rfc2217 tcp-port=10000
See the the NMEA debug running https://www.wifiaanboord.nl/video/GPS_Mikrotik_debug.mp4
This works fine on the LtAP ip… 192.168.88.1:1000 where ETH1 and WLAN1 are in bridge modus.
The default gateway and DHCP should be the LtAP router .
We want to expand the network with a Groove-A52HPn as primary WAN connection. And did this by means of a non managed POE switch on the ETH1 from the LtAP.
We thought we could create a primary WAN internet connection via the Groove-A and failover via LTE.
I guess it will be absolute necessary to add an extra POE routerboard with WLAN inbetween the LtAP van Groove-A and turn the wifi off in the LtAP.
Hope you understand what we try to establish.
OK I’m getting the idea a bit better. So your NMEA data is sourced on 192.168.88.1:1000. That route isn’t going to be disturbed by re-routing Internet access via another device. What I think I’d try as a start is ..
Keep the LtAP as your central router, default gateway etc
Change the LTE route to a distance of at least 2. That’s set in the LTE APN definition
Configure the new device on a different host address on the same subnet, say 192.168.88.2, disable DHCP on it of course
Configure the new device to access Internet via WiFi hotspots etc
Then the failover configuration. This would be applied on the LtAP, set it to test for one or more remote hosts via the Groove on 192.168.88.2 as their next hop. Add a default route with distance=1 via the remote host.
Now the LtAP will check for Internet via the Groove and use this in preference to the LTE. If it’s not available then the LTE route will be used. None of this will affect the route to the NMEA source.
If it’s configured correctly it will work for both. This is how I think it should work …
Your wireless devices connect wirelessly to the LtAP on its wireless, their default gateway is the LtAP 192.168.88.1.
Same for anything on Ethernet, it gets its IP address from the LtAP and again default gateway is the LtAP 192.168.88.1.
LtAP is the decision maker and its routing table determines which Internet connection is used, and even when it’s using the Groove to get Internet via an onshore service, your ship’s wireless devices will stay connected to the LtAP wireless. The Groove wireless purely used to link ship to shore.
You’ll need to consider some details about where NAT and/or firewall is configured, my suggestion would be the NAT/Firewall needs to be enabled on the LtAP for LTE only, then it will also be enabled on the Groove for its Internet connection.
I run something vaguely similar at home, except that both my main (LTE) and backup (ADSL) connections are handled by separate devices. Everything connects to my main router either wirelessly or hard wired, and the main router decides whether to use LTE or ADSL.
Yes, with proper additional routes and Mangle for chain input & output you can reach that LtAP from lte1 and eth1 site at the same time.
From local site WLAN1 of course always you can connect.
