Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    2 ISP to 2 WANs and make 2 LANs

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Routing and Multi WAN
    26 Posts 6 Posters 1.9k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • jahonixJ
      jahonix
      last edited by

      With a 3-port APU you're missing at least one physical interface.
      Without a managed switch you will not be able to use VLANs and configure another subnet for your apartment. No way of doing so.

      @Modesty:

      Faile safe is nice but bundling bandwidth and 2 separeye lans is my imediate needs

      Failsafe?
      You are aware that two WANs 'bundled' will NOT get you the sum of both connection speeds, aren't you?
      2x 1Mbps will always be 2x 1Mbps and not 1x 2Mbps. Has nothing to do with pfSense, that's a basic TCP/IP limitation.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S
        supermon
        last edited by

        Hello There, I'm also new to this forum. It depends on how complex you want your setup to be. You can go with VLANs but this can get over complicated if you just require simple segmentation. I suggest you go with getting an extra NIC.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • M
          Modesty
          last edited by

          If ican't add speed from WAN 1 + WAN2 i have been played by a youtuber, HA HA :-)

          He did this arithmetic and showed before after speed on speedtest.net

          To really be sure, if i have2 WANS from different ISPs. It is not possible to increase the speed due to native TCP/IP operation?

          Is there any way to do this wan1+wan2->LAN1?

          So maybe the conclusion is that 2 WANs gives me "only" redundancy and fail safe operation, nothing more?

          By the way, my APU has 3 NICs and no more space to add a NIC.

          M

          Everything can be rebuilt!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • jahonixJ
            jahonix
            last edited by

            Your PC opens a connection to a web server through one of the WANs, be it downloading a web site for viewing, streaming some media, getting a file, whatever. To the same server it will not (aka never) use your second WAN. However, simultaneously downloading from server A via WAN A and downloading something different from server B through WAN B will use both WANs and the total speed you see is its sum.

            What does not work (with both WANs being 2Mbps for example) is streaming a live video with a 4Mbit rate.
            Of course you can download the latest pfSense ISO with 2Mbit through one of your WANs and Windows updates with another 2Mbit through the other WAN simultaneously. That's how load-balancing works.

            What some random people show on YT is oftentimes highly questionable.

            @Modesty:

            So maybe the conclusion is that 2 WANs gives me "only" redundancy and fail safe operation, nothing more?

            Did you actually read (and understand) what I wrote or earlier?
            You can load-balance with two or more WANs. OR you could use fail-over. Depends on what you want.

            Edit:
            But all of this still leaves you with one NIC short for your apartment. Get a managed switch for that and you're fine. I prefer Cisco SG300-10 for such tasks. Grab 'em cheap on eBay or such while you still can, they are end-of-sale and the successors SG350 are pricier (but will not do your job any better).

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • M
              Modesty
              last edited by

              Hi all

              I did now understand it, no bandwidth bundling. Thanks for all info.

              I have connected it and now i have a fail over config. WAN1 +2 -> LAN, if one wan goes down the other take over.

              On wan1 i have speed 250/20 on wan2 i have speed 250/250.
              My box is chosing wan1 by default (slowest one).

              Can i configure PF sense to choose wan2 by defalut without changing physical NIC?

              Everything can be rebuilt!

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • jahonixJ
                jahonix
                last edited by

                Reverse order?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • M
                  Modesty
                  last edited by

                  @jahonix:

                  Reverse order?

                  Thanks jahonix

                  Reverse…? not sure... If I unplug both RJ45 and change order it works with todays setup, if I do this all pfsense config on WAN1-2 is wrong.

                  I was hoping to config priority in pfsense to:
                  WAN2 -> pri1
                  WAN1 -> pri2

                  If something fail on WAN2 WAN1 kicks in (fail safe).

                  (of course, i will set up load balancing, but first i will set up priority and fail safe)

                  Thanks

                  Everything can be rebuilt!

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • jahonixJ
                    jahonix
                    last edited by

                    @https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Multi-WAN:

                    Weight
                    By default all WANs on the same tier are considered equal when doing load balancing. If the WANs are different speeds, the weight parameter allows the system to give some bias toward a faster link. If one is a 50Mbit line and another is a 10Mbit line, sharing them equally is not desirable as it would often leave the 50Mbit line underloaded and the 10Mbit line overloaded. The 50MBit line can be given a weight of 5 so that there is a 5:1 ratio of usage to prefer the faster WAN.

                    https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Troubleshoot_Outbound_Load_Balancing_Issues

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • S
                      supermon
                      last edited by

                      From what I've experienced so far, you can chose which GW you want as default, but when you have your gateway groups setup / failover and the system switches to the fallback WAN, it doesn't automatically switch back to the default GW and it stays there until somehow triggered back by the FB mechanism. This is probably how the Round Robin works in PFS. It behaves similar to a Dell's Sonicwall in terms of interface priority switching and source and destination IP binding. Probably you can tweak the probing and weight of the gateways to ensure that the one which has the faster connection remains as the default.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        Modesty
                        last edited by

                        Hi.

                        I have not managed to make a WLAN split 1 wan -> 2 WLANS. 1 apartemen +1 house

                        My setup:
                        wan1+wan2 -> 2 NICS in pfsense  box, NIC 3 to-> manages switch (Ubiquiti thoug switch) - 3 AP Ubiquiti

                        the 3 APS setup is 2 pcs for house 2 pcs for apartment use

                        My pfsens has max 3 NICs so it is full by today.

                        Can anybody help me find a guide/video thats step by step guides me thru the steps in pfsense?

                        And if possible some info if i also do need to setup my switch.

                        Thanks up front!

                        Everything can be rebuilt!

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • jahonixJ
                          jahonix
                          last edited by

                          @Modesty:

                          the 3 APS setup is 2 pcs for house 2 pcs for apartment use

                          what?

                          @Modesty:

                          And if possible some info if i also do need to setup my switch.

                          This is a necessity when using VLANs.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • R
                            Ryu945
                            last edited by

                            @Modesty:

                            If ican't add speed from WAN 1 + WAN2 i have been played by a youtuber, HA HA :-)

                            He did this arithmetic and showed before after speed on speedtest.net

                            To really be sure, if i have2 WANS from different ISPs. It is not possible to increase the speed due to native TCP/IP operation?

                            Is there any way to do this wan1+wan2->LAN1?

                            So maybe the conclusion is that 2 WANs gives me "only" redundancy and fail safe operation, nothing more?

                            By the way, my APU has 3 NICs and no more space to add a NIC.

                            M

                            From my understanding.  Two WANs allows you to be at full speed on one connection while the activity of someone else is on the other WAN.  Essentially, acts exactly the same as having twice the internet speed as long as no individual tries to go over 50%.    That is when your notice a difference.

                            There is a way to solve even this problem if your willing to spend money every month.

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqbnjgbtDl0

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • jahonixJ
                              jahonix
                              last edited by

                              @Ryu945:

                              Essentially, acts exactly the same as having twice the internet speed as long as no individual tries to go over 50%.

                              Well, you have to dring a lot of marketing water to describe it that way. Basically it's bullshit. But that was described above already.

                              @Ryu945:

                              There is a way to solve even this problem if your willing to spend money every month.

                              Additional money to your ISP bills! The black-box described in the video connects to a server in a datacenter which rejoins the packets into a single stream. This only works with near identical lines and goes haystack when one has significant more latency (due to more routing hops etc.) than the other.
                              To be somewhat useful you would have to find a provider who offers this in your area. That might be your first problem.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • M
                                Modesty
                                last edited by

                                @jahonix:

                                @Modesty:

                                the 3 APS setup is 2 pcs for house 2 pcs for apartment use

                                what?

                                Uncelar, hopfully better text:
                                My 3 access points is placed like this: 2 AP's in my house and one 1 AP in the flat

                                @jahonix:

                                @Modesty:

                                And if possible some info if i also do need to setup my switch.

                                This is a necessity when using VLANs.

                                Yes, i have understood that, my "simple" problem is that I don't know how to set up pfsense (I have tried but no luck) and also how to set this up in my router.

                                So I was hoping there was a guide somewhere on Internet :-)

                                Maybe one option is to share my computer in a Team View session and get some pro help, but i'm not shure if forum users do stuff like that, even if i pay… So i try a little bit more.

                                Everything can be rebuilt!

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • jahonixJ
                                  jahonix
                                  last edited by

                                  @Modesty:

                                  … I don't know how to set up pfsense ... and also how to set this up in my router.

                                  Usually pfSense IS your router. You mean your switch, don't you?

                                  @Modesty:

                                  Maybe one option is to share my computer in a Team View session and get some pro help, …

                                  That could be complicated because you can easily shoot yourself in the foot and have no access to the equipment anymore, especially when configuring a switch and VLANs.

                                  Your switch and APs are: "manages switch (Ubiquiti thoug switch) - 3 AP Ubiquiti"
                                  I have absolutely no experience with Ubiquiti gear so I won't be the one to configure it for.
                                  Maybe someone else here (perhaps post something in the "Bounty" section of this forum) or pfSense Commercial Support?

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • R
                                    Ryu945
                                    last edited by

                                    @jahonix:

                                    @Ryu945:

                                    Essentially, acts exactly the same as having twice the internet speed as long as no individual tries to go over 50%.

                                    Well, you have to dring a lot of marketing water to describe it that way. Basically it's bullshit. But that was described above already.

                                    Is there an implementation issue with two WANs servicing a bunch of smaller request?

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • jahonixJ
                                      jahonix
                                      last edited by

                                      2x 10Mbps will stay 2x 10Mbps. You won't be able to receive a single stream with 20Mbps. With the one exception of an additional service as mentioned above in the YT video.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • R
                                        Ryu945
                                        last edited by

                                        @jahonix:

                                        2x 10Mbps will stay 2x 10Mbps. You won't be able to receive a single stream with 20Mbps. With the one exception of an additional service as mentioned above in the YT video.

                                        I said that.  What it sounded like you were implying is that if you had four people pulling 5 mb/s on a duel 10 mb/s connection.  It is somehow faster for that same load to be on a single 20 mb/s connection.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • M
                                          Modesty
                                          last edited by

                                          My nettwork pr today in attachment.

                                          Same question, how to split my nett in 2 separete nets (WLAN)

                                          M

                                          PFSENSE2.png_thumb
                                          PFSENSE2.png

                                          Everything can be rebuilt!

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • M
                                            Modesty
                                            last edited by

                                            Hi

                                            i follwed a guide and ended with setup as in printscreens.

                                            VLAN_5 has DHCP 192.168.5.0/24

                                            I can log on to VLAN_5 and reach all internal resources. The problem now is that I can not reach any internet resources (WAN) side.

                                            I hope that anyone of you can take a look at my screenshots and give me tips to solve this.

                                            Pic 7-9 is my unify+switch, im not shure if this setup is correct, but as mentioned, i can connect wireless to VLAN_5, and i get IP from VLAN_5 DHCP server

                                            PIC 7+8 mu UniFy setup regarding VLAN_5

                                            Pic 9 My switch config. I struggle tu inderstand tags (TUE) and trunk ports. This is not PF sense case, but part of my trouble.

                                            Thanks!

                                            1.vlans.png
                                            1.vlans.png_thumb
                                            ![2.interfaces network port.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/2.interfaces network port.png)
                                            ![2.interfaces network port.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/2.interfaces network port.png_thumb)
                                            ![3.DHCP VLAN_5.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/3.DHCP VLAN_5.png)
                                            ![3.DHCP VLAN_5.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/3.DHCP VLAN_5.png_thumb)
                                            4.FirewalRules.png
                                            4.FirewalRules.png_thumb
                                            ![5.interfaces status VLAN_5.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/5.interfaces status VLAN_5.png_thumb)
                                            ![6.No internet vlan_5.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/6.No internet vlan_5.png)
                                            ![6.No internet vlan_5.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/6.No internet vlan_5.png_thumb)
                                            ![7.Ubiguiti VLAN_5 setup.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/7.Ubiguiti VLAN_5 setup.png)
                                            ![7.Ubiguiti VLAN_5 setup.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/7.Ubiguiti VLAN_5 setup.png_thumb)
                                            ![8.Ubiguiti wireless setup.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/8.Ubiguiti wireless setup.png)
                                            ![8.Ubiguiti wireless setup.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/8.Ubiguiti wireless setup.png_thumb)
                                            ![9.Ubiguiti switch vlan_5.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/9.Ubiguiti switch vlan_5.png)
                                            ![9.Ubiguiti switch vlan_5.png_thumb](/public/imported_attachments/1/9.Ubiguiti switch vlan_5.png_thumb)
                                            ![5.interfaces status VLAN_5.png](/public/imported_attachments/1/5.interfaces status VLAN_5.png)

                                            Everything can be rebuilt!

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.