Software to manage failsafe broadband???

cgarrad

Does anyone know of a piece of software that will automatically start using a 3G usb stick modem when my main UPC broadband connection looses connectivity?

Ideally want a software solution, I know there are routers available :rolleyes:

johnmacward

I thought it would automatically route over, at least after a refresh.

cgarrad

May do but it need to go back once connection has been reestablished on my main broadband.

All fully autonomously as well.

Proving hard to find!

watty

1) You need a Router, really, though it's possible on Windows and Linux
2) You lose ALL sessions / connections as 3G is really a kind of fast dialup
3) If you have Linux or an OpenWRT based router it's easy to swap back automatically to UPC.

Many (most?) decent routers with USB host for 3G/HSPxA modem have ethernet wan also so can connect to cable Modem. (If you have DSL Modem/Router or UPC Modem/Router / WiFi, disable the WiFi and put the Router/Modem in Bridge mode). If it's not supported by OpenWRT ensure the manufacturer's supplied Firmware supports automatic change over.

cgarrad

The problem I have is that if the UPC connection goes down I want to have my local machine failover to 3G and the rest of the network have nothing.

Otherwise several computers have internet access through the 3G modem attached to the router, which is not good;-)

Thats why Im looking for a software solution

Sorry for the late clarification.

watty

Since you will lose EVERY connection and Session, why automatic?

Have a browse here
http://www.netmon.org/tools.htm

I know roughly how to write a program to do this on XP . It can scripted on Linux.

The SW needs to ping someplace as your local ethernet is OK and it's the WAN interface of Router that drops. Possibly ping your own Public IP on UPC. When ping fails you launch the dialer shortcut (there is one) and change the default gateway from IP of Router to whatever the 3G uses, and when ping returns you kill 3G connection and change default gateway back to Router IP (Because the Public IP of your router will be "pingable" from a 3G connection). Assumes 3G modem is on the local PC.

That's the theory.

Sponge Bob

You can set a static route priority in windows but as the dongle dials up it is a bit of a bitch to activate and probably needs to be activated in a batch file that detects a dead ping first and then resets the static route WHILE continuallly checking for UPC to come up and then resetting the static route back to the now functioning UPC connection and dropping the dialup and resuming pinging.

Fun. I ain't gonna write it for ya and that is for sure

watty

That's kind of what I was thinking. But you can write a Windows Service that starts automatically, even in VB6! A batch file (ending in .cmd preferred to .bat) can be in your startup folder of course. But you only need to change the gateway for the route

Sponge Bob

watty wrote: »

That's kind of what I was thinking. But you can write a Windows Service that starts automatically, even in VB6! A batch file (ending in .cmd preferred to .bat) can be in your startup folder of course. But you only need to change the gateway for the route

Thought that run as a service applied to .exe files, I use the task scheduler and run the .bat all the time

watty

task scheduler + .bat or .cmd is one way...

.bat is for DOS compatibility, .cmd allows more scripting as well as all .bat

"run as service" is a bad idea. .exe's should be written and installed as a service. There is a free official MS VB6 OCX to do this for VB6 users. And API for C / C++. No doubt some solution for .net also

cgarrad

No worries on not writing it ;-)

Anyway, I dont mind loosing the session as the software will pick up were it left off once connection to the net has been reestablished.

I have been using bat files for auto restart but what I need is a bit out of my league.

Might try rent a coder.

I would of thought people with unreliable connections would have this in the bag by now though??

watty

They use a router.

Also they might use Metro + UPC or UPC + DSL or DSL + Metro. Not 3G as it may not connect.


Or at bigger level 100Mbps to 1Gbps Microwave point to point back up for fibre.


You can add a 2nd router with 3G dongle that only YOU connect to, that connects you to the rest of the network and has a Daemon on OpenWRT that does all the above.