Within Network Center is the Internet tab, which will allow the configuration of the network interfaces.

In order to access the network settings, simply click on Network Center. Synology utilizes their SRM software which provides a easy to use GUI for configuration. Setup for other dual WAN routers should be similar with the exception of a different router interface.įirst, login to the router’s configuration interface. Here’s a look at the steps required to setup dual WAN functionality on the Synology RT2600ac. Load Balancing: Load balancing is where the secondary WAN connection is used in addition to the primary WAN connection to help balance the load. When using dual WAN, there are generally two options as to how the second WAN connection is used.įailover: Failover is where the secondary WAN connection is used only when the primary WAN connection fails.

However, most other dual WAN routers will function in a similar way.īefore setting up dual WAN functionality, it’s important to define what a router can and can’t do with a dual WAN connection. Today we’ll be using the Synology RT2600ac which we recently reviewed. Setting up a dual WAN network requires a router which supports dual WAN functionality. However, as the cost of having more than two WAN connections does stack up with little additional gains in network uptime, we’ll be sticking to dual WAN for this article. This is where a dual or multi WAN router is necessary. While it does require the purchase of multiple internet connections, this is a much cheaper alternative compared to 100% SLA backed internet connections. Another option is to go with two cheaper residential or business ISPs and using them together. However at a cost upwards of $1,000/mo, this isn’t an option for many homeowners and small businesses.

One option to mitigate any potential downtime is purchasing internet such as T1 which features 100% uptime SLA (Service Level Agreement). As more and more services are running on the internet, everything from voice communications, credit card transactions, and security systems now require the internet to function, which means even a minute of downtime could cost thousands of dollars. Some router manufacturers also make multi WAN routers which will support more than two WAN connections.įor many homeowners and businesses, having 100% internet uptime is more of a necessity than a luxury. As its name implies, a dual WAN router is a router which supports two WAN (Wide Area Network) connections rather than just one which is typical of most consumer routers.

Synology router setup