In today’s connected world, ensuring reliable and efficient internet connectivity is more important than ever. Many businesses rely on multiple WAN connections to achieve better bandwidth, redundancy, and failover capabilities. Cisco Meraki’s cloud-managed network appliances make configuring WAN load balancing and failover straightforward, thanks to their intuitive GUI. Whether you’re a network admin or a tech-savvy small business owner, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.
What is WAN Load Balancing and Failover?
Before diving into the setup, it’s helpful to understand what these terms mean:
- WAN Load Balancing: Distributing network traffic across multiple internet connections to optimize bandwidth usage and improve performance.
- Failover: Automatically switching network traffic to a backup internet connection if the primary one fails, minimizing downtime.
Prerequisites
Make sure you have the following before you start:
- A Meraki MX security appliance or a similar device with at least two WAN interfaces.
- Multiple active ISP connections plugged into your MX device’s WAN ports.
- Admin access to the Meraki Dashboard.
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
1. Log into the Meraki Dashboard
Head over to dashboard.meraki.com and log in with your administrator credentials. Select the network where you want to configure the WAN settings.
2. Navigate to the Security & SD-WAN Settings
From the left-hand side menu, select:
Security & SD-WAN > Configure > WAN
This page shows your current WAN interfaces and their statuses.
3. Confirm Your WAN Connections
Under the Uplinks section, ensure your primary and secondary WAN interfaces are listed (e.g., WAN1, WAN2). Each WAN interface should show the IP address assigned by your ISP and its current status.
4. Enable WAN Load Balancing
Scroll down to the Traffic Shaping and WAN load balancing section. Find the option:
Use dual WAN uplinks: Enabled
Check this box to enable load balancing between the WAN interfaces.
5. Configure Load Balancing Rules (Optional)
For more granular control, Meraki lets you specify how traffic is balanced:
- Per Traffic Type: Assign specific applications or traffic types to prefer one WAN link.
- Percentage Based: Define what percentage of traffic should go over each WAN connection.
This flexibility helps optimize your bandwidth and control transit costs.
6. Set Up Automatic Failover
By default, Meraki MX devices perform automatic failover between WAN interfaces when a link goes down.
In the Uplinks section:
- Ensure Monitoring is enabled for each WAN interface. This lets the Meraki appliance detect outages by pinging configured IPs (often default gateways).
- You can customize the Monitoring IPs to improve failover accuracy—for example, using public DNS servers like 8.8.8.8 or your ISP’s gateway.
7. Apply the Settings
Once you’ve configured load balancing and failover preferences, scroll down and click Save changes.
Verifying WAN Load Balancing & Failover Status
After applying changes, monitor the WAN interfaces on the same WAN page:
- You should see active traffic on both WAN interfaces if load balancing is enabled.
- To test failover, unplug your primary WAN cable and watch as traffic seamlessly reroutes to the secondary connection.
- The Dashboard’s Uplink Status graph provides real-time visibility into bandwidth usage and uptime.
Tips for a Smooth Experience
- Keep Firmware Updated: Ensure your Meraki device firmware is current for the best performance and latest features.
- Plan Your IP Monitoring: Choose reliable, low-latency IP addresses for the failover monitoring to avoid false positives.
- Test Regularly: Conduct scheduled failover tests to verify your setup keeps your network online without interruption.
Conclusion
Implementing WAN load balancing and failover with Cisco Meraki is a powerful way to maximize your network’s reliability and throughput. The Meraki Dashboard’s graphical interface makes the setup process accessible — even if you’re managing complex environments. Following the steps above, you can strengthen your network against outages and make the most of your multiple internet connections.
Embrace WAN load balancing and failover to keep your business connected, agile, and ready for whatever the internet throws your way!
