* After some testing our authors give this concept a big thumbs-sideways
In the last newsletter we discussed some of the initial results from the testing Steve and Joanie have been doing for the WAN newsletter using cable and DSL access with routers that have dual WAN interfaces. On the surface, it sounded like a cool idea. But as the applications get more complex, so do the issues.
In the last newsletter we discussed some of the initial results from the testing Steve and Joanie have been doing for the WAN newsletter using cable and DSL access with routers that have dual WAN interfaces. On the surface, it sounded like a cool idea. But as the applications get more complex, so do the issues.
VoIP has particular issues in some cases because instead of calls always originating from a single IP address, the calls might originate from either of two IP addresses, especially if the service providers are using DHCP. (Not a bad assumption.) Performance of applications like Skype seemed to work OK. In fact, we made several calls using the Skype-to-PSTN version with the router in load-balancing mode with no glitches.
Messaging applications – AOL Instant Messenger to be exact – was a totally different story. With the routers in load-balancing mode, connecting to the service was iffy at best. (This was also confirmed by some other readers who had experienced similar problems with other brands of routers.) With the installation of the dual-WAN router – at least the one that we tested – we also lost our SIP capabilities.
So at this point we’re giving the concept a big thumbs-sideways. The concept is still intriguing. The performance gets a six out of 10 due to application problems. But the provider of the equipment – which will unfortunately remain nameless – gets a thumbs-down. After informing them of the problems with AIM and another application, we were sent a new software download. The next day – which happened to be a month ago to the day – we told them we were still having problems. And we were promised a phone call the next day. They were reminded over a week ago. And our phone still hasn’t rung.
In the meantime, it’s back to a traditional router and testing some new SIP-enabling gear. We’ll keep you informed as to how that goes.
