What is the best setup for a backup Internet connection

Hi Guys,
I have two Internet connections, so far when one goes down I just manually switch to the second one, but I would like to have an automatic way to switch, so that I don't have to be there when it happens.

So the question is:
What is the best way/configuration to have the backup Internet connection come up when the primary goes down?

Thanks in advance.
cargexAsked:
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Lee W, MVPTechnology and Business Process AdvisorCommented:
You need a dual WAN router.  They're fairly inexpensive.  Just google dual wan router and pick your preferred brand

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masnrockCommented:
There are several variables in this. But to start with, what type of connection do you have now? And what type of firewall are you using?
unrealized92Commented:
Grab a router with 2 WAN connections - I personally recommend Cisco Meraki MX series for this - we have it deployed in hundreds of client locations for this dual wan setup - it will even alert you whenever a failover occurs. Takes less than 5 minutes to configure :)
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cargexAuthor Commented:
Hi Guys, you are right I got to give you a little bit more of information.

The two Internet connections are: Fiber and Coax.

I have inherited a couple of barracuda X400 firewalls, not my choice but they are there, one of these firewalls is currently in production environment, using the Fiber.

Ideally these firewalls need to be configure to avoid the dreaded single point of failure.

So I'm thinking in configuring the second firewall to connect the Coax.

Is this a good idea?
Is there another configuration that should be best suited for this situation?

Also I'm curious about this "dual  wan" router, that sounds like another single point of failure, am I wrong?
unrealized92Commented:
Contact barracuda - they should be able to guide you through the failover setup on the x400's.  It's definitely possible with their solution.
cargexAuthor Commented:
Hi Guys,
I just talked to Barracuda, and they tell me that unless the main link is seen as down by the firewall, it has no way of knowing whether the next hop is actually reachable; so, the main link is going to appear to be "up" unless the very next hop is down.

In summary, the failover they are offering is not what I need.

What I need is to be connected to the Internet at all times, it doesn't matter to me if the main link fails in the 3rd hop, or the 4th hop, it's all the same to me, it failed.

Is this Cisco Meraki MX router able to detect that a link is down without regard to at which point (hop) it is down?
masnrockCommented:
Not sure about Merakis, but setting up dual WAN connections for failover on Sonicwalls is quite easy and takes like 2 minutes to do once you know what you're doing.
cargexAuthor Commented:
Thank you very much guys, your help is greatly appreciated.
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