Backup Internet & Failover
Plan for a primary internet outage.
Cellular LTE/5G, fixed wireless, and SD-WAN failover — designed around what your business actually cannot afford to lose, and sourced across available supplier options.
The Risk
Why a single internet connection is a business risk.
Downtime has a real dollar cost
List the work that depends on each connection and the alternatives available during an outage. Estimate the impact on payments, calls, cloud tools and staff time, then compare that exposure with the full cost of a backup design.
One connection is one point of failure
A single internet circuit — regardless of how good the SLA looks — is a single path that can fail for reasons outside the carrier's control: street work, building network room issues, hardware failure. One path means one risk.
Auto-failover is harder than it sounds
A second connection only helps if traffic actually moves to it when the primary fails — automatically, fast, and without staff intervention at 2 a.m. Getting that right requires the right hardware and configuration, not just a second SIM card.
Matching backup to what you can't lose
Not everything needs full-speed failover. Payment terminals need very little bandwidth; a VoIP system needs low latency; a busy warehouse operation needs something different from a small office. Failover design should match what matters, not treat every site the same.
What We Arrange
Failover solutions matched to your sites and risk profile.
Cellular LTE/5G failover
For cellular backup, ask the supplier to confirm indoor signal, equipment availability, installation requirements, data limits and activation timing at each site. Check which infrastructure and power dependencies it shares with the primary service. Agree how traffic should transfer, then test the proposed configuration with your critical applications.
Fixed wireless backup
For fixed wireless, confirm address availability, any antenna or roof-access requirements, installation permissions and the offered service level. Ask the supplier to explain shared backhaul and power dependencies. Compare committed capacity and performance requirements against the actual proposal rather than assuming wireless means a fully independent path.
SD-WAN with automatic failover
When comparing SD-WAN options, ask how the proposed platform detects a failed or degraded connection, prioritizes critical traffic and returns to the primary path. Confirm the required licences, equipment and managed-service responsibilities. Test the agreed policies at each site before relying on them.
Multi-path routing
Compare designs that use multiple links concurrently with designs that reserve a standby link. Ask whether individual applications can use both paths and what happens to existing calls, payment sessions and VPN connections during a failure. Do not assume simultaneous links guarantee uninterrupted sessions or combine their speeds for every application.
When to Call
Four signals that failover is overdue.
You have had an outage that cost you
If you can measure what a recent outage cost in lost sales, staff downtime, or customer friction, you already have the business case. The question is just whether a backup link costs less.
You process payments over internet
Ask your payment provider which transactions can continue offline or through an alternative connection. Include terminal reconnection and transaction handling in the test plan.
Your phones run over internet
Desk phones using a failed office connection may lose connectivity even when the cloud phone service is still operating. Review alternative calling paths, forwarding and power requirements with the provider, then include calls in your failover test.
You're opening a new location
A new site is the right moment to design connectivity with failover built in from the start, rather than adding it after an outage teaches you the lesson.
How the Desk Works
Failover design, not just a second SIM.
We source backup connectivity options across available supplier channels through authorized upstream partner relationships. That means we compare cellular carriers, fixed wireless options, and SD-WAN platforms for your address — rather than defaulting to whatever one vendor is pitching.
Good failover design starts with understanding what your business actually cannot afford to lose — payment terminals, VoIP, warehouse systems — and works backwards to the right technology, bandwidth, and configuration. Once you order, we coordinate hardware, provisioning, and testing through one desk. When you order through us, the supplier pays us a commission — we do not add a separate procurement fee.
If you are reviewing your full connectivity setup, the business internet page covers primary connections including fiber and dedicated internet access.
Before You Order
Agree the failover test before choosing the backup.
- Record critical applications, acceptable interruption and the person who signs off each test.
- Ask suppliers to identify shared building entry, backhaul, equipment and power dependencies.
- Confirm backup capacity, data allowances, overage charges and which traffic receives priority.
- Test a failed primary connection and a degraded link, then check calls, payments and VPN sessions.
- Test restoration to the primary path and agree who monitors, supports and retests the setup.
FAQ
Straight answers on backup internet.
Review your backup internet options.
Tell us about your sites and what happens when the internet goes down. An advisor will review your request and respond within one business day to agree on the next step. Availability and options need supplier confirmation.