I initially wrote this publish again in 2022, and it was trying very outdated. Moreover, over the previous couple of years, I’ve began working at an MSP offering IT help to firms that usually require dual-WAN routers for failover.
Since beginning that job, I migrated my whole community to Unifi, which our firm makes use of. I used to be at all times reluctant to maneuver to Unifi as a result of I hated all of the fanboyism round it, however I’ve to confess that working Unifi for your entire community does make life quite a bit simpler.
With us all so reliant on the Web, I feel twin WAN routers have change into more and more vital. In a enterprise, I’d regard them as important and for dwelling customers, I’d say they’re a clever funding if you happen to spend quite a lot of time on-line, and I’d argue important for anybody who works from dwelling.
For dwelling customers (and even companies), the very best resolution I’ve discovered is to make use of a second 5G router to supply a backup connection. You should purchase low cost information SIMs, that are ample for backup connections. I have a tendency to make use of pre-loaded Three information SIMs, which you’ll choose up on Amazon. I exploit a 500GB SIM, which you’ll choose up for simply £133 with information loaded till July 2028 (time of writing was April 2026).
Or, if you happen to don’t thoughts swapping the SIM out each few months, Lebara usually provides X months at a closely discounted fee. I exploit these for when reviewing telephones and usually get 6 months or so at £2 to £4 per thirty days, relying on information.
What’s a Twin WAN Router?
A twin WAN router has two or extra WAN-capable ports, permitting it to hook up with two separate web connections concurrently. These connections can be utilized in two distinct methods.
With load balancing, each WAN ports deal with visitors on the identical time, spreading the load throughout each connections. This will help in households or small companies the place a number of customers are hammering a single connection, and it might additionally mean you can pin particular gadgets or providers to a selected WAN.
With failover, the router screens the first WAN for connectivity and robotically switches to the secondary connection if it goes down. That is the extra frequent use case for dwelling and small enterprise customers. Many individuals run a fibre broadband main reference to a 4G/LTE USB dongle or SIM-based router as a backup, and a twin WAN router makes that seamless.
It’s price noting that some routers help each concurrently: you possibly can load steadiness below regular circumstances and have failover kick in if one connection drops solely.
For dwelling customers, an alternative choice to a twin WAN router could be a router with WAN and 5G or 4G/LTE connectivity. It’s principally the identical factor, however fairly than a WAN port, the failover is cellular connectivity. Some routers have twin WAN and cellular information help.
Greatest Twin WAN Routers with Load Balancing & Failover
1. Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max) – Prime Choose

Value: roughly £190.80 (NS mannequin with out NVMe). Obtainable from: Ubiquiti UK Retailer and Amazon | Full Evaluate on Mighty Gadget
The UCG-Max is my high suggestion for the overwhelming majority of individuals in search of a twin WAN router with a correct administration interface, with out eager to spend enterprise cash. I migrated my own residence community to this gadget, and it has been rock stable. I ran this with Virgin for a few years, and it additionally labored properly once I switched to CityFibre.
With Unifi, you’ve gotten a devoted WAN port, and you may then map any of the Ethernet ports as a WAN port, and you may run as much as 8 WANs if in case you have sufficient ports to help that. After I had points with Virgin, I ran this in multi-WAN mode with the Zyxel Nebula FWA510 5G Router offering a backup 5G connection, and it labored flawlessly.


It’s price noting that this lacks WiFi, it’s a router solely and needs to be paired with an entry level or mesh WiFi system. Personally, I feel if you’re in search of twin WAN routers, then your wants are in all probability superior sufficient to separate router and WiFi.
Past all that, this run full UniFi Community utility stack, which implies you get a sophisticated, genuinely succesful administration interface with deep visitors inspection, per-device and per-application QoS, VLAN help, IDS/IPS, and a correct VPN server inbuilt. Redundant WAN with failover and cargo balancing is included as normal, and the implementation is easy to configure, even if in case you have by no means used UniFi earlier than.
The {hardware} is compact, runs passively cooled, and sits in your desk with out drawing consideration to itself. The WAN port and all 4 LAN ports are 2.5 Gigabit, which implies it’ll comfortably deal with multi-gig broadband connections with no bottleneck. IDS/IPS throughput is rated at 1.5 Gbps. The NS (no storage) variant prices round £190.80; if you wish to add UniFi Shield for digital camera administration, you possibly can add an NVMe drive.
- Processor: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz
- RAM: 3 GB DDR4
- WAN ports: 1 x 2.5 GbE RJ45 (secondary through LAN port config)
- LAN ports: 4 x 2.5 GbE RJ45
- IDS/IPS: 1.5 Gbps
- Energy: USB-C 5V/5A (16.1W max)
- Cooling: Fanless
The one caveat price flagging: on PPPoE connections, significantly these requiring vital CPU overhead, comparable to some CityFibre configurations, throughput will be decrease than the headline determine. If you’re on a 2.5 Gbps synchronous connection over PPPoE, the UCG-Fiber beneath is a greater match.
2. Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber (UCG-Fiber) – Greatest for Multi-Gig PPPoE

Value: £264.00. Obtainable from: Ubiquiti UK Retailer
The UCG-Fiber is the choice to select if you’re on a multi-gigabit broadband connection and need to make full use of it, significantly over PPPoE. I’ve private expertise of this: I moved to Aquiss on CityFibre with a 2,500 Mbps line. Initially, I had points getting full velocity; it turned out to be a difficulty with the ONT, however many individuals declare the UCG-MAX can wrestle to get full speeds with all of the options enabled. Whereas the Max needs to be OK with a 2,500 Mbps line, I feel it’s price spending just a little further on this for the improved efficiency, plus you’ve gotten the choice to transcend 2,500 Mbps.
The problem with PPPoE is that it requires further processing. Unifi does have {hardware} offloading, however many individuals had points with earlier variations of the Max; nonetheless, this was later resolved with a firmware replace. The UCG-Fiber buys you extra wiggle room with a considerably improved chipset and 10GbE help, so you’ve gotten the choice to improve to 5Gbps Web, which is accessible on some CityFibre providers.
The port format is significantly extra beneficiant than the UCG-Max. You get a ten Gbps SFP+ WAN port, a ten GbE RJ45 WAN port, a ten Gbps SFP+ LAN port, 4 2.5 GbE LAN ports (considered one of which helps PoE+), and as much as six WAN connections when ports are reconfigured. IDS/IPS throughput is rated at 5 Gbps, greater than triple the UCG-Max.
The processor is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 at 2.2 GHz, which is a meaningfully quicker core than the A53 within the UCG-Max. Mixed with {hardware} offload, that is genuinely able to routing multi-gig visitors with out breaking a sweat.
- Processor: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 @ 2.2 GHz
- RAM: 3 GB DDR4
- WAN ports: 1 x 10G SFP+, 1 x 10 GbE RJ45 (default), as much as 6 WAN
- LAN ports: 4 x 2.5 GbE RJ45 (1 x PoE+/30W), 1 x 10G SFP+
- IDS/IPS: 5 Gbps
- Cooling: Energetic fan (In my expertise, that is basically silent)
The £264.00 value makes it solely round £70 greater than the UCG-Max, which is a exceptional worth for what you might be getting. If you’re on a gigabit or quicker connection and wish headroom for the longer term, I’d go straight to the UCG-Fiber fairly than the UCG-Max. The one trade-off is the small fan inside, which makes it much less appropriate for very quiet environments. If silence issues, the fanless UCG-Max is the higher choose for sub-gigabit connections.
3. GL.iNet Flint 3 (GL-BE9300) – Greatest All-Rounder for House Customers


Value: roughly £190 from Amazon. Obtainable from: Amazon UK | gl-inet.com | Full Evaluate on Mighty Gadget
GL.iNet GL-BE9300 (Flint 3) Tri-Band WiFi 7 Router, Excessive-Pace 6GHz Gaming WiFi Router for Wi-fi Web, Lengthy vary, 5 x 2.5G VPN Routers for Laptop Routers, House Streaming & Enterprise
- 【Speedy OpenVPN & Wireguard velocity】Wireguard VPN and OpenVPN speeds as much as 644Mbps and 142Mbps respectively, supplying you with full management over your gaming, steaming and dealing bandwidth. Precise velocity could differ relying on web service supplier, community surroundings, VPN server location, VPN service supplier, and many others.
- 【AdGuard House Supported】Enabling using a DNS server for blocking undesirable monitoring and provides a handy internet interface for filtering chosen digital ads. Customers can take full management of their on-line expertise and revel in a clutter-free searching surroundings with ease.
- 【Mass gadget connectivity】Expertise enhanced on-line connectivity with our greater storage capability, catering to over 100 gadgets and fulfilling the necessities of DIY customers in search of to put in further plugins. Get pleasure from steady and dependable connections, making certain seamless efficiency and accommodating a variety of digital wants.
- 【Simple Setup】Comply with the Preliminary Set-up video tutorial on Amazon or Join BE9300 to your pc through Ethernet cable to entry the net Admin Panel.
- 【MLO Expertise】Flint 3 represents the way forward for wi-fi know-how, delivering ultra-fast speeds, considerably diminished latency, and improved connectivity in high-density environments by means of cutting-edge improvements like Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO), enhanced OFDMA, 4K QAM, and preamble puncturing.
The GL.iNet Flint 3 is a shopper Wi-Fi 7 router that doubles as a succesful twin WAN gateway, and it’s the possibility I’d suggest to somebody who needs a single field that handles routing, wi-fi, VPN, and advert blocking while not having a separate controller or entry level.
I examined the Flint 3 personally as a part of troubleshooting my Aquiss 2.5 Gbps CityFibre connection, and got here away genuinely impressed. Additionally it is the highest Aquiss-recommended router for a 2.5 Gbps CityFibre connection.
It’s constructed on OpenWrt, which implies the characteristic set is deep: full WireGuard and OpenVPN help (as much as 644 Mbps WireGuard throughput), built-in AdGuard House for network-wide advert and tracker blocking, Tailscale integration, and twin WAN with failover. All 5 LAN/WAN ports are 2.5 Gigabit, which is uncommon at this value level.
The Wi-Fi 7 tri-band radio helps MLO (Multi-Hyperlink Operation), 6 GHz, and claims as much as 9,300 Mbps mixed throughput. In sensible phrases, this is likely one of the quickest shopper routers obtainable and it’s genuinely a well-rounded bundle.
- Wi-Fi normal: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), tri-band
- WAN ports: 1 x 2.5 GbE (twin WAN through port config)
- LAN ports: 4 x 2.5 GbE
- WireGuard VPN: as much as 644 Mbps
- Advert blocking: AdGuard House inbuilt
- VPN purchasers: WireGuard, OpenVPN, Tailscale, ZeroTier
It’s price being sincere concerning the limitations: the administration interface, whereas a lot improved, is just not as polished as UniFi, and it doesn’t have the enterprise characteristic depth of the UCG-Max. If you’re working VLANs throughout a big community or want severe IDS/IPS, the UniFi choices are higher selections. However for a house person who needs one field, good Wi-Fi 7, and correct twin WAN with a built-in adblocker, the Flint 3 is tough to beat at this value.
4. Netgear Nighthawk RS700S – Greatest Excessive-Finish Client Choice

Value: roughly £550 from Amazon. Obtainable from: Amazon UK | Full Evaluate on Mighty Gadget
NETGEAR WiFi 7 Router Nighthawk Tri-Band WiFi 7 (RS700S) – safety features, Wi-fi BE19000 velocity (as much as 19 Gbps) – 10gb Web port
- Unlock the following era of extremely interactive gaming, 4K/8K streaming, UHD video conferencing and AR/VR leisure with blazing quick WiFi 7 speeds as much as 19Gbps and decrease latency for real-time responsiveness
- Helps the brand new WiFi 7 normal – 2.4x quicker than WiFi 6, Totally backward appropriate with older WiFi gadgets
- Smooth new physique and high-performance antenna design leverages over 25 years of NETGEAR engineering experience for a considerably smaller footprint and as much as 3,500 sq. ft. of 360-degree WiFi protection
- 10 Gig web port unleashes the quickest obtain speeds of right this moment & tomorrow, Hook up with the most recent cable or fiber web service plan as much as 10Gbps
- 1 x 10 Gig and 4 x 1 Gig Ethernet LAN ports designed for ultra-fast wired connections
The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S was one of many first Wi-Fi 7 routers to ship commercially, and it stays probably the most succesful shopper routers obtainable. I reviewed it and located it to be the primary dwelling router I’ve used that might genuinely saturate a 2.5 Gbps LAN connection.
From a twin WAN perspective, a lot of Netgear’s higher-end Nighthawk routers help WAN aggregation through a devoted WAN port mixed with a secondary LAN port that may be repurposed for WAN. The RS700S has a ten Gigabit WAN port and helps WAN aggregation or failover relying on configuration. This makes it a powerful possibility for individuals on multi-gig connections who additionally need built-in Wi-Fi 7 with out constructing a separate AP infrastructure.
- Wi-Fi normal: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), tri-band
- Max wi-fi: 19 Gbps (mixed, theoretical)
- WAN port: 1 x 10G
- LAN ports: 1 x 10G, 4 x 1G
- WAN aggregation: Sure (devoted + secondary port)
- Protection: as much as 325 sq m
The caveat is the worth. £550 is quite a bit to spend on a router, and the RS700S doesn’t have the deep enterprise characteristic set of UniFi. If you’re spending this sort of cash and wish extra than simply Wi-Fi 7 and quick WAN, the UCG-Fiber plus a UniFi entry level would offer you extra long-term flexibility for the same finances.
Personally, I’d suggest the GL.iNet Flint 3 over this, however the Netgear remains to be wonderful.
5. TP-Hyperlink Omada ER605 – Greatest Finances Wired Choice
Value: roughly £55. Obtainable from: Amazon UK | omadanetworks.com
TP-Hyperlink ER605 Gigabit VPN Router, Enterprise Multi-WAN Wired Router, 5x Gigabit Ports, Safe VPN, Omada SDN Cloud Administration Gateway, Helps IPsec/PPTP/L2TP, As much as 20 Ipsec VPN Tunnels
- 5 Gigabit Ports and As much as 4 WAN Ports: 1 gigabit WAN port and three gigabit WAN/LAN ports with load steadiness increase the utilization fee of multi-line broadband, Excessive-speed wired connectivity
- Built-in into Omada SDN: Zero-Contact Provisioning (ZTP)**, Centralized Cloud Administration, and Clever Monitoring
- Centralized Administration: Cloud entry and Omada app for extremely comfort and simple administration
- Extremely Safe VPN: Helps as much as 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN*, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections
- Plentiful Safety Options: Superior firewall insurance policies, DoS protection,IP/MAC/URL filtering, and extra safety capabilities shield your community and information, with Life time guarantee
The ER605 is a wired-only multi-WAN VPN router that has been within the Omada lineup for a number of years and stays the standby suggestion for anybody who simply wants dependable multi-WAN at a minimal value. It has one devoted WAN port and 4 further ports that may every be configured as WAN, supplying you with as much as 5 simultaneous WAN connections.
For small companies or dwelling customers who have already got Wi-Fi sorted and simply want a correct WAN failover field in entrance of their community, the ER605 is tough to argue with at PS55. It integrates with the TP-Hyperlink Omada SDN controller, which gives centralised administration related in idea to UniFi, and it helps IPsec, L2TP, and OpenVPN. The throughput is proscribed to Gigabit WAN ports, so it isn’t appropriate for multi-gig connections, however for traditional 1 Gbps or beneath it performs properly.
The higher-spec ER7206 sits above it at round £135 and provides extra VPN tunnels (100 IPsec vs 20) and better VPN throughput (291 Mbps vs 42 Mbps) for many who want it.
6. Zyxel DX3301-T0 – Greatest for VDSL/ADSL with Twin WAN
Obtainable from: Broadband Purchaser and Amazon
A lot of the choices on this information assume you might be connecting two separate Ethernet-based broadband providers. The Zyxel DX3301-T0 covers a distinct state of affairs: built-in VDSL2/ADSL2+ modem mixed with a secondary WAN port, all wrapped in a Wi-Fi 6 router.
That is the choice to take a look at if you’re nonetheless on FTTC (fibre to the cupboard, the place the ultimate connection to your property is copper) and need to add a second WAN, comparable to a cable or Ethernet-based connection, as both load balancing or failover. It removes the necessity for a separate modem and helps the VDSL2 profile utilized by BT Openreach infrastructure, together with SUPERVECTORING 35b the place obtainable.
It’s a area of interest product, however for the particular use case of VDSL as main with ethernet failover, it is likely one of the few shopper gadgets that handles the modem and twin WAN in a single field with no separate modem or converter.
7. MikroTik RB5009UG+S+IN – Fanatic Choice
Value: roughly £170. Obtainable from: Linitx and Amazon
ROUTER MIKROTIK RB5009UG+S+IN
- Seven 1G Ethernet ports, one 2.5G Ethernet port, one 10G SFP+ cage
- New 4-in-1 rackmount set up
- 3 powering choices: PoE-in, DC jack & 2-pin terminal
The MikroTik RB5009 is likely one of the most succesful routers you should buy at this value level, nevertheless it earns that second qualifier: it’s nearly actually too sophisticated for the typical dwelling person.
Operating RouterOS v7, the RB5009 provides you eight ports (seven Gigabit and one 2.5 Gigabit) plus a ten Gigabit SFP+ port, all in a compact fanless chassis. Multi-WAN with failover and cargo balancing is totally supported, as is a very complete firewall, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, and nearly any routing protocol you possibly can consider. For a community engineer or fanatic who needs enterprise-grade routing capabilities and doesn’t need to pay enterprise costs, it is a compelling possibility.
I’d be deceptive you if I advised the configuration expertise is easy. RouterOS makes use of its personal paradigm, and Winbox or the net interface each require an affordable understanding of networking fundamentals to get probably the most out of the gadget. For those who already use MikroTik elsewhere in your community, or you might be snug with guide interface configuration, that is wonderful worth. If you need one thing you possibly can arrange in a day with out studying documentation, look elsewhere.
- Processor: ARMv8 Marvell Armada quad-core @ 1.4 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB
- Ports: 7 x GbE, 1 x 2.5 GbE, 1 x 10G SFP+
- Cooling: Totally fanless
- OS: RouterOS v7 (License Stage 5)
8. DrayTek Vigor 2927 – Established Enterprise Alternative
Value: roughly £240 (wired). Obtainable from: Amazon UK
DrayTek Vigor V2927 Ethernet 1 Gb Twin WAN Router, Firewall and VPN, Load Balancing, 5+1 GbE LAN Ports with VLANs, Ideally suited For SMB, As much as 1800Mbps (Router)
- DrayTek Vigor V2927 Ethernet 1 Gb Twin WAN Router, Firewall and VPN, Load Balancing, 5+1 GbE LAN Ports with VLANs, Ideally suited For SMB, As much as 1800Mbps (Router)
DrayTek has been making multi-WAN routers longer than most, and the Vigor 2927 stays a stable, well-supported possibility for small companies that desire a confirmed platform with a powerful UK help presence. It delivers 950 Mbps hardware-accelerated throughput per WAN port and comes with an intensive characteristic set together with 50 IPsec VPN tunnels, VLAN help, and correct load balancing throughout each WAN ports.
The 2927ax variant provides Wi-Fi 6 for many who need an all-in-one unit, and DrayTek entry factors will be added to type a managed mesh system. DrayTek’s software program replace monitor report is notably good for a enterprise product on this value vary, which issues for long-term safety. The principle limitation relative to 2026 alternate options is that the WAN ports are Gigabit solely. If you’re on a sub-gigabit connection and desire a no-nonsense enterprise twin WAN router with good UK help, the 2927 remains to be price contemplating. If multi-gig WAN
Earlier Suggestions
TP-Hyperlink TL-ER605 SafeStream Gigabit Multi-WAN VPN Router or TL-ER7206
These two routers seem to have the identical performance and have Omada centralised administration, very like the cloud networking from Ubiquiti and Zyxel Nebula.
The principle distinction is that the TL-ER7206 has a few further ports and it. It then has extra RAM and extra VPN tunnels (100 IPSec VPN Tunnels vs 20), and has an inside energy provide fairly than an exterior brick.
Customers report that the very reasonably priced TP-Hyperlink TL-R605 has sluggish throughput when utilizing IPsec VPN, and the official spec states 41.5 Mbps vs 291.6 Mbps of the ER7206.
Synology RT2600ac Wi-fi Mesh Router
The Synology RT2600ac is a few years previous now and solely WiFi 5, however it’s attractively priced and properly reviewed. This formally has load balancing and failover help, however you’ll have to sacrifice one of many 4 LAN ports if you wish to use a second WAN.
One of many promoting factors of this router is that it has first rate NAS options, together with a Obtain Station, that features BitTorrent and Usenet.
ASUS RT-AX89X / ASUS GT-AX11000 / Many Extra
Numerous ASUS routers characteristic twin WAN, I feel it’s natively built-in into the underlying firmware they use, and like many different routers, it’s a must to use a LAN port for the second WAN.
The large benefit right here is that you’ve a tremendous number of routers to select from. You don’t have to decide on one thing simply because it’s twin WAN.
The above two I’ve chosen are premium choices. I just like the look of the ASUS RT-AX89X as a result of it has among the best port picks available on the market with 1x 10GbE, 8x 1GbE, a 10Gbps SFP+, and a devoted WAN port. Additionally it is a WiFi 6 router, and because of AIMesh, it may be became a mesh system, although it is just dual-band, so the WiFi efficiency received’t be class-leading with the mesh satellites.
The ASUS GT-AX11000 is the flagship tri-band WiFi 6 mannequin or you might get the brand new WiFi 6E GT-AXE11000.
ASUS has load balancing and failover help, nonetheless, it appears to be extensively reported that the load balancing doesn’t work very properly (and right here), however failover does.
Zyxel USG Flex 100
Zyxel ZyWALL Community Safety/UTM Firewall Equipment Bundled with 1-year Safety License Providers [USGFLEX100]
- Unified safety resolution that delivers a versatile safety resolution with connectivity capabilities for small to mid-size organizations
- 900 Mbps firewall throughput, 360 Mbps UTM (AV+IDP) throughput, and help multi-WAN (Ethernet, SFP)
- Constructed-in with Zyxel Safety Cloud with scale details about file and real-time menace information
- Analytics report and insights on cloud and gadget with user-friendly interface
- 1-year license providers consists of internet filtering, utility patrol, anti-malware, IDP, e-mail safety, SecuReporter, managed AP, hotspot administration and concurrent gadget.
I’ve beforehand reviewed the Zyxel USG Flex 100. It’s a excellent firewall router with twin WAN connectivity. Nonetheless, the safety licence is kind of costly for dwelling customers, and even small companies, and the throughput is a bit low if in case you have gigabit fibre and wish all of the options energetic.
Ubiquiti UDM-Professional UniFi Dream Machine Professional
Whereas I’ve left this right here, I’d strongly suggest selecting the opposite Unifi routers listed above.
On paper, the Ubiquiti UDM-Professional UniFi Dream Machine Professional needs to be up there with the very best of the twin WAN routers. It’s a feature-rich router that runs each UniFi OS utility, like Community and Shield. It incorporates a built-in safety gateway, 10G SFP+ WAN help, an 8-port Gigabit change, and a community video recorder that helps appropriate 3.5″ exhausting disk drives (HDDs).
Sadly, it lacks a load-balancing perform and might presently solely work with WAN1 as the first and WAN2 as a backup. Ubiquiti has promised that load balancing will probably be launched in some unspecified time in the future; it might even be obtainable now, which is why I’ve included it on the checklist.
It’s price noting that I’ve not included any of the favored EdgeRouter choices as a result of they appear to be bought out in every single place, and Ubiquiti have discontinued them. It seems they’re being rebranded as UISP; nonetheless, the one router on this vary can be bought out.







![Zyxel ZyWALL Network Security/UTM Firewall Appliance Bundled with 1-year Security License Services [USGFLEX100]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41SKht+RhQL._SL160_.jpg)

