Linksys RV082

[johnpau80]

We are in the process of evaluating the Linksys RV082
and wondering how the QOS(quality of service)+ Load balancing features works in the router ?

Looking for some reviews from customers who already own it.

Thanks
SAM

 

[edika99]

I've bought an RV082 some days ago to have a Load Balancing feature in my Office.
After a few days I've notice that many sites and application doesn't work anymore with Load balancing feature enabled. So I've trace a connection to one of these sites to see why doesnt reach the target, and the problem is a very stupid error in the programming of the router. The load balance works not between connection but between the same connection. In this way, the sites where the source IP address is used to identify the client, never accept a connection or doesn't maintain open the connection. A very simplest option like 'bind source and destination ip address' could be the solution to this problem but after talking some days with the linksys support the answer was 'the load balance works like this, disable it if you want to connect to these sites'. Well not very professional solution to a rough programming error. So now I have a double wan router that must work only in failover mode, beacuse the Load balance option is totaly unuseful with this kind of configuration. I've tried also to set a Protocol Binding on https and a VPN specific port but nothing happen.
I'm really disappointed with linksys on how they have treat this case, and also have delete my posts and other users with same problem from his support forum.
The solution now is to buy a REAL Load balance enabled router or install a Linux PC and use a Load Balancing software. In each version of load balancing software I'm finding in these days the option 'bind source and destination ip address' is present. I don't understand how linksys have miss it.

Edika

 

[smah]

For sites where you have this trouble (online banking sites are common), add their IP address(es) to the Protocol binding section of the System Management page.

 

[edika99]

Just done but nothing works. The only way is not to enable Load Balance feature. This is the funny answer I've received in the linksys forum:

"This is a known issue for RV082 - see the discussion threads in linksysinfo.org. The workaround is to bind half of the ip addresses to WAN1 and the other half of the ip addresses to WAN2, assuming both WANs have the same bandwidth"

translated: make a manual load balance, that have no sense if I've bought a router to do this job...

 

[smah]

Using protoco binding actually does work. Here's an example. In the case below, the normal clients, that might access a remote spam portal site could be using any DHCP assigned address above 192.168.10.100. So I force all traffic by any of those local machines to use a particular WAN connection when accessing this particular destination site (public IP address, actually). Make sure that both, lower & upper destination IP addresses are properly filled in or strange things happen - the upper address does not seem to populate correctly automatically.

 

[edika99]

With this configuration my Home banking Site does not work. Anyway is not a real solution because the Load Balance continue to not work properly, and don't make the only things for which is created: 'Load the Balance'.
These are workaround that doesn't solve the problem to have the traffic distributed equally on the 2 wan, the only reason for which i've bought this router.

Edika

 

[smah]

With a protocol binding set like that, the router does load balance; only not for that small set of IP addresses specified.

It does work, but make sure your destination IP adress range includes all the IP's used. Banking sites typically use several servers throuout the logon process and they are likely to be different than the public web site. Tracert to all subdomains used from the bank's public website to where you actually look at the banking details and every subdomain in between - [ignore]www.mybank.com[/ignore] isn't neccessarily the same IP address as login.mybank.com or netteller.mybank.com

 

[edika99]

I'm sure that works in this way, but you think it's possible to make a set of rule for each https sites my collegues needs to visits? Every day I'll had to add new rules. That's not the right way to work. Anyway I've solved the problem installing a freeware software on a Virtual Machine running Linux that do the Load Balance works very well, and without pay anything!!
Hope this thread can help the users who needs a Load balance solution to not think on an RV0XX series.

Edika