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Network load balancing for business broadband

Network load balancing is a cost-effective way for businesses to boost bandwidth, reduce downtime, and optimise internet traffic from your premises.

It can seamlessly integrate into existing networks with minimal effort by combining multiple connections into a single, superior broadband. Our experts explain how network load balancing works, why it’s a smart choice, and how it keeps your business connected when it matters most.

Contents

What is network load balancing for business broadband?
Key benefits of network load balancing
How does network load balancing work?
Choosing the right network load balancing solution
How network load balancing transformed these businesses

What is network load balancing for business broadband?

Network Load Balancing (NLB) allows businesses to acquire a higher-performance broadband connection by combining several types of connections—such as full fibre, cable, SoGEA, and 5G business broadband—into one that is as good as the sum of its parts.

NLB requires a specialised business broadband router with multiple WAN ports to support the entries from these various connections.

The router’s logic intelligently distributes internet traffic through these various routes, similar to how navigation apps select the fastest route based on current conditions.

By balancing connections this way, load balancing enhances overall network performance and ensures efficient data flow across multiple pathways.

NLB vs other load balancing applications

Network Load Balancing (NLB) is the predominant type of load balancing, as it impacts the performance of the entire business’s local network.

However, other important types, such as Application Load Balancing (ALB), are vital to improving the reliability of specific business applications like project management software, supply chain management software and CRMs.

Key benefits of network load balancing

Network load balancing has multiple benefits, including advantages over other bandwidth-improving technologies:

Increased uptime

With multiple internet connections, your business stays online even if one connection fails, ensuring continuous operations and minimising downtime.

Enhanced performance

Intelligently distributing traffic across connections boosts available bandwidth. Critical applications like VoIP or cloud services can be prioritised, maintaining smooth performance during peak times and reducing the risk of bandwidth throttling.

Performance without access to full fibre

For businesses in areas without full fibre coverage, load balancing allows them to reach improved bandwidth by leveraging multiple connections.

Cheaper than leased lines

Load balancing can be a cost-effective alternative to expensive leased lines. By combining affordable broadband connections, businesses can achieve sufficient performance without the high costs associated with dedicated connections.

How does network load balancing work?

In a network load balancing setup, multiple internet connections (from a single or multiple business broadband providers) are plugged into a single multi-WAN router that automatically manages and distributes traffic across all connections.

Let’s break this down into more detail:

Load balancing routers

A multi-WAN router or “load balancer” is the central component in a load-balancing setup, providing the necessary hardware and software for the entire load-balancing task. The router has multiple WAN ports for inserting multiple connections and LAN ports for connecting internal network devices (e.g., network switches, mesh networks access points, servers, etc).

The router’s firmware or operating system controls all the networking functions, including traffic management, load-balancing algorithms, failover, QoS, SSL termination and firmware updates for business broadband cybersecurity.

This will have a web or app-based interface which allows users to configure the router’s settings (traffic rules, WAN configurations, etc.) and monitor connections.

Additionally, high-end load balancers often come with built-in virtual private networks (VPNs) to create encrypted connections for remote workers and guest WiFi capabilities.

Traffic distribution

The router uses algorithms to direct traffic through the available connections. It can allocate traffic based on the available bandwidth and connection quality or split it based on specific applications or tasks.

For example, high-bandwidth tasks like streaming may use faster fibre connections, while lighter tasks like browsing might use mobile broadband, ensuring optimal use of all connections.

Network load balancing algorithms

Here is a comprehensive list of the available algorithms when configuring traffic management on your load balancing router. It includes key benefits and drawbacks to help you understand which is more suitable for your business:

Algorithm (alt name)	Description	Pros	Cons
Round-Robin	Distributes traffic evenly across all connections in sequence.	Simplest setup.	Not the optimal solution.
Weighted Round-Robin (Proportional Load Balancing)	Routes more traffic to higher-capacity or faster connections.	Accounts for varying connection speeds, improves performance for critical tasks.	Requires manual configuration for weighting.
Least Connections	Sends traffic to the connection with the fewest active sessions.	Keeps connections free for heavy loads, good for dynamic traffic.	May overload a fast connection if other links are idle but slow.
Weighted Least Connections	Similar to least connections but prioritises stronger connections.	Optimises heavy traffic based on connection strength.	Requires configuration and may not always be the most efficient if load fluctuates rapidly.
Source IP Hash (IP Persistence, Sticky Sessions)	Routes traffic based on the user’s IP, keeping the same IP on the same connection.	Ensures session persistence, useful for services that require continuity.	Less efficient for distributing traffic evenly, might overload a single connection.
Application-Based Routing (Policy-Based Routing)	Directs traffic based on the type of application (e.g. VoIP, video, browsing etc.)	Prioritises critical business applications like VoIP or video, improving reliability and performance.	Requires detailed configuration and may not fully utilise all available bandwidth.
Weighted Bandwidth	Allocates traffic based on the available bandwidth of each connection.	Makes optimal use of faster connections for high-bandwidth tasks.	Slow connections may be under-utilised, leaving capacity unused.
Geo Load Balancing	Distributes traffic based on the user’s geographic location, directing requests to the closest server.	Improves latency and performance for geographically dispersed users by reducing travel distance for data.	Requires multiple servers in different locations, which can increase complexity and cost.
Dynamic Load Balancing (Adaptive Load Balancing)	Adjusts traffic routing in real-time based on current connection performance.	Automatically adapts to real-time network changes, optimising traffic at all times.	More complex and requires advanced hardware; may be overkill for simpler networks.

These systems usually include real-time analytics, allowing you to monitor performance and adjust the algorithms to optimise bandwidth usage and network performance.

Failover capability

Load balancing systems also have failover capabilities that ensure an uninterruptable connection.

When configured, the router continuously monitors the health of each connection. If one connection goes down, traffic is instantly rerouted through the remaining connections. Once the failed connection is restored, it’s reintegrated into the system automatically.

SSL termination (Advanced feature)

Load balancing routers can also take on SSL termination, which allows them to handle encryption and decryption of data, offloading this task from the servers.

This improves performance by freeing up server resources, simplifies SSL certificate management by centralising it on the load balancer, and enables better traffic distribution by inspecting decrypted data to route it intelligently.

Overall, SSL termination enhances network efficiency and protection against cybersecurity threats by optimising server tasks and maintaining consistent encryption policies.

Choosing the right network load balancing solution

The best network load balancing solution for your business depends on your network’s complexity, scale, and specific needs.

For large businesses with SD-WAN or multi-site requirements, load balancing requires a custom setup for centralised control and optimised traffic flow across multiple locations. IT professionals or managed service providers must implement it successfully.

Setting up load balancing can be more straightforward for small to medium-sized businesses. It requires multiple broadband connections, a specialised multi-WAN router, and some initial setup, meaning most small businesses can implement it independently.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

Calculate your business broadband speed and bandwidth needs: Assess your current and future requirements to understand the speeds and capacity needed to support your business operations.
See what is available: Compare business broadband deals in your area to identify the best connections (and providers) for your needs.
Acquire a multi-WAN port router: Purchase a load-balancing router from a reputable manufacturer. Here are a few examples:
- Cisco – Known for reliable, enterprise-grade networking, especially with the Cisco Meraki series.
- Peplink – Specialises in multi-WAN and SD-WAN routers, ideal for high-performance load balancing.
- Ubiquiti Networks – Offers affordable, scalable options like the UniFi and EdgeRouter series for SMEs.
- TP-Link – Provides user-friendly, cost-effective routers with load balancing in the Omada and SafeStream series.
- DrayTek – Known for the Vigor series, offering multi-WAN, VPN, and load-balancing features for small business broadband.
Connect and configure your broadband connections: Plug in your broadband lines and set up traffic management rules, ensuring the load-balancing algorithm is configured to meet your business requirements.
Set up your internal network: Configure additional elements such as a mesh network or guest WiFi.

How network load balancing transformed these businesses

Network load balancing routers are helpful for all businesses that expect to or have experienced a lack of bandwidth in their existing connection.

This is usually the case for businesses that rely on locally hosted digital services (i.e., hosting their website, databases, processing, etc., on servers within their premises) or those with high traffic spikes for various reasons.

In contrast, businesses that rely on cloud solutions usually don’t have bandwidth issues because their digital services are cloud-based, and large cloud infrastructure providers like AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure handle their load balancing.

Here are some case studies to illustrate load balancing utility:

E-commerce

Handling large spikes in traffic during sales events such as Black Friday is critical. Helly Hansen, a global outdoor gear retailer, implemented network load balancing alongside network monitoring tools to handle the increased loads in their local servers.

This ensured their website stayed fast and responsive, preventing downtime and enhancing the customer checkout experience. As a result, the company avoided sales losses and maintained customer satisfaction during critical sales periods.

Businesses outside the full fibre network

Businesses outside the full fibre network regularly use network load balancing to achieve the required bandwidth without Gbps broadband.

Typical load balancing combinations include:

ADSL/SoGEA + mobile broadband if within the 4G network
ADSL/SoGEA + business satellite broadband (e.g. Starlink or OneWeb) when outside coverage from cellular networks.

This may include rural co-working or co-living spaces, rural warehouses with numerous IoT devices like surveillance cameras, or even temporary field research sites when their temporary building has access to the copper telephony network.

Our experts expect a rise in load balancing setups in rural areas as remote working continues growing and infrastructure providers like Openreach and KCOM expand the fibre optic network.

Startups

Network load balancing is also typical of growing businesses, such as startups, that don’t want to install expensive leased line business broadband from the start but want sufficient bandwidth scalability in case of spikes in traffic from an uptick in business, such as their product going viral.

Load balancing allows them to have enough broadband redundancy to maintain 100% uptime on their services by implementing failover onto the secondary connection in case the primary one gets disconnected.