How long does it take for 4G Assure to kick in when line disconnects?

[techlobo]

Subject line says it all really.

BT Business broadband line disconnects every so often (particuarly when weather is bad) which causes problems with POS system - disconnected / reconnected 3-4 times yesterday (time between disconnects and reconnect can vary).

Raising a line fault ticket to get fixed connection sorted, but wanted to know if 4G Assure is actually any use as a transparent (instant) fallback solution? If it takes minutes to kick in then it is of limited benefit (as POS can be switched to phone line in that time).

Does anyone have practical experience with 4G Assure and how long it takes to kick in if broadband disconnects?

Many thanks for your replies.

[RyanJames]

Hi techlobo

Hope you are well, and I hope you get that fault sorted ASAP!

In regards to the 4G assure, it should kick in within a matter of seconds. The goal with 4G assure is that the transition between the regular broadband connection and the 4G connection should be seamless, so it should be suitable.

What is important to mention however is that it would only kick in during physical line drops (which is sounds like you are having anyways). When it is just the routers wireless connection dropping out or something like that, the 4G will not kick in as the router itself is still seeing a physical connecton coming down the line. But in most instances the 4G is a very useful, and as such a very popular, service.

The only real limitation would be the 4G signal in your area, however we are unable to provide it unless your address tests as having a 4G connection of at least 3 out of 5 bars, and as such we would advise you at the point of sale if this were an issue or not.

If you have any further questions just let me know!

Regards

Ryan

[simonw500]

Received my 4G Assure last week and was testing over the weekend..

While it's certainly not instant (eg. looking at the logs, from the moment the Hub detects the line has gone down it initiates a 10 second wait timer, from there it makes the connection via 4G which can take between 5-30 seconds) it is fully automatic, including the failback once the line is back up and running again (with a sensible 15 minute wait timer to ensure it is actually stable as opposed to up and down like a yoyo) = I'd say the real world experience is "within 60 seconds, probably closer to 30 seconds".

(I've also noticed in the latest firmware the Hub GUI now reports more 4G dongle stats while in standby mode, eg. the network provider it is connected to (before was always unknown unless being used) which might mean it is now in a greater state of readiness so the time might be less.. or just that the GUI has been updated and thus no real difference!)

From memory I think BT marketing refers to "within minutes" with a cashback SLA of 30 minutes.