As a developer working primarily from home, a stable internet connection isn’t just a luxury—it’s a requirement. Recently, my broadband fibre was knocked down by a tree, causing a major outage.

Instead of panicking or migrating to a noisy coffee shop, I simply flicked a switch.

The Setup

For my backup connection, I used:

• Modem/Router: Cudy LT700E 4G LTE Router
• Plan: Smarty SIM card (80GB/month for £10/month promotion - a great deal!)

Since I don’t have an automated dual-WAN router yet, the switchover was manual. When the fibre line went down, I booted up the Cudy LT700E and manually connected my main devices to its Wi-Fi.

The Experience

While not completely transparent—my call dropped and I had to take two minutes to switch over—it was a lifesaver. Once connected, I was able to continue working, pushing code to GitHub, and even triggering CI/CD pipelines without a hitch.

Next Step Investment: Automatic Failover

Manually switching works in a pinch, but the ultimate goal is a seamless transition. My next planned investment is a Unifi Dream Machine Pro (UDM Pro).

Once in place, the Cudy LT700E will sit inline as a secondary WAN. The UDM Pro supports Dual WAN with auto-failover, constantly pinging 8.8.8.8 on the primary WAN. If it drops for more than 15 seconds, it will automatically and seamlessly route all network traffic over the 4G backup.

If you rely on the internet for your livelihood, even a simple manual backup WAN is the best insurance policy you can buy. Highly recommended!