Multi-WAN failover should be tested before the yacht depends on it. A dashboard showing LEO, VSAT, cellular, and marina Wi-Fi as online does not prove guest internet, owner-office VPN, monitoring, DNS, or vendor access will survive a real link failure.

This acceptance test is designed for owner trips, charter embarkation, event use, and post-refit handover. It should be run in a controlled window and recorded as evidence. The goal is not perfect performance; the goal is knowing what remains available when each link fails.

Test Preparation

Minimum pre-test checklist

  • Current WAN inventory: LEO, VSAT, LTE/5G, marina Wi-Fi, shore hardline, and any backup router.
  • Account access: portals, support contacts, MFA owners, data plan status, SIM/eSIM status, and billing owner.
  • Network services: DNS, DHCP, firewall, SD-WAN, VPN, monitoring, remote support, and content filtering.
  • Traffic groups: Guest, crew welfare, owner office, management, monitoring, vendor support, and operational systems.
  • Rollback plan: How to restore the normal route if the test causes unexpected impact.

Acceptance Test

Controlled failover sequence

  1. Baseline normal operation: Record active WAN, latency, packet loss, DNS resolution, video call, streaming, owner VPN, monitoring, and vendor-support reachability.
  2. Fail LEO: Disable or disconnect the LEO path and confirm which traffic moves, which traffic pauses, and what users see.
  3. Fail VSAT: Repeat for VSAT or managed satellite. Confirm whether emergency or management traffic remains prioritized.
  4. Fail cellular: Remove the cellular path and confirm the yacht does not depend on it for hidden DNS, monitoring, or MFA approval.
  5. Fail marina Wi-Fi: Remove the shore wireless path and confirm guest networks do not leak to untrusted or captive-portal states.
  6. Restore in order: Restore each link and confirm traffic returns according to policy, not randomly.
  7. Record evidence: Save screenshots, timestamps, active link, failed link, services tested, and defects found.

What To Record As A Defect

  • DNS works on one WAN but not another.
  • Guest traffic fails over but owner VPN does not.
  • Vendor remote support bypasses the firewall policy.
  • Monitoring dashboard still shows online when user services are down.
  • Captive portal interrupts traffic after failover to marina Wi-Fi.
  • Cellular roaming or data cap blocks expected coastal operation.
  • Restored links do not return to the intended priority order.

References