Do you need a static IP on your backup internet?

What a static IP is, briefly

Every internet connection has a public address. On most cellular plans that address can change, and it's often shared, which is fine for anything you start from inside the business: browsing, cloud software, payments, phones. A static IP is an address that's yours and doesn't change, so outside systems can recognize it or connect to it.

You probably need one if

• Your locations connect to each other or to headquarters with a site-to-site VPN that expects a fixed address at each end.
• A vendor only accepts connections from approved addresses. This is common with some pharmacy networks, labs, payment gateways and banking systems.
• Staff or vendors connect into your building from outside, for example to a server, a camera recorder or building controls.
• Your firewall rules at another site allow traffic only from your known addresses.

You can probably skip it if

• Everything you use is a cloud service you sign into.
• Your remote access tool connects out to a cloud service rather than in to your building. Most modern tools work this way.
• Your VPN supports dynamic addresses, which many do.
• Nothing outside the business needs to reach equipment inside it.

How to find out for sure

1. Ask your IT provider whether any firewall rules, VPNs or vendor connections reference your current public IP address.
2. Check vendor documentation for terms like "IP allow list", "whitelist" or "source IP".
3. If your main line already has a static IP, find out what it's used for. Anything that relies on it will need the same treatment on the backup.

Setting it up

If you do need one, give the backup line's static IP to the same vendors and systems that know your main address. Then when your router fails over, those connections recognize the backup and keep working.

FAILOVER5 Verizon plans are available with a static IP for $3 a month more than the standard plan. If you're not sure whether you need one, contact us with a description of your setup and we'll help you decide.

Three common setups

A chain of stores connects every location to a central server with site-to-site VPN tunnels. Each tunnel is configured with the store's address. Without a static IP on the backup, the tunnel can't come up when a store fails over, and that store loses access to the central system even though it's technically online. Here a static IP is essential.

A clinic sends lab orders through an interface that only accepts traffic from approved addresses. The lab needs to approve the backup address too, which is only possible if the address doesn't change. Static IP again.

A salon uses cloud booking, a card terminal and internet phones. Every one of those connects out to a cloud service. Nothing needs to find the salon by its address, so a static IP adds cost and nothing else.

Backup internet for

• Pharmacies
• Medical clinics
• Multi-location businesses