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FortiGate 60F Setup Guide with SD-WAN for Multiple WAN Connections

This guide will help you configure your FortiGate 60F with the following features:

  • Introduction to SD-WAN
  • Three WAN Connections: Fiber (Primary), 5G, and Starlink
  • SD-WAN Configuration: For load balancing and redundancy
  • Three VLANs: Home, Guest, and IoT
  • Firewall Rules: Optimized for streaming and gaming
  • Traffic Prioritization: Using Quality of Service (QoS)

Prerequisites

  • FortiGate 60F: Ensure your FortiGate device is powered on and connected to your network.
  • Access to FortiGate Management Interface: Use a web browser to access the FortiGate interface at https://<FortiGate-IP>.
  • WAN Connections: Have your Fiber, 5G, and Starlink connections physically connected to the FortiGate.
  • Basic Network Knowledge: Familiarity with network configurations and terms.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Access FortiGate Management Interface

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to the FortiGate's IP address.
  2. Log in using your admin credentials.
    • Default Username: admin
    • Default Password: (Leave blank initially; change immediately for security)

Step 2: Configure WAN Interfaces

Navigate to Network > Interfaces to configure your WAN connections.

Configure Fiber Connection (Primary)

  • Interface Name: WAN_Fiber
  • Physical Interface: e.g., port2
  • Role: WAN
  • Addressing Mode: Configure according to your ISP (e.g., DHCP, Static, PPPoE)
  • Distance: 5 (Lower distance gives higher priority in routing)

Configure 5G Connection

  • Interface Name: WAN_5G
  • Physical Interface: e.g., port3
  • Role: WAN
  • Addressing Mode: Configure according to your ISP
  • Distance: 10
  • Interface Name: WAN_Starlink
  • Physical Interface: e.g., port4
  • Role: WAN
  • Addressing Mode: Configure according to your ISP
  • Distance: 15

Step 3: Configure SD-WAN

Navigate to Network > SD-WAN to set up load balancing and failover.

Add Member Interfaces

  1. Click Create New to add WAN interfaces to SD-WAN.
  2. Add WAN_Fiber
    • Interface: WAN_Fiber
    • Weight: 0
    • Priority: 1
  3. Add WAN_5G
    • Interface: WAN_5G
    • Weight: 0
    • Priority: 2
  4. Add WAN_Starlink
    • Interface: WAN_Starlink
    • Weight: 0
    • Priority: 3

Configure SD-WAN Rules

  1. Go to the SD-WAN Rules tab.
  2. Click Create New.
    • Name: Default_Rule
    • Incoming Interfaces: VLAN_Home, VLAN_Guest, VLAN_IoT
    • Source: All
    • Destination: All
    • Service: All
    • Outgoing Interfaces: Best Quality (SLA) or Manual (choose preferred interfaces)
  3. Set Interface Preference
    • Preferred Interfaces: WAN_Fiber, WAN_5G, WAN_Starlink
    • Load Balancing Algorithm: Manual

Step 4: Configure VLANs

Navigate to Network > Interfaces to set up VLANs.

Home VLAN

  • Interface Name: VLAN_Home
  • VLAN ID: 10
  • Interface: Physical interface connected to your switch (e.g., port1)
  • IP/Netmask: 192.168.10.1/24

Guest VLAN

  • Interface Name: VLAN_Guest
  • VLAN ID: 20
  • Interface: port1
  • IP/Netmask: 192.168.20.1/24

IoT VLAN

  • Interface Name: VLAN_IoT
  • VLAN ID: 30
  • Interface: port1
  • IP/Netmask: 192.168.30.1/24

Step 5: Configure DHCP for Each VLAN

Navigate to Network > DHCP Servers.

Home VLAN DHCP

  • Interface: VLAN_Home
  • IP Range: 192.168.10.2 to 192.168.10.100

Guest VLAN DHCP

  • Interface: VLAN_Guest
  • IP Range: 192.168.20.2 to 192.168.20.100

IoT VLAN DHCP

  • Interface: VLAN_IoT
  • IP Range: 192.168.30.2 to 192.168.30.100

Step 6: Configure Security Policies

Navigate to Policy & Objects > Firewall Policy.

Allow Traffic from VLANs to SD-WAN

  1. Home VLAN to Internet

    • Name: Allow_Home_to_Internet
    • Incoming Interface: VLAN_Home
    • Outgoing Interface: SD-WAN
    • Source: All
    • Destination: All
    • Service: All
    • Action: Accept
    • NAT: Enable

  2. Guest VLAN to Internet

    • Name: Allow_Guest_to_Internet
    • Incoming Interface: VLAN_Guest
    • Outgoing Interface: SD-WAN
    • Source: All
    • Destination: All
    • Service: All
    • Action: Accept
    • NAT: Enable

  3. IoT VLAN to Internet

    • Name: Allow_IoT_to_Internet
    • Incoming Interface: VLAN_IoT
    • Outgoing Interface: SD-WAN
    • Source: All
    • Destination: All
    • Service: All
    • Action: Accept
    • NAT: Enable

Deny Inter-VLAN Traffic

  • Name: Deny_InterVLAN
  • Incoming Interface: VLAN_Home, VLAN_Guest, VLAN_IoT
  • Outgoing Interface: VLAN_Home, VLAN_Guest, VLAN_IoT
  • Source: All
  • Destination: All
  • Service: All
  • Action: Deny

Step 7: Configure Traffic Prioritization (QoS)

Navigate to Policy & Objects > Traffic Shapers.

Create Traffic Shapers

  1. Gaming Traffic Shaper

    • Name: Priority_Gaming
    • Type: Per Policy
    • Priority: High
    • Bandwidth: Set according to your requirements

  2. Streaming Traffic Shaper

    • Name: Priority_Streaming
    • Type: Per Policy
    • Priority: Medium
    • Bandwidth: Set according to your requirements

Apply Traffic Shapers to Policies

  1. Edit the Allow_Home_to_Internet policy.
  2. Under Traffic Shaping, enable Apply Shaper Per Policy.
  3. Select the appropriate traffic shaper based on the service.

Step 8: Configure SD-WAN Performance SLA (Optional)

Navigate to Network > SD-WAN > Performance SLA.

Create SLA Targets

  1. Click Create New.
  2. Name: SLA_Fiber
    • Members: WAN_Fiber
    • Latency, Jitter, Packet Loss: Set thresholds
    • Protocol: Ping or HTTP
    • Server: Reliable external IP (e.g., 8.8.8.8)

Repeat for WAN_5G and WAN_Starlink if desired.

Configure SD-WAN Rules with SLA

  1. Go back to SD-WAN Rules.
  2. Edit Default_Rule.
  3. Under SLA, select the SLA targets you created.
  4. Set the SLA Mode to Best Quality.

Step 9: Test Configuration

  • Connectivity: Verify that devices on each VLAN receive the correct IP addresses and can access the internet.
  • Failover: Disconnect the Fiber connection to test if traffic fails over to 5G or Starlink.
  • Load Balancing: Monitor traffic to see if load balancing is functioning as configured.
  • QoS: Test streaming and gaming applications to ensure they receive priority bandwidth.

Additional Tips

  • Secure Access: Change the default admin password and enable HTTPS-only access under System > Settings.
  • Regular Backups: Go to System > Maintenance > Backup & Restore to back up your configuration.
  • Firmware Updates: Check System > Firmware for updates to keep your FortiGate secure and up-to-date.

By following this guide, you should have a robust network setup that leverages SD-WAN to manage multiple WAN connections, provides separate VLANs for different device types, and prioritizes critical traffic like gaming and streaming. The Fiber connection is set as the primary link, ensuring the best performance under normal conditions, with 5G and Starlink as backups for redundancy.

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