Static Routing¶

Static routing lets you manually define routes to specific destinations, giving you precise control over traffic forwarding. Unlike dynamic routing protocols, static routes do not adapt automatically to topology changes — they are best suited for fixed, predictable paths such as default gateways, routes to specific subnets, or backup paths that should only activate when a primary link fails.

Both IPv4 and IPv6 static routes are supported. Each route can optionally be bound to a reachability probe that monitors next-hop health and withdraws the route from the routing table if the probe fails — providing route-level failover without requiring a full Multi-WAN configuration.

GUI Configuration¶

Navigate to Device Settings → Network → Static Routing.

IPv4 Static Routes¶

Click + Add to open the IPv4 route configuration form.

Route Destination

Select the destination type for this route:

Option	Description
Default Route	Installs `0.0.0.0/0` — the catch-all route used when no more-specific prefix matches. Equivalent to a default gateway entry.
Network/Prefix	A specific destination subnet in CIDR notation (e.g., `1.1.1.0/24`)
Network Group	Apply this route to a named group of prefixes, FQDNs, or applications. See Network Groups.

IPv4 Nexthop IP/Interface

Enter the IP address of the next-hop router, or the exit interface name for point-to-point links (e.g., ppp0, wwan0). See Nexthop: IP Address vs Interface for guidance on which format to use.

Other Options

Expand the following options as needed:

Option	Description
IPv4 Administrative Distance	Route priority relative to other routes to the same destination. Lower values are preferred. The default for static routes is `1`; increase this to make the route a lower-priority fallback (e.g., `200` for a backup path). Range: `1`–`254`.
Enable Tracking	Attach a reachability probe to this route. If the probe fails, the route is withdrawn from the routing table until the probe recovers.
IPv4 VRF	Assign this route to a specific VRF instance by numeric ID. The route will only be visible and active within that VRF.
Nexthop VRF	The VRF instance in which the next-hop address is resolved. Used for inter-VRF route leaking — when the route destination belongs to one VRF but the next-hop gateway lives in another.
IPv4 Static Route Description	Optional free-text label for this route entry

Tracking Configuration

When Enable Tracking is selected, configure the probe parameters. For a full description of all tracking fields and SLA thresholds, see Tracking — Static Route.

IPv6 Static Routes¶

The IPv6 Static Routes table lists all configured routes with their Destination, Nexthop, Distance, Tracking Option, and Description. Click + Add to open the route form.

Field	Description
IPv6 Route Destination	`IPv6 Default Route` installs `::/0`. `IPv6 Network/Prefix` — enter the specific destination in full IPv6 CIDR notation (e.g., `2001:8020:2309:F100::/64`).
IPv6 Nexthop IP/Interface	The IPv6 address of the next-hop router, or an exit interface name for point-to-point links
IPv6 Administrative Distance	Route priority — lower value is preferred. Default is `1`.
Enable Tracking	Attach an ICMP or TCP reachability probe to monitor next-hop health
IPv6 Static Route Description	Optional label for this route entry

CLI Configuration¶

For Ethernet interfaces, always use IP addresses as nexthops (never interface names). For point-to-point links (PPPoE, WWAN), interface names are allowed. See Nexthop: IP Address vs Interface for details.

Default gateway¶

ip route 0.0.0.0/0 nexthop 61.13.198.165

Route to a specific prefix¶

ip route 192.168.100.0/24 nexthop 10.0.0.1

Route with ICMP tracking and administrative distance¶

ip route 1.1.1.0/24 nexthop 61.13.198.165 track icmp 61.13.198.165 30 max 100 20 distance 200

Key points:

track icmp <host> <interval> — probes 61.13.198.165 with ICMP every 30 seconds
max 100 20 — probe fails if round-trip latency exceeds 100 ms or packet loss exceeds 20%; when failed, the route is removed from the routing table
distance 200 — administrative distance of 200 makes this a low-priority backup; the route only becomes active if no lower-distance route to the same prefix exists

Route with VRF and inter-VRF nexthop lookup¶

ip route 1.1.1.0/24 nexthop 61.13.198.165 track icmp 61.13.198.165 30 max 100 20 distance 200 vrf 4 nexthop-vrf 10

Key points:

vrf 4 — installs this route into VRF instance 4; the route is only visible to traffic in that VRF
nexthop-vrf 10 — resolves the next-hop address 61.13.198.165 within VRF 10, allowing the route to forward traffic across VRF boundaries (inter-VRF route leaking)

Default route via a point-to-point interface¶

ip route 0.0.0.0/0 nexthop wwan0

IPv6 static route¶

ipv6 route 2001:db8::/32 nexthop 2001:db8::1

IPv6 default route¶

ipv6 route ::/0 nexthop 2001:db8::1

Nexthop: IP Address vs Interface¶

When configuring static routes or policy-based routes, the nexthop can be specified as either a router IP address (explicit) or an exit interface name (implicit). The rules differ between static routes and policy routes, and depend on interface type.

Key distinction: Static routes on Ethernet have strict rules (IP address always); PBR on Ethernet has conditional rules (IP address preferred, interface name only if default route exists).

Static Routes — Strict Rules¶

Static routes are evaluated at config time. Interface names cannot be resolved unless a default route already exists (which defeats the purpose of explicit routing). Therefore:

Interface Type	Required Nexthop Format	Reason
Ethernet (physical, VLAN, bridge)	IP address only — `nexthop 61.13.198.165`	Multi-point link: router must ARP for the neighbor MAC. Using interface name fails because no default route to learn the gateway IP from.
PPPoE	Interface name OR IP address — `nexthop ppp0`	Point-to-point link — single neighbor, so interface name resolves correctly.
WWAN / LTE / 5G	Interface name OR IP address — `nexthop wwan0`	Point-to-point link — single neighbor, so interface name resolves correctly.

Examples:

! CORRECT: Ethernet static route with IP nexthop
ip route 192.168.0.0/16 nexthop 61.13.198.165

! WRONG: Ethernet static route with interface name (fails to resolve)
ip route 192.168.0.0/16 nexthop eth0

! CORRECT: WWAN static route with interface name (point-to-point)
ip route 0.0.0.0/0 nexthop wwan0

Policy Routes (PBR) — Conditional Rules¶

PBR rules are evaluated at runtime. If an Ethernet interface has a default route installed (via DHCP), the system learns the gateway IP and can resolve interface names dynamically.

Interface Type	Nexthop Format	When It Works
Ethernet	IP address	Always (safe, explicit)
Ethernet	Interface name	Only if default route installed on that interface
PPPoE / WWAN	Interface name OR IP address	Always (point-to-point)

Examples:

! Scenario 1: Ethernet with explicit IP (always safe)
ip pbr 100 nexthop 61.13.198.165

! Scenario 2: Ethernet with interface name — ONLY if default route exists
interface eth0
 ip address dhcp              ! ← Installs default route; system learns gateway IP
ip pbr 100 nexthop eth0       ! ← Safe: gateway learned from default route

! Scenario 3: Ethernet without default route — MUST use explicit IP
interface eth0
 ip address 61.13.198.165/24  ! ← No default route; gateway not learned
ip pbr 100 nexthop eth0       ! ← WRONG: system can't resolve gateway IP
ip pbr 100 nexthop 61.13.198.165  ! ← CORRECT

! Scenario 4: WWAN interface (both formats work; point-to-point)
ip pbr 100 nexthop wwan0      ! ← Works
ip pbr 100 nexthop 10.1.0.1   ! ← Also works

Real-World Failover Example¶

In selective WAN failover, the distinction matters:

interface eth0
 ip address dhcp              ! ← Installs default route

interface wwan0
 ip address dhcp nodefault    ! ← No default route (prevents unwanted failover)

! PBR rule on Ethernet: interface name works (eth0 has default route)
ip pbr 100 nexthop eth0 track icmp 1.1.1.1 15

! PBR rule on WWAN: interface name works (point-to-point)
ip pbr 101 nexthop wwan0

! For static routes (not PBR), eth0 would require explicit IP:
ip route 192.168.100.0/24 nexthop 61.13.198.165  ! Static route on Ethernet = must use IP

See WAN Failover — PBR with Tracking for complete examples.

General Guidance¶

Static Routes on Ethernet — Always Use IP Address

Static routes on Ethernet interfaces must always use the IP address nexthop, never interface names. This is a strict requirement.

Policy Routes on Ethernet — Interface Name Only If Default Route Exists

For PBR on Ethernet, interface names can be used only if a default route is installed on that interface (e.g., via DHCP). The system learns the gateway IP from the default route at runtime. Otherwise, use explicit IP address.

PPPoE and WWAN — Both Formats Work

Both static and policy routes on PPPoE/WWAN interfaces can use either interface name or IP address — both formats work correctly for point-to-point links.

Verification¶

List all active static routes:

show ip route
show ip route static

Example output:

Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
       O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, E - EIGRP, N - NHRP,
       T - Table, v - VNC, V - VNC-Direct, A - Babel, F - PBR,
       > - selected route, * - FIB route, q - queued, r - rejected, b - backup

S>* 0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 61.13.198.165, eth0, weight 1, 00:42:11
S>* 1.1.1.0/24 [200/0] via 61.13.198.165, eth0, weight 1, 00:12:03

A route marked >* is both selected as the best match and installed in the forwarding table. A route shown without this prefix is known but not currently active — for example, when its tracking probe has failed.

Inspect a specific route:

show ip route 1.1.1.0/24

Example output:

Routing entry for 1.1.1.0/24
  Known via "static", distance 200, metric 0
  Last update 00:12:03 ago
  * 61.13.198.165, via eth0, weight 1

Show IPv6 static routes:

show ipv6 route static