Dynamic Routing RIP
Introduction
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is a classic distance-vector routing protocol that uses hop count as its primary metric. It was developed to provide automatic route discovery by allowing routers to periodically exchange routing information with their immediate neighbors. This helps build and maintain an up-to-date map of the network topology. While RIP is one of the oldest dynamic routing protocols, it remains a reliable and lightweight solution for smaller networks, especially when simple configuration and maintenance are important.
Prerequisites
- 2 x Teltonika devices
- Both devices must be connected to the same WAN network (either directly by cable or through a VPN, such as PPTP or L2TP)
- The latest firmware version installed on both devices (recommended)
Setting up the devices
WAN network
For dynamic routing protocols such as RIP to function correctly, routers must be neighbors within the same network segment. This is because RIP uses broadcast or multicast packets to exchange routing updates. While more advanced deployments often use L2TP tunnels to connect remote sites (see our L2TP configuration example), this guide focuses on a simple local setup.
In this example, the two devices will be connected directly through their WAN ports. Static IP addresses will be assigned to establish a stable communication link between them.
Router 1:
Router 2:
RIP configuration
RIP Global settings
Navigate to Network → Routing → Dynamic Routes → RIP, then enable the RIP instance and VTY. The configuration is identical on both devices; just make sure to enter the correct neighbor IP address for each router.
- Enable - On (Enables the RIP instance)
- Enable logging - On (Optional)
- Enable VTY - On (Optional; enables vtysh access via CLI)
- Version - RIPv2 (Use RIPv1 only if the neighboring device does not support multicast)
- Neighbor - WAN IP address of the neighboring router
RIP Interfaces
- Name - Enter a preferred name for the interface
- Interface - Select the interface you want to advertise
- Enabled - On
- Save & Apply
RIP testing
Once both devices are configured, you should be able to see the LAN subnet routes of the remote router by running route -n.
Alternatively, access the device via CLI or SSH. If VTY is enabled in the RIP configuration, enter vtysh and run the command show ip rip. This will display the RIP routing table, including both advertised LAN subnets.
