If your LAN's default gateway is a single MikroTik router, that router is a single point of failure — when it goes down, every device behind it loses its route out, even if a second router and a working internet connection are sitting right next to it. VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) lets two or more routers share one virtual IP as the gateway, with a backup router taking over automatically if the primary disappears.
Add a VRRP interface on the primary router
/interface vrrp add name=vrrp1 interface=ether1 vrid=1 priority=200A higher priority wins the election and becomes master.
Assign the shared virtual IP to that interface
/ip address add address=192.168.88.1/24 interface=vrrp1This is the IP every device on the LAN uses as its gateway — not either router's own address.
Repeat on the backup router with a lower priority
/interface vrrp add name=vrrp1 interface=ether1 vrid=1 priority=100
/ip address add address=192.168.88.1/24 interface=vrrp1Same VRID, same virtual IP, lower priority — it stays passive until the master stops sending advertisements.
Point every device's default gateway at the virtual IP
Set the DHCP server's gateway option (or every static config) to 192.168.88.1, never to a specific router's own address, or you lose the point of the redundancy.
Test the failover
Disconnect the primary router's WAN or shut it down and confirm the backup takes over the virtual IP within a couple of seconds — check with /interface vrrp print on the backup, its state should flip to master.
Why do it this way
VRRP solves a different failure than dual-WAN failover (which handles losing one internet connection) — this handles losing the router itself. Using a shared virtual IP instead of manually repointing every device's gateway after a failure means the switch is automatic and sub-second, not something you find out about when someone calls to say the internet is down.
How MoniTik helps
MoniTik watches both routers independently, so a VRRP failover shows up immediately as one device going offline and the other staying healthy — instead of a vague "the network feels slow" report from a client who doesn't know which of the two routers is actually the problem.
Valentina has spent the last decade deploying and troubleshooting MikroTik networks for ISPs across Latin America.