As an IT support company, we generally work with clients within a 20 mile radius of 
Stowmarket, Suffolk so we can maintain a fast and efficient service.
Mind you, some of our clients have satellite offices further afield, so it can take a bit longer to attend the site when things go wrong.
One particular case highlighted for us that, at times, replication is a good thing. We all know that duplicate content is a bad idea as it will attract a hefty Google penalty, but in the world of IT hardware, duplication can be beneficial. Let us explain.
One of our clients got in touch because their router had failed and they didn’t have a spare one on site. When we got to the office (yes, it was a satellite one) we discovered that the problem wasn’t with the router at all, it was the AC adapter that had failed. This was an easy fix, but took quite a bit of organisation because the router they were using was an old model and now discontinued. That meant getting hold of a discontinued router and AC adapter with the correct voltage was quite a task in itself.
In situations like this, we would recommend you buy two identical routers, especially if yours has additional configuration areas. Then you should replicate the router or (as with Drayteks) make a backup of the router and restore the backup to the spare router.
This will allow for contingency in the event of a malfunction, whether it’s the router or the AC adapter, saving you valuable down time.
MPM Computer Consultancy 