Summary: Everyone wants a faster internet connection, and I'm frequently asked if it's possible to combine two or more connections for speed. The answer is yes ... but.
Can I merge two internet connections so that I have doubled bandwidth? I have a DSL connection as well as a separate EVDO connection. I want to know if it is possible to merge the internet connections so that the bandwidth speed would be added to each other, resulting in increased bandwidth.
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Don't I wish.
Seriously, I do wish. My DSL is limited to 768k down and 128k up. Nowadays that's slow, but it's the best my telco can do for me. No cable in my area either. I'd love to be able to hook up a second DSL line, and simply "add" the two together.
It's possible, but a) you won't like what it takes, and b) it won't necessarily get you what you think it will.
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Here's what it takes: money.
There are devices, specialty routers, that can take two internet connections. They're typically called 'load balancing' routers, since their goal isn't so much to provide higher bandwidth, but rather "spread the load" between two (or sometimes more) connections. Quite often large sites will use routers to both load balance between multiple connections, or provide redundancy in case one of the internet connections goes down.
The problem for us more "normal people" is that load balancing routers are typically expensive, and not that easy to setup and configure properly.
And even when set up, they don't do exactly what you're asking.
The 'problem' is that a single connection from your computer to another can happen across only one connection at a time. So if you're downloading a large file, for example, it will download at the speed of only one of your connections. You won't be able to combine the bandwidth for these types of downloads.
The good news is that the other connection would be available for other things, so instead of the download hogging all your bandwidth, it'd be limited to hogging only one of your multiple connections.
The other good news is that typically downloading things off the internet actually involve multiple downloads, which can happen across both connections. For example, while you might consider viewing this page as a single operation, in fact there are several different items being downloaded. The page itself consisting of the text you're reading and for formatting information is only one. Each graphic image, such as the site logo, is a separate download. Each such separate download can happen on a separate connection, thus increasing the apparent download speed of the entire page.
But as I said, there's no real consumer-accessible solution for this at this time. Given the "need for speed" we're all increasingly feeling, it wouldn't surprise me if one came along at some point - hopefully from one of the major consumer networking equipment manufacturers.
Until then, I'm stuck with a single line at whatever best speed I can get.
As, I suspect, are most of us.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - How should I set up my home network?
Article C2895 - January 10, 2007
There are a few devices out there. The best I have found (using now) is an Xtreme Router from www.workman-engineering.com. router cost around $700 but will not only combine wired connections it does Wireless too! Works great I log into like a normal router with an IP and it is very easy to use.
Posted by: Srevo at May 3, 2009 5:33 PMyou don't need anything to do this , you don't beleve me ?!! check the site below :
http://www.geekswhoknow.com/articles/load-balance-two-internet-connections.htm
Posted by: hajir at July 20, 2009 3:04 PMI just setup one - purchased vpn linksys router RV042 - ordered two dsl lines from AT&T and setup the whole thing in under 30 minutes, Check out the router, made by cisco and marketed under linksys piad $150.00 US Dollars. Easy.
Posted by: AJ at August 20, 2009 11:38 PMu call that internet speed slow.. i have a 78k down SPEED!!! ITS HORRIBLE.... and my sister keeps hogging it making my speed like dial up
Posted by: ifrit723 at November 25, 2009 11:37 PMIve just recently purchased a ethernet card for $4.00 my dell desktop it allready had 1 but want to see what the difference would be and i love it it seams to run 75% faster than it was but whatever it was having 2 Ethernet ports connected to my router it handle streaming videos better and multitasking online like yahoo messenger used to give me hell when surfing the web now no problem im downloading at 3.0 m bps no more buffer online movies but it requires a hub im not a technician its better than before idk if this will work for people with lower speeds of internet dsl
Posted by: Dan the man at January 11, 2010 8:50 PM