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2x3g connections + load balancing router

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  • 22-02-2008 12:34pm
    #1
    axer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,517 ✭✭✭


    The sister needs broadband in her house to work from home. She is too far from an enabled exchange to get wired broadband. She has eircom wireless broadband at the moment but it is crap. High latency and low speeds (512k download - not sure what the upload speed is) - but at least there is apparently no download limit. The broadband is paid for by her employer.

    I was thinking she should get maybe a 3 and an o2 connection 3g connection or just 2x 3 3g connections to get broadband with a load balancing router.

    The coverage map for 3g puts her at indoor quality signal for both 3 and o2. Each of them offer 10gb download so that would be 20gb download speed in total per month.

    Anyone see any downsides to this suggestion?
    Anyone recommend a cheap load balancing router?
    Anyone know the upload speeds 3g can offer?
    Any other advice?

    She was thinking that work could pay for one and she could pay for the other.

    Thanks for any help/advice,
    Noel


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    #2
    lynchie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,994 ✭✭✭lynchie


    Why do you need a load balancing router? Having one does not mean you can download at twice the speed. It means the connections are balanced across two interfaces, so if you were downloading the latest Vista Service Pack from MS it would download on one connection at full speed, and not download over the two connections at the same time.


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    #3
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    Also, if both connections are with the one company then you'll be shooting yourself in the foot, as each 3G cell has a maximum of 3.6Mbps available. If you have two modems side by side, they'll both be in the same cell and therefore getting 1/2 of the 3.6M each. You'd have to go for separate companies to make your idea worth doing.

    O2 and Vodafone would be the only ones worth considering, 3 simply doesn't work. I'm not aware of any load balancing router that will work with 3G modems though.

    If she has O2 coverage, then she'd be as well to just get that on it's own.


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    #4
    axer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,517 ✭✭✭axer


    lynchie wrote: »
    Why do you need a load balancing router? Having one does not mean you can download at twice the speed. It means the connections are balanced across two interfaces, so if you were downloading the latest Vista Service Pack from MS it would download on one connection at full speed, and not download over the two connections at the same time.
    Im thinking reliability because it is important that she has access to the corporate VPN.
    jor el wrote:
    I'm not aware of any load balancing router that will work with 3G modems though.
    http://redmobility.com/index.php/routers/top_gobal_mb9000_3g/4g_mobile_router.html

    Id say she might be better going with just one connection to O2 then as vodafone is not in her area and the only other option is 3. Plus the expense of it all.


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