Bonding Internet connections

ART6

Something that has just occurred to me but I can't immediately think my way through it.

I have two phone connections, one number that I use for telephone and Internet, and the other for fax only. The fax line hardly ever gets used nowadays. My Internet router is part of a network with three computers and the LAN switch has three spare ports. I have a couple of spare routers.

Now the question: If I connect a spare router to the fax line and discontinue the fax service, thereby having two routers on the same network but on different lines, would I be able to double my very slow broadband connection by using both lines and both routers at the same time or is it always one or the other?

Probably a silly question but I can't think of the answer!

bhickey

ART6 wrote: »

Probably a silly question but I can't think of the answer!

It's possible but you'd need a special router to which you'd connect the 2 broadband lines. You'd also need to get broadband on the fax line of course.

ART6

bhickey wrote: »

It's possible but you'd need a special router to which you'd connect the 2 broadband lines. You'd also need to get broadband on the fax line of course.

Thanks for the quick response. Your answer makes a lot of sense, and I know such routers are available. Still, I have no doubt our service provider would then look for twice the broadband fee, although we already pay for 10 Mb/s and generally receive no more than 1.7:(

bhickey

ART6 wrote: »

Still, I have no doubt our service provider would then look for twice the broadband fee

Certainly and I suppose it's reasonable that if you've got 2 broadband lines then you pay for 2 broadband lines.

....although we already pay for 10 Mb/s and generally receive no more than 1.7:(

A separate matter entirely. What sort of broadband is it and what's been done to figure out why you only get 1.7Mbit/sec instead of 10?

ART6

bhickey wrote: »

A separate matter entirely. What sort of broadband is it and what's been done to figure out why you only get 1.7Mbit/sec instead of 10?

The reason given is that we are out in the sticks at near the limit from the exchange. However, when we first acquired a broadband service a few years ago now the speeds were at least double those we now have, and it's getting worse. For example, we increasingly have dropped connections using Skype that we use extensively for international business conference calls. I assume that more and more users are coming on line in our area. But still, I do somewhat resent paying for something we never receive.

Talking to our service provider always results in the answer that it is "Eircom, not us, so there's nothing we can do".

Never mind. We are going to have a "knowledge economy" aren't we?

Again, thanks for your advice bhickey. It's good to talk!

bhickey

ART6 wrote: »

..... I do somewhat resent paying for something we never receive.

Dead right and some providers will reduce the monthly fee if they've satisfied themselves that they can't do any better.

Talking to our service provider always results in the answer that it is "Eircom, not us, so there's nothing we can do".

B******s, there's always something that can be done. If someone is selling a 10MBit/sec service and delivering 1.7Mb then I for one would not be taking it lying down.

What service is it - ADSL2+?, what exchange are you on, how far from the exchange are you, are any other providers available at that exchange, can you see the line stats in your router? Grrr!