Ethernet Aggregation Router/Switch? (to Combine 2 separate ethernet from 2 ISPs)

[Ichi-Zero]

Currently working from home with a single ISP (Cable)

 

Considering getting a 2nd line (DSL) -  just 50Mbps - Don't need anything super fast - enough for work/teams meetings

I recall years ago at a previous job; someone mentioned a Link Aggregation router/modem/switch? - that essentially stitches bandwidth from 2 ethernet lines into one output; this combines the speed from both ISPs - and adds redundancy - in the event one provider goes down. 

 

Does anyone know what these devices are called & where to buy them in Canada?

 

Looking to get someone like this  DSL (50Mbps) + Cable Internet (150Mbps) => Single 200Mbps output/redundancy

 

 

[jj9987]

To be clear, you're not going to have single 200 Mbps. You will still have 50+150 as one connection can only use one path, so single download will be limited to 50 or 150, depending on the configuration. But multiple clients can use different paths, so if you saturate one of the connections, another user can use the other connection and both can enjoy full bandwidth.

[Falcon1986]

16 minutes ago, Ichi-Zero said:

Does anyone know what these devices are called & where to buy them in Canada?

These types of routers usually have dual WAN ports (or LAN ports that can be assigned as WAN ports) on stock firmware or “unlocked” using third-party firmware. Features normally include load balancing and failover.

 

The speed of the dual WAN connection is not as simple as adding the 2 individual speeds. That would require bonding, which needs to occur at the ISP level (say you have 2 separate accounts with the same ISP) or through a different service altogether.

[Windows7ge]

Linus featured a technology years ago where something like this is possible for a single client but you would want a symmetrical connection from both ISP's and there's configuration on both your and the ISP's end. There's also the issue of some services like CloudFlare which may not like seeing connection data coming from two IP addresses.

 

I know in a long gone area there were devices that could aggregate multiple DSL connections but those aren't relevant here.

 

If you want to have two ISP connections keep them separate. What you're trying to do here isn't going to happen.

 

You can setup a network in a fail-over scenario though where one acts as a backup. You won't be getting 200Mbps for a single client though.