How to combine two internet connections for faster speed

So, you’ve got two or more internet sources and you want to combine them to create one faster, more reliable connection? Here’s how to do it. 

Bonding

Combining multiple internet sources into one connection is called bonding the connection, and it’s not quite as simple as you might assume. Because internet data is sent and received from your device, if you split up those data packets and send them over multiple internet connections, you will need a server on the other end to combine them again. 

The easiest way to do this is by installing software on your computer like Speedify and running multiple internet connections into that computer. If you want your bonded internet connection to work throughout your home, you’ll want to install Speedify on a router or a Raspberry Pi and connect your internet into that. 

Of course, Speedify will cost a monthly fee, so many users will be looking for a cheaper option. 

Load Balancing

The next step down from bonding is called load balancing. You can buy a very inexpensive load balancing router and connect multiple internet sources to it, and the router will use each source for different devices. For example, it may use one internet source for a computer and another for video streaming on another device. 

The benefit of load balancing is that it’s easy and affordable, but unlike bonding, it isn’t capable of speeding up things like a single large upload or download or streaming a video. 

Failover

Maybe you don’t want to combine multiple internet sources, but you want to use a second as a backup in case the first fails. This is called a failover system. Load balancing routers can be set to “failover” rather than load balancing if you have a data cap on one of your internet sources and you only want to use it in emergencies. 

Another option is a wireless router that has a SIM card slot and automatic failover. The Netgear Nighthawk AX4 will use your standard internet source via Ethernet, but if that connection fails, it will automatically switch over to the 4G network from the SIM card. 

Lee Morris is a professional photographer based in Charleston SC, and is the co-owner of Fstoppers.com

Khalid Noor, 2020

By combining two or more internet connections, higher internet speeds can be achieved!

A lot of the time an individual may wonder how to improve their internet connection. This particular individual may be at home or in an office and wondering what they could possibly do to improve their internet so it can benefit their productivity. Their internet may be extremely slow, or simply just not good enough. They may even wonder if they could just combine two internet connections into one, as if perhaps it may magically increase their internet speed and solve their problems, almost like adding one and one to get two. In fact, this is something they can do.

It is very possible to combine two internet connections into one more powerful Internet connection. One is not limited to two internet connections. Several connections can be combined or as we should refer to it properly, bonded together to make even more powerful Internet connections. We say bonded, because this process or technique is referred to as ‘Internet Bonding’. 

This is because Internet Bonding can be confused with other techniques commonly utilised in the enhancement of an Internet setup such as failover routers which simply backups your current internet connection with another one, so in case your primary connection fails, a secondary one kicks in so you do not have downtime in internet uptime and this primarily is used to help businesses ensure optimal and continuous use of their internet.

Also can be confused with Load balancing, which actually in some ways is similar to bonding internet, in that it balances your internet across different sockets and maximises use of your bandwidth. On the other hand,  Internet bonding takes this by going further and breaking the flow of the internet down even more efficiently into ‘packets’ and letting spread over many more connections and then combining those into one connection that is more powerful, giving you the benefit of more optimal use of bandwidth but also more optimal speeds.

By utilising this technique of Internet Bonding however, we can create a strong reliable connection that solves the issues that may have arisen from our slower Internet connections, that prompted us to wonder if we could even combine two Internet connections.

So how is it done? It’s really quite simple to understand Internet bonding of two connections or more. It is just addition. For instance, you may have a 6 mb/s NBN connection that you are not satisfied with. You then may have it bonded to another NBN connection from a service provider that allows you to be able to bond your current NBN connection with the NBN services they offer, so you go ahead and bond another 6mb/s NBN connection to your current one, and now you have a 12mb/s connection. It is as straightforward as that, and by now you’ve most likely realised a lot of the lagging issues you have had in the past have disappeared and your efficiency has increased.

Internet connections on their own vary greatly in quality, some much better than others, with many factors such as where you are located(rural) coming into play. Bringing improved speeds and resiliency as well as optimising bandwidth usage, bonding is a great solution to a lot of issues commonly faced with internet connection speeds and productivity, providing a boost to your home internet or organisational internet structure, making your Internet service the last thing you need to worry about.

Learn more, how two or more internet connections can be combined.