(I'm using WinXp.)

We have two 512/512 broadband connections to our apartment. I'd like to connect both to my better XP box to get the whole capacity used as we pay for it anyway. One connection would be plugged to onboard LAN connector and ther other to a PCI network card. The broadband connections are through VPN "tunnel". This is not changeable as it came with the apartment. Our ISP is NOT know for their customer services, so anything that requirers contacting them is a lost cause.

Is this suggestion even possible and if it is, how do I go about doing it?
Shoot it down if you can, so I can stop dreaming...

- Pak

Hi.

you might be able to do it ... there are at least two ways to do it.
1.) get some software to get input from both "nets" ... currently I am not aware of any winxp specific software that can do that (but it might exist), although it might be limited which programs can benefit from it ...
2.) buy a hardware router that can accept two different connections, I know of several brands, but I can currently only come up with one:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2323492&sourceid=27758557422472935024

(This one costs $88 at walmart)

(Actually I could'nt come up with any, so I googled at little to find it : try using "dual wan router" (without aphostrophes, in google) : http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=dual+wan+router

there are many possibilities, but it requires you to be able to get the two WAN connections (NOT ethernet connections, there is quite a subtle difference, as WAN is actually like a phone connector which is a little smaller than the ethernet connector (RJ45), but else the look pretty much alike.

If that is not an option, there might still be some hope, but I do not know an exact solution to this.

Best regards: Jacob Eskildsen / (userid: eskildsen, countryid: Denmark/[DK])

what would happen if you would bridge those two connections? It's free and it's worth a try.

Are both connections from the same provider? If so there is no point.

"what would happen if you would bridge those two connections? It's free and it's worth a try."

You lost me. Bridging is what exactly? (english is a second language for me)

"Are both connections from the same provider? If so there is no point."

Yes they are. What do you mean, there's no point?
Thanks for suggestions everyone.

- Pak

Why not save some money and drop one connection and up the bandwidth of the other to 1M or 1.5M?

If you have two or more network connections you right click on one and choose bridge connections. No idea if it will work.

"Why not save some money and drop one connection and up the bandwidth of the other to 1M or 1.5M?"

Not an option. The apartment's rented and the conn is included in the rent. It's a standard procedure in our student housing foundation. One conn per room, whwther or not you use it or not, you still pay for it.
Anyway the price is not that big, something like 17€/month/connection.

-Pak

"
(NOT ethernet connections, there is quite a subtle difference, as WAN is actually like a phone connector which is a little smaller than the ethernet connector (RJ45), but else the look pretty much alike.
"

No idea what you're talking about. My Dlink router connects to my ADSL modem with standard ethernet cable, RJ 45 plugs in both ends. Never seen it done any differently.

As to the original question of this thread, I'd guess, altough never seen it done, that you should be able to do it with two NICs (if onboard or PCI shouldn't matter), but then you need to find some software that does the load balancing in order to get any benefit out of it. Dunno how that would shake out. It was done with modems, long, long ago when ppl still had those things. But if one of your connections is through a VPN tunnel I doubt that you'd get it to work

H.

"
As to the original question of this thread, I'd guess, altough never seen it done, that you should be able to do it with two NICs (if onboard or PCI shouldn't matter), but then you need to find some software that does the load balancing in order to get any benefit out of it. Dunno how that would shake out. It was done with modems, long, long ago when ppl still had those things. But if one of your connections is through a VPN tunnel I doubt that you'd get it to work
"

So NIC is just an ethernet network card (or onboard)?

Both connections are identical. Physically, there is a LAN througout the building, the actual structure is unknown though.(ISP isn't really helpful)
The wall socket is normal RJ45 and we connect with standard Ethernet cabel.

The connections are through VPN to the ISPs server, with the normal connection wizard in XP & some options modified. Thats pretty much all that I understand about it.

Anybody have any technical terms I could use ín the search for the software, I really have no idea what's required.


- Pak

Yes, a NIC is the Network Interface Card (or chip) Onboard or PCI its still more or less the same circuitry for this purpose.

Tech terms, try "dual broadband connection" in Google, spits out 178.000 pages, and the first ones look pretty relevant.

I guess, however that your major problem will be to do it with one connection being "secure", i.e. VPN.

H.