Twin Line Broadband?

Johnboy1951

Heading intriguing? Hope so; looking for some general info please .....

'in the sticks' ... broadband NGB 8Mb is available from the exchange, but the distance to the premises is too great to get more than about 4 Mb

An acquaintance asked me what options they might have to get 10Mb to 12Mb connection they desire.

My initial thought was two separate broadband connections and a suitable router to make use of both.

If the user can do this at his premises, I wondered ...... is there any facility for Eircom to do something similar at the exchange side, which might give better results at the premises?

Any information? I have not read of anything myself ... but that doesn't mean much.

Thanks.

Sponge Bob

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

My initial thought was two separate broadband connections and a suitable router to make use of both.

Exactly, a load balancing or failover DSL router will do this 2 x 8mbit lines will give crudely ( but less) 2 x max line speeds.

If the user can do this at his premises, I wondered ...... is there any facility for Eircom to do something similar at the exchange side, which might give better results at the premises?

At distance you simply cannot beat 4mbits on a line where you are so what eircom COULD do is offer a bonded or bonded pair product. One service over 1 2 or 4 pairs.

These are quite common where an exchange supports VDSL and eircom will no doubt deploy them...or maybe they have.

However they will not deploy VDSL in many rural areas where the max is 8mbits and their gear is ADSL1 era gear from a 2001 standard. It is possible to offer Annex M ADSL2+ bonded pair products off up to 24 mbit exchanges which are more common than VDSL exchanges.

Problem is eircom won't do it

Johnboy1951

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Exactly, a load balancing or failover DSL router will do this 2 x 8mbit lines will give crudely ( but less) 2 x max line speeds.



At distance you simply cannot beat 4mbits on a line where you are so what eircom COULD do is offer a bonded or bonded pair product. One service over 1 2 or 4 pairs.

These are quite common where an exchange supports VDSL and eircom will no doubt deploy them...or maybe they have.

However they will not deploy VDSL in many rural areas where the max is 8mbits and their gear is ADSL1 era gear from a 2001 standard. It is possible to offer Annex M ADSL2+ bonded pair products off up to 24 mbit exchanges which are more common than VDSL exchanges.

Problem is eircom won't do it

Thanks for the info.

So, IIUC, it IS possible, to bond two lines at the exchange, thus giving better connection speed at the premises?
Accepting that the max this exchange can give is 8Mb, and at the distance to the premises a max 4Mb, the bonded lines should give, at the premises, somewhere close to 7Mb or thereabout?
But Eircom do not offer this option.

So the only option appears to be two separate connections and a decent router to manage the data on both.

I have seen those options in my own router - Vigor 2910VG - although I have had no occasion to use them both. It seems to have load balancing choices of 'Auto' and 'According to Line Speed'.
It can have both 'Always On' or On Demand ...... as a fail over or when one exceeds either up or download speed.

Thanks for the details.

I will advise him the only option he has is two separate connections and a suitable router.

regards

Sponge Bob

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Thanks for the info.

So, IIUC, it IS possible, to bond two lines at the exchange, thus giving better connection speed at the premises?
But Eircom do not offer this option.

Yes.

So the only option appears to be two separate connections and a decent router to manage the data on both.

I have seen those options in my own router - Vigor 2910VG - although I have had no occasion to use them both. It seems to have load balancing choices of 'Auto' and 'According to Line Speed'.
It can have both 'Always On' or On Demand ...... as a fail over or when one exceeds either up or download speed.

Thanks for the details.

I will advise him the only option he has is two separate connections and a suitable router.

Very good, he will have 2 lines with a BB package on each and plugged into one router. He would 'load balance' between them for maximum speed.

It would be at most 7mbits even if each individual line was 4mbits given distance etc. A Draytek Vigor with 2 line ports may do it, I seem to recall Draytek doing such a router.

Johnboy1951

A Draytek Vigor with 2 line ports may do it, I seem to recall Draytek doing such a router.

Yes ..... the Draytek Vigor 2910VG I have, has two WAN connections as described.

Sponge Bob

You will need to plug each WAN connector into a separate MODEM. You can get all in one twin modem/routers too ...they have 2 telephone line ports instead of twin WANs.....but the Vigor should do just fine.

Johnboy1951

Sponge Bob wrote: »

You will need to plug each WAN connector into a separate router. You can get all in one twin modem/routers too ...they have 2 telephone line ports instead of twin WANs.....but the Vigor should do just fine.

Presumably you meant each into a separate modem.

Yes I believe Draytek also do a unit (or used to) with twin modems (2500?). Not sure about other functions in those that might be desirable. His problem

Oh, he won't be getting my router

Sponge Bob

Course you can load balance/failover dsl + wireless or dsl + cable on your yoke just as easily.

Johnboy1951

Aye ....... I looked at that some time ago, but did not have access to a suitable (supported) dongle to test.
It didn't really interest me TBH.
I tried getting a HD connected too, but no great luck.
I think it supported FAT only at the time.

IIRC I succeeded in getting a small FAT partition on a USB flash stick to be recognised. That was of no use to me.