Have you ever considered getting a second internet connection for your home? While it might sound unnecessary at first, there are actually several compelling reasons why having two internet providers can be beneficial. Maybe you need a backup connection for important work calls. Perhaps you want to maximize your internet speeds by combining two services. Or you might want to create two separate networks for enhanced security and privacy.
Whatever your reasons, setting up two internet connections in a single household is very doable, even if it requires a bit of networking know-how. In this ultimate guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about having dual internet providers, including how to configure your setup, potential technical hurdles to overcome, key benefits, and more. By the end, you‘ll be equipped with the knowledge to make an informed decision about whether doubling up on internet is right for you. Let‘s get connected!
5 Reasons You Might Want Two Internet Providers
While most homes get by just fine with a single internet connection, there are a few specific scenarios where having two internet providers can really pay off. Here are some of the top reasons to consider a dual provider setup:
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Redundancy and reliability. Internet outages happen, and they always seem to strike at the worst possible times. By subscribing to two independent internet services, you can create a failover system where if one connection goes down, the other will automatically pick up the slack. This is especially crucial for anyone who works from home or relies on a stable connection for important tasks.
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Improved speeds and bandwidth. Two internet connections means twice the bandwidth! By combining the speeds of dual providers through load balancing, you can achieve faster downloads, lower latency, and an overall snappier browsing experience, particularly if you have many users and devices on your network. Just note that total speed will be limited by your slowest connection.
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Separate networks for work and play. With two internet setups, you can create two distinct networks for enhanced privacy and security. For instance, you might reserve one connection for your work devices and another for personal gadgets and smart home tech. This makes it harder for a hacker to infiltrate your entire network and keeps your important data isolated.
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More flexible plans and pricing. By mixing and matching services from different providers, you may be able to devise a custom plan that provides the ideal mix of speed and data at the best price. For example, if you need tons of data for streaming but don‘t require the fastest possible speeds, you could opt for an unlimited cable plan alongside a lower-tier fiber connection.
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Because you can! Let‘s be real – there‘s a certain undeniable coolness factor to having a double internet setup. If you‘re the kind of person who always wants the latest and greatest tech, setting up two services is a fun challenge. And who doesn‘t love being the envy of guests when you casually mention your crazy-fast dual gigabit connection?
Types of Internet Services for Your Home
Before we dive into the technical details of setting up two connections, let‘s review the main types of internet services available for residential customers:
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DSL: Short for Digital Subscriber Line, DSL operates over telephone infrastructure to provide speeds up to around 100 Mbps. Availability and performance largely depends on your proximity to your provider‘s facilities.
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Cable: Cable internet is one of the most common connection types, piggybacking on the same coaxial lines that deliver cable TV to your home. Cable can achieve speeds from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps or higher.
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Fiber: Fiber-optic lines are considered the gold standard of residential internet, using pulses of light to transmit data at speeds exceeding 1 Gbps. However, fiber is still being built out and has limited availability.
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Satellite: For rural areas without access to other options, satellite internet beams down connectivity from space. Satellite is improving but still suffers from high latency and spotty reliability. Starlink and other LEO satellites promise to boost speeds.
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Fixed Wireless: Fixed wireless uses broadcasting antennas to blanket an area in internet coverage, much like cell networks. Speeds are similar to DSL or cable and require line-of-site to an antenna. 5G networks may increase performance.
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Cellular: Many cell carriers now offer dedicated mobile hotspots and data-only plans for home internet access. 4G LTE can provide speeds around 30 Mbps, while 5G tops out over 1 Gbps. Data caps are a concern.
How to Set Up Two Internet Connections in Your House
Now for the fun part – creating your dual internet setup! The exact configuration will depend on your specific equipment and providers, but here‘s a general overview of how to connect two services in one home network:
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Start with two modems. You‘ll need two separate modems to connect to your respective internet services. The type of modem will depend on your connection – DSL uses a DSL modem, cable uses a DOCSIS modem, and so on. Connect each modem to the corresponding line from your ISPs.
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Add a dual WAN router. A typical consumer router only has a single WAN (wide area network) port for internet. To utilize two connections, you‘ll need a special dual WAN router with two WAN ports. Connect each modem to one of the WAN ports on the router. Popular dual WAN routers include the Peplink Balance 20, Ubiquiti ER-X, and TP-Link TL-R605.
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Configure your dual WAN settings. Most dual WAN routers offer several modes to utilize your two connections. "Failover" will route all traffic over your primary connection and only switch to the backup if the first goes down. "Load balancing" will intelligently split traffic between both lines to maximize total bandwidth. "Dual gateway" maps separate LAN ports to each WAN connection for two distinct networks.
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Finish your LAN setup. Once your dual WAN router is configured, the rest of your home network setup is the same as a typical single-provider layout. Connect your router LAN ports to Ethernet switches to hardwire devices, add in your wireless access points, configure your DHCP settings, and so on. Your dual WAN router will handle the internet side.
Technical Considerations for a Dual Internet Setup
While setting up two internet connections is absolutely achievable for the tech-savvy user, there are a few technical factors to keep in mind:
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Varying speeds and latency. If your two internet connections offer drastically different speeds or latency, it can lead to uneven performance when load balancing. Your total speed will only be as fast as the slowest link. Pairing connections with similar performance will provide a more seamless experience.
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Double NAT issues. Each ISP typically assigns a single public IP address via DHCP to your first connected device. Adding in a dual WAN router can introduce a double NAT configuration that can cause problems for certain applications and services. Using one of your connections in bridged mode or configuring proper port forwarding can help avoid these issues.
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Separate MAC addresses. Every internet device has a unique MAC address for identification. Since you‘re connecting two modems to one router, you need to ensure the router is assigning the correct WAN MAC address to each provider. Most dual WAN routers support MAC address cloning or allow overrides on each WAN interface to avoid conflicts.
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Failback and failover time. If you‘re using your dual provider setup for redundancy and failover, make sure to configure and test the automated failback settings. Some routers won‘t automatically revert back to the primary connection once it‘s restored, or the time to fail over to the backup is too long. Verify that your router is switching connections seamlessly.
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Simultaneous downloads and seeding. Peer-to-peer and torrent users with dual internet connections may need to adjust the settings in their download clients to cap upload speeds and connections. Unrestrained seeding and leeching could max out your upload bandwidth on one connection and hinder downloads on the other. Setting reasonable limits will yield better overall speeds.
Benefits of a Dual Internet Setup
So is it really worth the extra cost and complexity to have two internet providers? For the right user, absolutely! Here‘s a recap of some of the biggest benefits of a dual provider setup:
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Better reliability and uptime. With two connections, an outage on one line won‘t sever your link to the outside world. For anyone who depends on a solid internet connection for their livelihood, minimizing downtime is well worth the investment.
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Faster speeds and lower latency. By combining connections through load balancing, you can maximize your total bandwidth and throughput. Just note that real-world speeds will depend on your router‘s load balancing efficiency and processing power.
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Flexibility to scale and customize. With two internet services at your disposal, you have more flexibility to tailor your home network to your needs. Create two separate networks for work and play, or configure dual gateways for IoT devices and entertainment systems. Adjust bandwidth allocation and throttling as needed.
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Potential cost savings. In some cases, creatively combining lower-tier plans from different providers may be cheaper than a single high-end service. It pays to shop around and do the math based on your household‘s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let‘s wrap up by addressing some common questions about dual internet setups:
Is it legal to have two internet providers?
There‘s no law against subscribing to multiple internet services, but some ISPs may prohibit bonding or combining connections in their terms of service. Be sure to read the fine print.
How can I get two internet connections in one house?
The best option is to choose providers that use different connection types – e.g. fiber from one ISP and cable or 5G from another. That way you‘re not competing for the same infrastructure. You can also look into bonded internet services that are designed to combine multiple connections.
Can I plug two modems into one router?
That depends on the specifications of your router. Only routers that offer dual WAN ports or include a USB port with WWAN capabilities can support two modems. Standard single-WAN routers can only accept one internet connection at a time.
Does having two routers increase Internet speed?
Simply adding a second router won‘t increase your speed. However, if that second router is connected to a second internet service, you can combine the bandwidth of both connections to improve overall throughput.
Can I bond any two internet connections?
In most cases, yes. But for the best bonding, it‘s ideal to choose two services that have similar bandwidth and latency specs. Bonding a gigabit fiber line with a 10 Mbps DSL line will result in uneven load balancing.
Do I need two Wi-Fi networks for two internet connections?
It depends on your router and configuration. With a dual WAN router, you can use a single Wi-Fi network (SSID) for both connections in load balancing mode. But if you want to create two separate networks for each connection, you‘ll need to set up two SSIDs either on the router or additional access points.
The Bottom Line on Having Two Internet Providers
As you can see, setting up two internet services in a single household is not only possible, it‘s a smart choice for many power users. Whether you‘re looking to enhance your reliability through redundancy, increase speeds by bonding bandwidth, or create separate networks for work and play, a dual provider setup opens up a world of possibilities.
With the right equipment and configuration, your home network can transform into a high-powered, two-provider workhorse. Use the tips and information above to design your ideal setup. Happy surfing!
