Cross networking question

[erikdravn]

Hey all,

I submitted a question to the Tekzilla gang a couple weeks ago, to no avail. So, I'll post it here and see if I get any help.

I am trying to connect 1 computer to two separate networks. The purpose of this is to "load balance" and speed up my internet (my landline connection has DNS lookup issues, but is otherwise very fast). One is a wireless and one in hardwired. I am getting conflicts and connection issues. When I boot my computer, the landline connection connects first, causing my wireless connection to never have internet access after it connects.

The two networks are COMPLETELY separate from each other. 2 different companies, 2 different connection types (1 cable and 1 dsl). One of the oddest errors I'm getting once in a while is IP conflicts. Very strange due to the fact I'm using 2 completely seperate networks with DHCP on everything.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
~Erik

[trunolimit]

Load balancing is no easy task in any sense. Especially between two different ISPs. The most you can hope for without spending some real money is fail over. That's when one connection goes down your traffic gets diverted. One major problem is externally you have two different IP addresses and splitting traffic breaks certain protocols.

I was looking to do the same thing earlier. here is a link to the thread

The IP conflict issue is weird on it's own. If you are using one device to connect both the wifi and LAN connections on your computer using DHCP and you are getting conflict issues there is something going on. We need more info like what type of router you're using and verify your network settings are indeed DHCP. Actually most modern modems are routers also so if you have DHCP enabled on that as well as a stand alone router with DHCP, what could be happening is both devices are handing out the same IPs without you knowing it. Since you have DSL and cable I assume you have 2 different modems which could be acting as routers as well as if you have a stand alone router like a linksys you are just asking for trouble.

Edit: looking at that old thread this Vyatta software is definitely a step in the right direction. Maybe you have an old PC somewhere that you can add a couple of NICs to and install the free open source version on

Further Edit: here is a list of 7 free network OS. Some of them look promising. I think your best bet is to re purpose an old x86 machine with a bunch of NICs on it into a kick ass router. Gigabit NICs are pretty cheep so it wouldn't cost to much and you don't need much processing power to move around home traffic. Most routers on the market for home users are clocked at 333MHZ. My old Pentium3 dell tower can handle several times the traffic a linksys can by those standards.

[flaminio]

Originally Posted by erikdravn

(my landline connection has DNS lookup issues, but is otherwise very fast).

Would changing your DNS to something like OpenDNS or Google's DNS alleviate this issue? There's no law that says you have to use your ISP's DNS servers.

[jfossy]

In your position, I would get a router that can handle two (2) different WAN sources. That way, if one ISP goes down, it shouldn't drastically affect you. Just do a search for "dual wan router" and you will see you have several options.

For the DNS issue, like mentioned above, I would use OpenDNS servers or some other reliable DNS server. You don't have to use your ISP's DNS servers.

[trunolimit]

Originally Posted by jfossy

In your position, I would get a router that can handle two (2) different WAN sources. That way, if one ISP goes down, it shouldn't drastically affect you. Just do a search for "dual wan router" and you will see you have several options.

For the DNS issue, like mentioned above, I would use OpenDNS servers or some other reliable DNS server. You don't have to use your ISP's DNS servers.

I had no idea these were on the market. DD-WRT even does it. You could get a cheap linksys (older version) or a buffalo router and flash it with DD-WRT and get your load balancing on. Much simpler than re-purposing an old x86 PC.

[justpeon]

Originally Posted by erikdravn

Hey all,

I submitted a question to the Tekzilla gang a couple weeks ago, to no avail. So, I'll post it here and see if I get any help.

I am trying to connect 1 computer to two separate networks. The purpose of this is to "load balance" and speed up my internet (my landline connection has DNS lookup issues, but is otherwise very fast). One is a wireless and one in hardwired. I am getting conflicts and connection issues. When I boot my computer, the landline connection connects first, causing my wireless connection to never have internet access after it connects.

The two networks are COMPLETELY separate from each other. 2 different companies, 2 different connection types (1 cable and 1 dsl). One of the oddest errors I'm getting once in a while is IP conflicts. Very strange due to the fact I'm using 2 completely seperate networks with DHCP on everything.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
~Erik

A better list.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._distributions