Blog

Another way to do DSL line bonding? Should surprise BT

Quick phone call from an old friend of an old friend, saying that he thinks he's found a way of speeding up your internet connection: "We have found a way of doing data bonding, in software!" - and they call it SharedBand.

He promises more details in the post, but apparently, he's heard all about the Firebrick, which is the technique I use here at NewsWireless Tangles.

What the Firebrick technique uses, is a specially designed micro-firewall (from Watchfront) which lets you connect up to four ADSL lines into a single data pipe. It takes two Firebricks, with all four lines coming into the wall, and being bonded together as a single Ethernet connection.

To make this work, of course, you have to feed a single Internet connection into the other end. Watchfront does that: they provide standard ISP services. In their network headquarters, they have another Firebrick. Four outgoing ADSL lines (yours) are fed by the Firebrick; the packets are split up and shared out. And then the other firebrick, at your offices, puts them all back into the right order.

I've explained this trick to any number of people, and without exception, they've all patiently and condescendingly explained to me "it doesn't work like that, Guy!" and assured me I've been taken for a ride. "It can't make it any faster," they say. "It probably slows things down."
No, actually, it doesn't. It works wonderfully, and means a special advantage for uploading, because that's where ADSL always falls down. But with four ADSL lines, you get leased-line upload speeds. And on top of that, any of the lines can go dead, without your connection faltering.

So Sharedband sounds like a great idea, because, from initial information, it's the same thing but without needing the special purpose-built firewall; it works by reprogramming your ADSL modem/router.

More information when we get it. Web site at http://www.sharedband.com/ and make sure you type it in. I was told where it was, and, mishearing, went straight to shedband.com - which is entirely a different thing.

Initial reports say BT will be involved in marketing this. That, I have to say, I will need to see...