Hi,

I have service from an unreliable cable internet provider.  My only
other choice is a second unreliable cable internet provider.  I'd like
to pool the two connections together (which come out via ethernet) so
that my computers have more reliable internet access.

I know this can be done with a PC, but I really don't want the time of
managing and setting it up.  So I'm looking for a hardware box I can
plug in which will do it for me.  It would be even nicer if it were a
hub that was NAT compatible.

What hardware should I consider?

---

Request for Question Clarification by aht-ga on 30 Jan 2004 08:32 PST

adrianb-ga:

The perfect solution for you would be the Nexland ISB Pro 800 router
with 2 WAN ports.

Unfortunately, Symantec acquired Nexland last year, and completely
removed Nexland's product line from the face of this planet. Much
gnashing of teeth and wailing on the part of loyal Nexland customers
ensued, to no avail.

In Symantec's product line, the closest replacement to the Nexland Pro
800 is the Symantec Firewall VPN 200, at $899 US. Overkill for your
needs:

http://nct.symantecstore.com/0001/appliance_sfvpn200.html

Since that's not an option, please let me know if you will accept the
following as an Answer:

http://tomshardware.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/details__cat_id--467,prod_id--11184145.html

I cannot vouch for the reliability of the brand, but the price point
is much more palatable!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

adrianb-ga:

In addition to the information I provided above, here is a list of
several cable routers you can consider, all with dual WAN port
capability:

http://store.yahoo.com/4ebuyer/duwanroandfi.html

http://store.yahoo.com/mrtech/duwan4dsbrro.html

http://store.yahoo.com/westcoastmicro/edbrduwanrof.html

http://store.yahoo.com/brodigit/nfr3024.html

http://tomshardware.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/details__cat_id--467,prod_id--11184145.html

I hope that this helps!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

great!

Hi adrianb-ga,

 You might need a couple of these routers:

http://www.cpx.com/proddetail.asp?c=BroadBand%20Routers&e=98

Especially look at the features such as "failover" and "parallel broadband"
Regards
Raman

But I need to buy a bunch of these boxes??  Is there not one single
unit which will allow a couple of broadband connections in, and one
out?  Or a couple in and a couple out?

It is possible that the two different "providers" are reselling
service over the same network; you'll want to check that before you
proceed.