Linking multiple internet connections.

[CrowdedMill]

I have a pretty straight-forward issue. I hope there is a relatively easy solution. Basically, my company has a T1 line. The sole reason that I can gather from the folks that ordered it 5 years ago is that the internet connection needs to be reliable. It is currently being used to connect just two office computers to the internet. It costs nearly $900/month.

I was wondering why I couldn't install a cable modem and a DSL modem and find some fancy appliance to switch from one to the other in the case of an outage. I found a Barracuda product that "shares" the connections, but I could really settle for running everything on one connection and just dumping to the secondary in case of failure.

Anyone have experience with this? My hardware budget is pretty big considering I could show a $700/month savings if I can prove reliability of a redundant solution.

[petraarkanian]

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/routers/ps5853/product_data_sheet0900aecd8016a59b.html

with

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps3129/ps6943/product_data_sheet0900aecd804b4478.html

and

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/routers/ps274/product_data_sheet09186a00800921f0.html

The listed routers which those 2 cards will work with are in the links provided. Those routers by default have 2 ethernet ports (just enough since you say you only have 2 PC's if you need more you can always add another router/switch.

[gbarnas]

I was pretty much in agreement with PetraArkanian's reply until I read the "two ethernet ports" line. The two ports are routing ports, and are designed for connection to other switches on different network segments. They could be used, but it would not be a "good" solution.

Also, keep in mind that you likely already have a router connected to the T1. If it is a Cisco modular device, you can add the cable connection, test, and then replace the T1 CSU with the DSL. Be sure to work with a vendor that is familiar with the services in your area so you get the correct interfaces.

Since you are paying for T1 service, the site is important enough not to use cheap hardware for the cable and dsl and add complexity with a connection sharing device. We have several hundred locations that use the Cisco 2800 with MPLS connections and the DSL backup and the result is extremely reliable.

Glenn

I have a pretty straight-forward issue. I hope there is a relatively easy solution. Basically, my company has a T1 line. The sole reason that I can gather from the folks that ordered it 5 years ago is that the internet connection needs to be reliable. It is currently being used to connect just two office computers to the internet. It costs nearly $900/month.

I was wondering why I couldn't install a cable modem and a DSL modem and find some fancy appliance to switch from one to the other in the case of an outage. I found a Barracuda product that "shares" the connections, but I could really settle for running everything on one connection and just dumping to the secondary in case of failure.

Anyone have experience with this? My hardware budget is pretty big considering I could show a $700/month savings if I can prove reliability of a redundant solution.

[designbooks]

some things to consider include the cancellation penalty cost on your T1 circuit. you could do some shopping around and determine competitor prices. the key thing is there are only 2 computers using the circuit and considering moderate usage you could use a DSL circuit. The T1 is more reliable however and often what businesses select. you could add a DSL circuit on the same router, shutting T1 interface and do some testing of DSL performance for a month.