Two broadband connections in one home sounds extravagant—until you realize the benefits. Double your speed, eliminate downtime, or separate work from personal traffic. But can you actually combine connections to add their speeds together?
The answer: it depends. Several technologies exist, each with different capabilities, costs, and complexity. This guide explains what’s possible, what isn’t, and what makes sense for UK households.
The Three Ways to Use Multiple Connections
Understanding the difference between these approaches is critical:
1. Load Balancing (Most Common)
What it does: Distributes traffic across connections—different devices use different lines simultaneously
Speed boost: None for single device, but household capacity doubles
Example: Your laptop uses Connection A, your partner’s uses Connection B
2. Connection Bonding (True Speed Combining)
What it does: Genuinely combines bandwidth into single faster pipe
Speed boost: Yes—adds speeds together
Example: 50 Mbps + 50 Mbps = 100 Mbps usable speed on one device
3. Failover (Redundancy)
What it does: Second connection activates only when first fails
Speed boost: None—backup only
Example: Primary fails, traffic automatically switches to secondary within seconds
Most people want #2 (bonding) but get #1 (load balancing). Know the difference.
Load Balancing: The Practical Home Solution
Load balancing works like opening a second checkout lane at a supermarket—doesn’t make individual transactions faster, but processes more customers simultaneously.
How Load Balancing Works
Scenario: You have two broadband connections:
– Connection A: 50 Mbps
– Connection B: 50 Mbps
Without load balancing: Only use one connection, 50 Mbps available
With load balancing: Router distributes traffic:
– Device 1 (PC) → Connection A (50 Mbps)
– Device 2 (Phone) → Connection B (50 Mbps)
– Device 3 (Tablet) → Connection A (50 Mbps, shared with Device 1)
– Device 4 (Smart TV) → Connection B (50 Mbps, shared with Device 2)
Result: Household gets 100 Mbps total capacity, but individual devices max out at 50 Mbps.
When Load Balancing Makes Sense
✅ Good for:
– Large families with many devices
– Small offices with 5-10 people
– High-reliability requirements (one fails, other continues)
– Different networks for security (guest WiFi on second connection)
❌ Not good for:
– Single user wanting faster downloads
– Streaming 4K (single stream can’t use both)
– Gaming (game traffic must use one connection)
– Large file downloads on one device
Load Balancing Routers
Budget Option: TP-Link TL-R470T+ (£40-60)
– 4 WAN ports
– Basic load balancing
– No advanced features
– Adequate for home use
Mid-Range: Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine (£300-400)
– 2 WAN ports
– Intelligent balancing
– Professional features
– Failover included
Premium: Peplink Balance 20X (£500-600)
– Multiple WAN ports
– Sophisticated algorithms
– Business-grade reliability
– Includes basic bonding (SpeedFusion)
Setting Up Load Balancing
Requirements:
– Two internet connections (any type—mix FTTP + 5G, or two FTTP, etc.)
– Load balancing router
– Ethernet cables
– Basic networking knowledge
Process:
– Round-robin: Alternates connections per device
– Weighted: Favors faster connection proportionally
– Overflow: Uses secondary only when primary saturated
Time to setup: 1-2 hours for basic configuration
True Connection Bonding: Adding Speeds Together
This is the holy grail—genuinely combining bandwidth so single device sees combined speed.
How Bonding Works
Bonding requires infrastructure BOTH ends:
– Your home: Bonding device/software
– Remote server: Bonding server (usually cloud-based)
Data flow:
“
Your PC → Bonding device → Splits traffic across Connection A + B →
Bonding server (internet) → Recombines traffic → Destination website
Server knows traffic arriving from multiple connections is from you, reassembles it, and forwards to destination.
Why Bonding Is Expensive
You’re paying for:
– Specialized hardware or software
– Bonding server rental (monthly cost)
– Server bandwidth costs
– Technical complexity
Typical costs:
– Hardware: £200-600
– Server: £20-50/month
– Setup: Complex (DIY) or £200+ professional
Bonding Solutions for UK Users
#### Option 1: Peplink SpeedFusion
Hardware: Peplink Balance routers (from £500)
Service: SpeedFusion Cloud (£20-40/month)
Performance: Genuinely adds speeds together
Best for: Small businesses, remote workers needing reliability
How it works:
– Peplink router at your location
– SpeedFusion Cloud servers globally
– All traffic tunneled through bonded connection
– Seamless failover included
Limitation: Adds 20-30ms latency (traffic routes via cloud)
#### Option 2: Speedify
Type: Software-based bonding
Cost: £5-10/month per device
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Performance: Good but adds latency
How it works:
– Install Speedify software on device
– Software bonds available connections (WiFi + mobile data, or multiple WiFi)
– Routes through Speedify servers
– Combines bandwidth
Limitation:
– Only bonds connections for that specific device
– Doesn’t bond for entire network
– Added latency (~40-60ms)
– Requires software on every device
#### Option 3: Connectify Dispatch
Type: Windows software
Cost: £30-40 annual license
Platform: Windows PC only
Performance: Similar to Speedify
Best for: Windows users wanting simple bonding
Limitation: Single PC only, adds latency
Bonding Limitations
What bonding can’t fix:
– Two slow connections still = slow (10 Mbps + 10 Mbps = 20 Mbps, still not fast)
– High latency connections (satellite + ADSL bonded = still high latency)
– One connection with packet loss (affects combined stream)
Best bonding scenario:
– Two similar-quality connections (e.g., 50 Mbps FTTP + 50 Mbps 5G)
– Both low latency
– Both reliable
– Cost justified by need
Failover: Automatic Backup Connection
Simpler than bonding, cheaper than dual-use, essential for reliability-critical applications.
How Failover Works
Normal operation:
– All traffic uses Connection A
– Connection B sits idle, monitored
When Connection A fails:
– Router detects failure (usually within 10-30 seconds)
– Automatically switches all traffic to Connection B
– Connection continues with minimal disruption
When Connection A recovers:
– Router switches back (or stays on B, depending on configuration)
Why Failover Matters
Critical for:
– Working from home (can’t afford internet downtime)
– Online businesses (downtime = lost revenue)
– Security systems
– Medical devices requiring connectivity
– Smart home systems
Example: Primary FTTP connection has outage. Within 30 seconds, 5G backup activates. You stay online.
Failover Setup Options
#### Option 1: Dual WAN Router
Budget: TP-Link Omada ER605 (£50-70)
– 2 WAN ports
– Automatic failover
– 5-10 second switchover
Premium: Draytek Vigor 2862 (£150-200)
– 2 WAN ports
– Sub-second failover
– Advanced monitoring
#### Option 2: 4G/5G Backup
Dedicated 4G/5G routers:
– Draytek Vigor 2862ac with 4G module
– Netgear Nighthawk M2 as failover WAN
– Peplink MAX BR1 (£400-500, professional grade)
Setup:
– Primary: FTTP via WAN1
– Backup: 5G router connected to WAN2
– Router monitors primary, fails over to 5G when needed
Choosing Backup Connection
Best backup options:
– 5G/4G mobile: Different infrastructure = independent failures
– Cable (if available): Virgin Media if primary is Openreach
– Different ISP: Problems less likely to coincide
Avoid:
– Same ISP for both (outages might affect both)
– Same infrastructure (Openreach primary + Openreach backup = simultaneous failures possible)
Dual WAN Aggregation: The Middle Ground
Some routers claim “WAN aggregation”—combining download capacity without full bonding.
How WAN Aggregation Works
Per-connection basis:
– Downloads with multiple connections (torrent files, download managers) use both WANs
– Single-stream downloads (most websites) use one WAN
– Upload traffic can use both
Reality:
– Works for specific applications (torrents, some downloads)
– Doesn’t work for streaming, gaming, most browsing
– Better than nothing, not true bonding
Routers with aggregation:
– ASUS routers with “dual WAN” feature
– Some TP-Link gaming routers
Don’t expect miracles—aggregation is sophisticated load balancing, not bonding.
Real-World UK Scenarios
Scenario 1: Rural Home, Poor Broadband
Situation:
– FTTC: 20 Mbps, unreliable
– 5G available: 100 Mbps, good coverage
Solution:
– Use 5G as primary (faster)
– FTTC as backup (failover)
– Cost: ~£50 router + £20/month 5G + existing FTTC
Don’t bond—speeds too different, 5G already adequate primary.
Scenario 2: Work-From-Home Professional
Situation:
– FTTP 150 Mbps primary
– Need 99.9% uptime for video calls
Solution:
– Keep FTTP as primary
– Add 5G backup (£15-20/month)
– Failover configuration
– Cost: £50-70 router + £15/month backup
Don’t bond—FTTP already fast, just need redundancy.
Scenario 3: Large Family, Constant Congestion
Situation:
– FTTP 150 Mbps
– 6 people streaming/gaming simultaneously
– Constant buffering during evenings
Solution:
– Add second FTTP connection (£25-30/month)
– Load balance across both
– Total capacity: 300 Mbps
– Cost: £60 router + £25/month second line
Don’t bond—load balancing gives household capacity, which is the actual need.
Scenario 4: Professional Streamer/Content Creator
Situation:
– FTTP 150 Mbps (30 Mbps upload)
– Need 50+ Mbps upload for 4K streaming
Solution:
– Add second FTTP or 5G (30+ Mbps upload each)
– TRUE bonding via Speedify or Peplink
– Combined upload: 60+ Mbps
– Cost: £300+ bonding router + £30/month bonding service + second connection
Bonding justified—single device needs combined upload capacity.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Load Balancing
Cost: £40-300 router + second connection (£20-35/month)
Benefit: Double household capacity
ROI: High for families/small offices
True Bonding
Cost: £200-600 hardware + £20-50/month service + second connection
Benefit: Actual speed combining for single device
ROI: Low for most homes, high for professionals needing it
Failover
Cost: £50-200 router + backup connection (£10-20/month)
Benefit: Near-zero downtime
ROI: High for work-from-home, businesses
Technical Considerations
IP Address Issues
Problem: Different connections = different public IPs
Impact: Websites might log you out when switching connections
Solution: Bonding solves this (traffic appears from one IP). Load balancing doesn’t.
CGNAT Complications
Problem: Some ISPs (Three, Vodafone sometimes) use CGNAT
Impact: Harder to configure servers/services behind CGNAT connection
Solution: Use non-CGNAT connection as primary, CGNAT as backup only
Bandwidth Costs
Hidden cost: Two connections = two monthly bills
Example: FTTP £30/month + 5G £20/month = £600/year extra
Ask yourself: Is £600/year worth the benefits? Sometimes yes (business), sometimes no (casual use).
DIY Multi-WAN Setup
For technically inclined users:
Using pfSense/OPNsense (Free)
Hardware needed:
– Old PC with 2+ network ports (or add network card)
– Two internet connections
Software:
– pfSense or OPNsense (free open-source router OS)
Capabilities:
– Load balancing
– Failover
– Advanced routing policies
– Traffic shaping
Setup complexity: High—requires networking knowledge
Cost: £0-100 (repurposed hardware) or £200-400 (dedicated hardware)
Using MikroTik (Budget Professional)
Hardware: MikroTik hEX S (£50-70)
Capabilities: Everything professional routers do
Learning curve: Steep but well-documented
Cost: £50 hardware, no ongoing costs
When NOT to Bother
Don’t combine connections if:
❌ You have fast FTTP already
– 150+ Mbps handles most households fine
– Adding second connection wastes money
❌ You’re single user with adequate speed
– Load balancing doesn’t help one person
– Bonding too expensive to justify
❌ Both connections are slow
– 10 Mbps + 10 Mbps = 20 Mbps (still slow)
– Better to upgrade one connection
❌ You rarely use internet heavily
– Casual browsing doesn’t need redundancy
– Save £20-30/month
Combining broadband connections sounds sophisticated—and it can be. But most people don’t need true bonding (expensive, complex). They need:
Load balancing for household capacity (realistic for most)
Failover for reliability (makes sense for work-from-home)
Nothing if existing connection adequate (often the case)
True bonding makes sense for specific professional scenarios: content creators, streamers, businesses requiring genuine combined bandwidth for single applications.
For UK households, the sweet spot is:
– Good primary connection (FTTP 150+ Mbps)
– Budget 5G backup (£15-20/month)
– Failover router (£50-100)
– Total extra cost: ~£300/year for near-perfect uptime
That’s achievable, valuable, and doesn’t require complex bonding infrastructure.
Before investing in multi-WAN setups, honestly assess whether your existing connection adequately serves your needs. Often it does, and £300-600/year extra spending delivers minimal benefit.
But if you genuinely need the capacity, redundancy, or professional capability—multi-WAN solutions work brilliantly. Just know what you’re buying and why.
