Can I Connect to 2 Internet Connections At Once?

[SamTheeGeek]

Hey Guys,

I got a question, i hope you guys can help me out with.

I got an 2010 iMac and 2 internet connections, is it possible to access them both like for example 1 internet connection for safari uploading/downloading etc. and the other for gaming?

So they don't effect each other.

Thanks

 

[Heilage]

If you connect to one router with each interface (ethernet and wifi), you can, but you'd have to switch interfaces between each of them when using them.

 

[SamTheeGeek]

If you connect to one router with each interface (ethernet and wifi), you can, but you'd have to switch interfaces between each of them when using them.

So for example one internet connection on the ethernet network cable port and the other on wireless ?

but can i use them at the same time? like on different programs.

Wired ethernet port = Safari

Wireless connection = World of warcraft

like that

 

[Heilage]

To my knowledge, that is not possible.

 

[SamTheeGeek]

aha ok...

i guess i will wait for the next iMac :S to add on my desk.

 

[nOw2]

If the application (e.g. World of Warcraft) always talks to specific servers, you could achieve this using static routes. The network traffic destination, NOT application, determines the connection used.

To do this requires some understanding of TCP/IP routing.

 

[SamTheeGeek]

If the application (e.g. World of Warcraft) always talks to specific servers, you could achieve this using static routes. The network traffic destination, NOT application, determines the connection used.

To do this requires some understanding of TCP/IP routing.

aha i understand.

 

[rtrt]

So for example one internet connection on the ethernet network cable port and the other on wireless ?

but can i use them at the same time? like on different programs.

Wired ethernet port = Safari

Wireless connection = World of warcraft

like that

this is an interesting one

Iirc then speaking generally, a PC usually has a default gateway configured.

This is the IP address of the local router on the LAN and all traffic thats not for the loacal LAN is sent to the default gateway for routing to it's destination.

I've heard that it's possible to configure more than one default gateway in some OS's, but i'd understood it to be in a fallback mode - ie when DG 1 isn't there, send all packets to DG 2 and so on.

Assuming that the above is true and that MacOS operates in that way, then I'm not sure how it could work as you want; ie you only ever have access to 1 router.

If it doesn't work that way then something might be possible.....

For example if you look at system preferences, it seems that you can configure the router IP address on a per interface basis - ie WLAN to router 1 and wired to router 2.

Then you have the next problem - how do you get an application to choose one of the 2 routes?

I doubt you can in individual apps - but maybe MacOS does something clever automatically and does some form of loadsharing - probably best to try and see?

I'd definitely be interested in what happens

 

[SamTheeGeek]

It would be pretty cool and useful if its does work, but i did just check that my applications doesn't support TCP/IP proxy configuring :S.

 

[milbournosphere]

you can connect to multiple ethernet connections, but I am not sure if there is any way in os x to use a certain connection (eth0, eth1, etc.). It'd be a pretty cool utility if you were able to find one.

 

[djc6]

Do a google search on Dual WAN routers. Up until last week I used the following:

http://www.draytek.com/user/PdInfoDetail.php?Id=37

I had Verizon DSL and Time Warner Cable Internet. I used the connections in a round-robin configuration; you set the bandwidth limits of both connections and the router doles out connections appropriately between the two connections. I also configured rules such as my DirecTV receiver always went through the timer warner connection.

I got rid of my Verizon DSL connection; I live in a rural area and I'm too far from the CO. It was very unreliable.. I wanted two internet connections because I work from home and I can't have any downtime. I'm going to switch to the Vigor 2955 which has a USB port for a 3G USB modem so you can fail over to a cellular connection when time warner is down (which happens about every other day for me). So if you want a good deal on a 2930 PM me

I also like the Peplink Balance 20 router, I think it has better firmware and more rules determining how your traffic is distributed. Unfortunately, it has a maximum throughput of 30 Mbps (combined uplink AND downlink on BOTH connections) - which was saturated by just my time warner connection. I went with the Vigor 2955 because it has a faster processor and a maximum WAN throughput of 70Mbps which is plenty.

 

[rtrt]

well the single router dual wan approach from djc6 addresses all of the questions about whether MacOS and the Apps can do anything clever - they don't need to, with all of the intelligence being in the router.

if you're stuck with 2 routers for some reason, thats where those questions need to be answered.

 

[nOw2]

Cannot be done at application level.

1. Choose a router to act as primary. Set it as the default route in System Prefs.

2. The other router can be used to target specific traffic by setting a route.
sudo route add -net WORLD.OF.WARCRAFT.IPS/MASK other.internal.router.ip

This requires some knowledge of networking. It is not useful to post guesses.

 

[rtrt]

It is not useful to post guesses.

guess we'll just have to disagree

 

[djc6]

sudo route add -net WORLD.OF.WARCRAFT.IPS/MASK other.internal.router.ip

I don't think WoW servers are all in one IP range, plus I don't know how you'd find this list. And I imagine servers are being added/removed all the time. I don't know how WoW works, but in Warcraft 3 I'd notice traffic going between my IP and the IPs of those I was playing with too, which would add a lot more complexity.

 

[Pachang]

I'm sure this is possible, but as others have said not on the application level( or at least not without some extra software which may or may not exist).
why would you wan't to do it?