A stable internet connection is critical for employees working from home. Relying on a single Internet Service Provider (ISP) is risky due to potential outages or technical issues. Having two ISPs is a smart move for work from home employees, along with the advantages of different types of internet connections.
The Importance of Reliable Internet
For remote employees, reliable internet is the backbone of daily operations. You have a responsibility to stay connected if you’re working from home. You probably can’t have two different electricity providers (unless you run solar, hydro, etc. on your own) but you can have two ISPs for a reasonable cost.
It’s easy to text your boss and tell them that your ISP is down and you can’t work. If that happens enough times or to enough colleagues, your boss may start requiring you to come to the office since your home setup isn’t reliable. Then that will make it harder for future colleagues to get a WFH position.
Why Two ISPs?
- Redundancy and Reliability: Having a backup ISP ensures continuous internet access even if one service goes down.
- Diversified Risk: Using ISPs with different technologies (e.g., fiber optic, cable, DSL, cellular) minimizes the risk of simultaneous outages. Issues affecting one type of connection may not impact the other.
- Increased Bandwidth
- Load Balancing: Distributing internet traffic across two connections will improve speed and performance, especially during peak usage times.
- Bandwidth Aggregation: Combining the bandwidth of two ISPs can provide faster internet speeds, which is beneficial for data-intensive tasks.
- Service Flexibility
- Customizable Plans: Having two ISPs allows you to tailor each plan to specific needs, such as higher speeds for video conferencing and higher data limits for large file transfers.
- Cost Management: By comparing different ISP plans, you can optimize costs and potentially take advantage of promotional rates.
Advantages of Different Types of Internet Connections
Understanding the benefits of different types of connections can help in choosing the right combination of ISPs. This is a synopsis, but for a full explanation, check out the full article on Understanding Different Types of Internet Connections.
- Fiber Optic connections are my personal favorite. They offer the fastest speeds available, ideal for HD video conferencing, large data transfers, and real-time collaboration. Availability is an issue though. You’ll have to check to see what’s available in your area.
- Cable Internet is widely available and offers bursts of high speed, making it an easy choice for most work from home needs. It can have inconsistent performance though. It will probably provide good performance during the workday unless you live in an area with many retirees. Suitable for streaming, browsing, and virtual meetings.
- DSL is available in many areas, including rural regions where other high-speed options might be limited. Unlike cable, DSL connections use a dedicated line, reducing slowdowns during peak usage times.
- Cellular is an excellent backup option in case of fixed-line outages. This is my personal backup option. It’s also great in case you move to a new place, you can bring your cellular modem with you and have instant internet access.
- Satellite Internet is available in remote areas where other types of internet are not. The drawback is that it’s often expensive and isn’t always reliable.
Setting Up Your Dual ISPs into a Single Connection
You can absolutely have 2 separate modems in your home and just manually switch over as needed. I personally prefer to have it done automatically for me. The fastest and easiest way is to do this yourself is to buy a dual WAN router. This basically means you’re looking for a router that can combine two ISPs into a single source. You may want to read the full guide on how to choose the best dual WAN router for you.
Final Thoughts
For work from home employees, having two ISPs is a solid choice that ensures reliability and reduces downtime. By diversifying your internet connection types and configuring a failover, you can maintain a seamless workflow and avoid the pitfalls of internet outages.
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