Combining wired and wireless networking
 

I'm not sure this is possible, but I'm hoping it is. I am running XUbuntu 11.10 on a 64 bit desktop along with a wired eth0 connection (DSL) and a wireless usb adaptor (Belkin G which picks up my 4G internet from a wireless cradlepoint router after converting it to 802.11) which is wlan0. All connections work alone...how can I combine them if they aren't already?

Not sure I understand what you mean. What are you looking to do exactly? How do you want to "combine" them? You mean trying to utilize the available bandwidth on both devices at once?

You got it! My wired bandwidth is slow (700 kbps) and my wireless bandwidth is slow (1.3 Mbps). Combining them I'll get an ok speed of 2 Mbps.

Combining ISPs is like combining two cars. You can't take a 100 MPH car plus a 50 MPH car to get 150 MPH.

The only way to combine the two is if your ISP's provides a way (and I know of none) or you directly connect to some other endpoint that has configured that end to combine the two.

It might be possible to configure say one to use for wget or some task. It might be possible to configure one for some IP or IP range or with extra stuff use one to dedicate based on layer 7+ application level.

It would not be easy to get both to actively work for a single request.


Some special nics could be used like that along with some older tech like Shiva but still a one of a kind solution.

oh-it looks like both interfaces are active in the network toolbar applet. But doing speed tests at 2wire.com shows that it's only using on interface at a time. I was hoping I could merge wlan0 and eth0 into 1 networking device...using your analogy I would take parts off 2 cars and make a bus! Both devices have different providers so they wouldn't help.

I really meant that as a very basic concept. I see it has flaws in it.

No, you can't be in two cars at the same time was what I was trying to get at.

Even if you used the same ISP you can't use both to speed up a single request.

NIC bonding using an ehternet NIC and an 802.11 NIC
 

linuxhippy,
You can use the Linux bonding driver to bond wireless and wired NICs. The links I am posting have the bonding mode set to "1" or "active backup". That only provides failover in case the active NIC fails. You could experiment with the other bonding modes; that might be fun.
http://onlyubuntu.blogspot.com/2009/...onding-on.html
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/to...s-nic-bonding/
http://blog.buttermountain.co.uk/200...ces-in-ubuntu/
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1631796