Dual Ethernet setup supporting two distinct internet providers
Dual Ethernet setup supporting two distinct internet providers
You can connect both internet connections to the same gaming motherboard. The stream PC will use one connection, while the gaming console runs on the other with better performance. You won’t need separate PCs for streaming and gaming.
For targeting particular games through a specific ISP isn't really feasible with the router setup. The router works best for distributing Steam downloads across both connections, offering a combined speed. Though you could theoretically route traffic by game ports, it isn't guaranteed because games often use standard HTTP and HTTPS ports for matchmaking. If the traffic moves to a different ISP—needed for downloads—steam might recognize your IP and send data to the wrong provider. In this case, tools like forcebindip might be a better fit.
The problem involves networking concerns. A router is the appropriate solution. Performance depends on properly configuring your rules and settings. Different tasks suit different devices—use PCs for gaming or video editing and specialized tools for networking.
I mentioned this earlier too—I saw that many games run on standard ports like http and https. It’s unclear if you can perfectly route gaming traffic this way. I was actually checking it myself while using load balancing on pfSense and didn’t get a clear result. Usually, if you handle it at the router, you can only send all traffic through the gaming ISP and then use ports 80 and 443 to push downloads over another ISP. However, I’m worried some games might spot your IP using those ports and stop working.
Exactly where? I checked thoroughly and didn’t locate a suitable service. Plus, it introduces additional delay when the main goal is to route gaming traffic through another ISP to lower latency.
2. Essentially you’re handling networking operations on the client PC again, offering little improvement over simply linking certain applications.
3. That’s a valid observation, but most users prefer a seamless experience—without unexpected issues like games failing to function. I acknowledge part of my hesitation stems from needing reliable performance across the network, especially with others relying on it. Now I might explore this option.
You can manage routing with any good router and even use DHCP to assign an internal IP while reserving a PBR link for your traffic. This ensures your console picks the fastest connection automatically, with a regular gateway for everything else. You could add advanced WAN monitoring and automatically switch routes if a link fails, keeping your setup reliable. See: https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Policy_Base_Routing
Even on the console, managing downloads across multiple ISPs or switching to another network can be tricky. The device will recognize your WAN IP when trying to set up peer-to-peer connections, but it might not always work correctly. Using dedicated servers can help, though many games rely on peer-to-peer communication, so it's important to understand how to connect directly. Sending certain clients through specific ISPs is straightforward, but handling multiple providers requires careful setup.
A suitable router, such as pfSense, can solve the issue. The setup depends on the user, not hardware constraints. Create a correct configuration and it will function properly.