Requirements

To use the service you will need the following:

  1. Two or more Broadband connections capable of accessing the Internet
  2. Sufficient power sockets / extension leads to power the Sharedband devices and any associated devices, such as switches, modems etc. if relevant
  3. Where you choose to use Sharedband enabled ADSL modems, please ensure you have your ADSL login details (VCI, VPI, username, password, encapsulation type, IP addressing) to hand
  4. Where you choose to use a WAN neutral i.e. Ethernet only Sharedband enabled router, please ensure you have sufficient Ethernet cables to connect to your modems, that your modems are correctly configured
  5. Where you use WAN neutral routers with only one LAN port e.g. the Sharedband Power Router, you will need to use a switch to interconnect the Sharedband routers and your LAN devices
  6. We recommend that where necessary, customers deploy a switch to interconnect the Sharedband routers and LAN devices. Using a daisy-chain method of connecting the devices will work, however if one of the routing devices loses power, all devices on the service may lose connectivity

Limitations & Considerations

Like all technologies, Sharedband has been designed to work under certain conditions / has service and product limitations. Please read the following when making your purchasing decision:

  1. Sharedband can only bond available bandwidth
  2. Many Broadband networks are contended i.e. can have fluctuating performance depending upon traffic type and time of day. In addition some ISPs implement traffic shaping that can alter the performance of Sharedband
  3. Depending upon how networks are configured, some ISPs place customers on the same backhaul pipe from a CO / Exchange, or POP. This means in certain circumstances customers lines may be contending with eachother, hence reducing throughput
  4. When using Sharedband in conjunction with a VPN or firewall, please check that your device is capable of handling the faster speeds delivered by Sharedband. It has been found that certain older VPN/firewall units can only cope with slow Broadband connections
  5. Your service will only be available when at least one of your Internet connections is available. If all have failed simultaneously Sharedband cannot be held responsible
  6. Ensure that your Sharedband routers are installed so that they do not overheat. Stacking them on top of warm equipment in enclosed spaces causes electronic equipment to behave erratically
  7. Sharedband can bond up to 6 lines
  8. Sharedband periodically adapts to network connections underlying speeds, changing how much data goes down which line. If the line performance fluctuates rapidly and to extremes, it is likely that sub-optimal bonding will be achieved. Most wireless technologies (3G, Wi-Max, Wifi) and some cable connections can have highly fluctuating performance
  9. Sharedband has been designed to use Broadband connections where the latency to the aggregation server is <80ms. The service can operate beyond that latency but performance may be sub-optimal
  10. The service works best when lines of a similar latency are used. Packet resequencing and other methods may need to be used to provide optimal performance where line latencies are radically different
  11. The Sharedband service introduces a small overhead to each packet (approx 25 bytes) which may require some services such as VPNs to have their MTU lowered
  12. When deploying a mail server behind Sharedband, please note that it is likely your mail MX records will need to be changed to point to your Sharedband provided IP address
  13. All orders / requests for service with 4 or more IP addresses will be subject to approval by Sharedband staff and RIPE / ARIN justification, where necessary. Sharedband will contact you should justification be required
  14. When speed testing on a PC which has anti-virus software installed, please note that results may report lower due to some anti-virus software hitting processor power limitations. Older or low-spec machines (e.g. Netbooks) are more likely to suffer than newer desktop PCs.
  15. Due to the shortage of IPv4 addresses all large requests (4 or more IPs) will require justification for such IP usage. At order time an IP justification form will be sent which needs to be completed in a timely manner
  16. Sharedband does not at present support IP multicast or IPv6

If you have any questions about how to best use the Sharedband technology, or to enquire about any of our requirements, please contact ukorders@sharedband.com