Tutorial: Two or more simultaneous Internet connections

Tutorial: Two or more simultaneous Internet connections

^{by Asadullah Ahmad}

Introduction:

If like me, you have slow Internet connection, then you might've wanted to increase your overall Internet bandwidth by using multiple connections at the same time. If you've searched on Google , you already know that finding a solution to this problem is not very easy. This tutorial guides a beginner user (with basic knowledge of computer and Internet usage)  how you can use multiple internet connections at the same time.

Don't forget to read the "Tips" and "Problems 'n' Solutions" section below.

PS: Please share your speed increase (Individual download speeds of each connection, and combined speed), experience and suggestions by sending a comment at the end of the page.

Note: This method applies to using multiple ( two or more) Internet connections on the computer on which these settings are applied. If your computer is server of a local area network, see the "Tips" section.

1. Download Wingate:-

•     Download trial of Wingate from http://www.wingate.com/download.php or buy from http://www.wingate.com/product-wingate.php

2. Install Wingate:-

    2.1    After running the install exe, read and click "I agree" on End user license agreement.

    2.2    From the first window, select "Configure this Computer as the Wingate Server"

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     2.3    Click Next on the two windows displayed. Select the folder where you want to install and then click next
     2.4     If you would like to use your Windows User accounts for Wingate as well, enable the option  "Use the operating system (Windows) user database".
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    2.5    Select "Install ENS (recommended)", and click next. If you have a Firewall installed, you can disable Wingate's firewall by changing "Extended Networking" settings, in "Services" tab of Wingate Gatekeeper window.
    2.6   Enable or disable the Auto update feature of Wingate according to your convenience (I personally recommend enabling it).
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    2.7    Click on Activate button (make sure you are connected to internet). Then click next on the displayed window.
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    2.8    If you've purchased a license already, click Activate a license key, or to use a 30-day trial, click Request a trial for any product.
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    2.9    Once you've received confirmation of new license key, click Next and then click Finish.
   2.10   Click Next to start the Installation. After Install process completes, you might get a window asking if you want to run the Wingate Engine, Select Yes.

3. Configure Wingate:-
    3.1    If Wingate Engine is not running after step 2.10, Go to Start > Programs > Wingate > Start Wingate Engine.
    3.2    If you see two computer icons in taskbar (other than your internet connection icon), double click on it. Otherwise go to Start > Programs > Wingate > Wingate VPN Manager.
    3.3    If you want to use a separate username and password to access Wingate, enter it here. If not, then click ok (Make sure the two checkboxes shown in screenshot are checked).
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    3.4    When the window "Gatekeeper" opens, click on the "Services" tab located on bottom left side of window. Delete (click on the service name, press DEL on your keyboard and click yes on confirmation box) all the listings on the left tab EXCEPT "WWW Proxy service".
    3.5    Double click "WWW Proxy service" from the left tab. Enter the name and description of service if you want to, and then Port number in the field "Service Port" (eg. 1111, 2121 etc, it is better if you don't use system ports like 80, 21, 22 due to security). If you intend to setup two or more Proxy services, make sure the port number is unique to every service.
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    3.6    Select "Bindings" in the Configuration tab, uncheck the box "Bind to any IP address on any internal adapter" but leave the other box checked "Bind only to 127.0.0.1 on MS TCP Loopback interface".
          Optional: For added security, you can also limit loopback interface for more security by changing the (default) port to the one you used in step 3.5
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    3.7    Select "Gateways" in the Configuration tab, in the "Connection Scheme" listbox, choose "Use all specified connections in rotation", and click "Add".
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    3.8    In the new box "Gateways Policy", click on the first connection name you will use once, expand the selection by clicking on the "+", then expand "Gateways" and "Source IP address", and make sure that "Any gateway" and "Any IP address" are checked already. Disable "Dial this connection if it is not connected", and click Ok.
            Note: If the connection you are selecting always has a static IP Address and/or gateway, you can change gateways and Source IP Address settings accordingly, though the method described in 3.8 will still work.
    3.9    The first connection you just selected will be displayed in the gateways section now, repeat step 3.8 to add more connections to combine. Once finished, click "Apply" and then "Ok". If a dialogue box appears stating "The original service has been changed by another user. Would you like to update the service with your changes?", click Yes.
4. Using the new Proxy Service:-
            First connect all the connections you want to use (and added as gateways in step 3.8) .
            To use multiple connections at the same time, you will need to setup proxy configuration for all the applications that access internet. Use "127.0.0.1" as the IP Address and the Port number you used in step 3.5 (eg 1111, 2121 etc). Here's a quick guide to setup this in Flashget and Firefox:
    4.1 Configuring proxy settings in Flashget:

• Open Flashget. When the main window opens, press "Alt" + " O" on keyboard.
• Click on "Proxy" tab, then click "Add"
• In the "Type" group, select "Http <Connect>", enter "Proxy 1" in Title field, "127.0.0.1" in the "Server" field and the port number  you used in step 3.5 in the field "Port", and click Ok.
• Check the "Http Default", "FTP Default" and "Rtsp/MMS" boxes before the title of proxy you just set.
• Whenever you start a download, in the "Add New Download" window, click on "Site Properties" in General tab , then from the "Proxy" group, select "Proxy 1" (or the title you entered) for Http, FTP and Rtsp/MMS, and click Ok
• Click on "Advanced" tab of "Add New Download" window, and select "Proxy 1" (or the title you entered) for all three options (Http, FTP, Rtsp/MMS)

    4.2 Configuring proxy settings in Firefox.

• Click on Tools > Options.
• Select "Advanced" tab, then select Network tab.
• In the "Connection" group, select "Settings"
• Click "Manual Proxy configuration"
• Enter "127.0.0.1" in "Http Proxy" field, and the port number you used in step 3.5 in "Port" field. Click Ok.

5. Tips:-

• If you want to browse while downloading a file, you can setup two Proxy services in Wingate (on DIFFERENT PORTS), and use one proxy for Download Manager and the other for Web Browser. Just remember to use the specific ports.
• If you don't setup Proxy settings for the application you are using, the latest connected connection will be used, while all the other will stay idle.
• When downloading files with a Download Manager, use at least 2-4 connections (or parts) per internet connection your proxy service is using.
• If you want to apply these settings on a server of a Local area network, don't uncheck "Bind to any IP address on any internal adapter" in step 3.6

6. Problems 'n' Solutions:-

• A problem I encountered frequently, was that when downloading a file through Flashget one of the two connections becomes Idle. To solve this, just pause the download, and then resume again. This also gets fixed if one download is completed, and the next started.
• If even after setting up you can't get to utilize all the connections, try these solutions:

            1. Close Gatekeeper, stop Wingate Engine, close Wingate VPN monitor, end the "wingate.exe" process from Windows Task Manager. And then Run Wingate again.
            2. Restart Windows.
            3. Delete the proxy profiles or settings in your applications (Download manager, Web Browser etc), and then set it again.
            4. If your computer restarted while Wingate was running, WWW Proxy Service settings sometimes get deleted. Set them again.