Is it possible to combine two routers on seperate ONTs (or modems) into one subnet?

[sniperation]

If I had two routers each connected to its own optical network terminal (or modem) (as in i have two seperate internet subscriptions i am paying for, one fibre line going into each ONT connected to each router), would it be possible to combine the two routers into the same subnet with the same ssids and password?

If so how?

I have a feeling my wording was a bit weird so let me clarify:

Most normal people will only have one fibre line (or cable line) that they are paying for coming into their home which will be connected to an optical network terminal (or cable modem) which will connect the router and well you guys know the rest.

But if you had two seperate lines coming into your home, as in two seperate monthly subscriptions you are paying for...Would it be possible to link the two respective routers, each on their own fibre (or cable) terminal into one whole network with the same subnet, ssid, etc. ?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

You can certainly have a router with multiple WAN ports and configure those ports for each ISP, but in every router I've seen with this feature, one of the ports will be specified as a backup and will only kick into life when the primary port fails.

There's also nothing to stop you from having two ISPs and two routers with the same SSID and subnet mask, but directing traffic will be a little tricky. You'll either have to configure static IP addresses for every device, or use a DHCP server in conjunction with static IP addresses. This is to ensure that not every device goes out via the same router. It may be possible to create a VLAN depending on the routers you have, meaning that you won't have to configure static addresses.

 

[sniperation]

"There's also nothing to stop you from having two ISPs and two routers with the same SSID and subnet mask"

If I chose to do this instead of the dual wan router option, how would i configure the two routers to act as one? Since each rather has its own wan, is it as simple as setting identical ssid and passphrase, or are there some ip address tweaks necessary? If so how would i do that?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

You can't combine the routers, you can only direct your devices to use a specific one. For example, you may direct a gaming PC to use a faster connection and an everyday PC to use a slower one.

 

[sniperation]

Ahh so you cant merge them into one whole network with the same ssid and stuff. So if one ONT + router was on one floor and the other ONT + router was on another, for wireless devices, i would have to make a choice between one or the right? Like it wouldnt be able to combine the seperate routers into a one whole home network i assume?

If thats the case then i guess a dual wan router connected via ethernet to an access point would be the way to have a single ssid network

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

That's right, you'd have to choose one router or the other via static IP addresses or a VLAN. You can use the same SSID and subnet mask, but the default gateway (router) will vary between devices.