Mushroom Networks, a start-up based in San Diego, introduced its "Porcini" broadband bonding network appliance for combining the bandwidth of up to four broadband Internet connections of any type including DSL, cable, T1 into a single virtual high-speed link. The Ethernet-based Porcini device, which targets small and medium-sized businesses, also features an additional USB port that enables a fifth cellular data modem connection to be added to the overall mix. 
Mushroom Networks' Porcini installs between the broadband modems and the local network at the user site without requiring any configuration changes to the existing network or coordination with the ISPs. This gives users the ability to mix and match various services from multiple providers delivering built-in network redundancy. If one or more of the bonded links fails or is degraded, Porcini transparently spreads the traffic across the remaining links in real-time without any interruptions resulting in maximal network uptime.
Additionally, Porcini features a built-in VoIP quality manager that can improve voice quality by minimizing latency for voice traffic both in outbound and inbound directions. Porcini also includes an internal router and stateful firewall capability that can be enabled by the user as needed. Other Internet services such as port-forwarding, port binding, WAN interface binding, static IP, dynamic IP, PPPoE, DHCP, DMZ, UPnP, Dynamic DNS and QoS are all supported. Porcini is now shipping with a list price of $1,595.
The Porcini is a slimmed version of the Mushroom Networks' TRUFFLE broadband bonding network appliance which was introduced earlier this year; The TRUFFLE BBNA combines multiple Internet access lines, each on a 10/100baseT Ethernet interface, into a single aggregated Internet access line for HTTP downlink traffic, again on a 10/100baseT Ethernet interface. The aggregation over the Internet access lines is done even for a single download session, providing the full aggregate speed. Additionally, session based intelligent load-balancing is provided for both downlink and uplink traffic as well as inbound load-balancing. The TRUFFLE BBNA6411 supports aggregation of up to 6 Internet access lines and 1 additional cellular data card. Each Internet access line may be through a DSL modem, cable modem, T1, satellite modem, fractional DS3, DS3, fiber, cellular or any other broadband connection.
Mushroom Networks is also seeking value added resellers, IT sales representatives, and broadband service providers who would like to offer broadband bonding capabilities to their customers.http://www.mushroomnetworks.com
- Mushroom Networks was founded in 2004 as a spin-off from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD).
- Mushroom Networks is headed by Dr. H. Cahit Akin (CEO and co-founder), who previously was a venture partner and then principal at ITU Ventures for 7 years, the venture capital arm of Brownstein Schnel Holdings.
