WAN bonding and WAN balancing are two different approaches to improving the performance and reliability of wide area networks (WANs) used to connect remote sites, data centers and branch offices. Here are the differences between the two concepts:

WAN bonding (WAN bonding):

WAN bundling refers to the aggregation of multiple WAN connections into a single logical channel. With this approach, two or more separate WAN connections (e.g. DSL, cable, 4G/5G, leased lines) are combined into a single logical path. The bundled connection uses all existing connections in parallel to increase the overall data transfer rate. Special hardware or software technologies are used to merge the connections and achieve better throughput. WAN bundling offers increased bandwidth and improves connection reliability, as the failures of individual connections can often be intercepted by other remaining connections.

WAN balancing (WAN load balancing):

WAN balancing refers to the even distribution of data traffic across several WAN connections. In contrast to bundling, the individual connections are not aggregated, but the data traffic is distributed over several connections in order to balance the load. The load can be distributed in various ways, e.g. by protocol, application, IP address or port number. The aim is to optimize network performance by distributing data traffic across the available connections in order to avoid congestion and ensure efficient use of bandwidth.

To summarize, WAN bonding aggregates connections to increase overall bandwidth and resilience, while WAN balancing distributes traffic across multiple connections to achieve optimal load balancing and performance. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of a company and the available network resources.