Why The Spot Uses a Load Balancing Router: Keeping the Internet Fast for Everyone
A load balancing router distributes network traffic across multiple connections — here's why we use one at The Spot to keep internet fast and reliable for everyone in the space.
One of the questions we get from remote workers visiting for the first time is: "How is the internet still fast when the space is full?" The answer is load balancing.
Here's what that means and why it matters if you're working from a coworking space in Lombok.
What a Load Balancing Router Does
A standard router connects all your devices to a single internet connection. When that connection gets congested — because multiple people are on video calls at once, or someone is uploading a large file — everything slows down together.
A load balancing router distributes traffic across **multiple independent connections** simultaneously. Think of it as having several lanes on a motorway instead of one: when one gets congested, traffic flows through the others.
At The Spot, the router manages our fibre connection and our Starlink backup simultaneously. Traffic is distributed across both based on which connection is best suited for each type of request — video calls get routed to the lowest-latency connection, large file transfers get the highest-bandwidth path.
Why This Matters in Practice
**For the individual**: You get a dedicated portion of the overall bandwidth, not a share that shrinks as the space fills up. Our target is 30+ Mbps download per device in the coworking area.
**For the group**: One person running a large sync or upload doesn't degrade everyone else's video calls. The router manages prioritisation automatically.
**For reliability**: If one connection develops packet loss or latency issues, the router shifts traffic away from it automatically. The failover from fibre to Starlink happens without interruption.
The Practical Result
A coworking space with 15 people on video calls simultaneously, some syncing files, some running dev servers — all at full speed. We've run this for several years and it works.
If you're working on something that requires reliable, fast internet — video production, engineering, anything with large uploads — this is why [The Spot](/cowork) works where some other venues in Lombok don't.
Related: [Our Starlink backup setup](/blog/the-spot-is-testing-starlink) and [what internet speeds you need for remote work](/blog/network-requirements-for-video-call-in-lombok-and-the-rest-of-the-world).