How Point to Point Ethernet Works — Explained Simply (2025 Guide)

What Is Point to Point Ethernet?

Point to Point Ethernet, also known as Ethernet Point to Point, is a private, dedicated fibre connection that links two business locations directly together.
It’s designed for organisations that need to move data quickly and securely between offices, warehouses, or data centres — without relying on the public internet.

Because it’s a private line, your data never mixes with anyone else’s. That means no congestion, no sharing, and no throttling — just guaranteed bandwidth and total reliability.

In short: Point to Point Ethernet is your own private highway between two sites, with nothing else on the road.

How It Works: The Simple Explanation

Imagine your business has two offices — one in London and another in Manchester.
Instead of sending your data through the internet (where it passes through multiple public networks), a Point to Point Ethernet circuit creates a direct, private fibre path between the two.

Here’s what happens step-by-step:

1. Dedicated fibre installed at each location, connected to the carrier’s local network.

2. The two ends are linked through the provider’s core network, forming a private, secure path.

3. Your IT team connects your routers or switches — allowing both sites to behave as if they’re on the same LAN.

That means your staff in both offices can share files, access systems, or back up data instantly and securely, as though they were in one building.

Why Businesses Choose Point to Point Ethernet

Point to Point Ethernet has become one of the most popular connectivity options for multi-site businesses across the UK — and here’s why:

1. Speed and Performance

Available from 100Mb up to 10Gb (and even 100Gb with select carriers), it delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds with ultra-low latency.
Perfect for cloud syncing, VoIP, CCTV, and real-time data transfer.

2. Total Privacy

Traffic never leaves your private circuit. Unlike internet-based VPNs, there’s no public routing — so your sensitive information stays within your control.

3. Guaranteed Reliability

Every circuit comes with a 99.999% uptime SLA, proactive monitoring, and a four-hour fix target.
It’s built for business continuity, not “best effort” broadband.

4. Future-Proof Scalability

You can upgrade bandwidth mid-contract (for example, from 1Gb to 10Gb) without replacing infrastructure — ideal for growing businesses.

5. Cost Efficiency

With free installation options on longer terms and no data limits, Point to Point Ethernet offers predictable monthly costs and excellent long-term value.

Who Uses Point to Point Ethernet?

It’s used across nearly every sector:

• Finance: For fast, private data replication between primary and disaster recovery sites.

• Manufacturing: For connecting factories and warehouses that share production data.

• Healthcare: To securely transfer patient data between hospital sites.

• Media & IT: For moving large creative files, backups, and cloud workloads at high speed.

If your business needs two locations to act as one network, this is the perfect solution.

Point to Point vs. Internet VPNs

A lot of businesses ask, “Why not just use a VPN?”
The difference lies in performance and reliability.

A VPN encrypts traffic over the public internet — meaning you’re still sharing that path with millions of others.
With Point to Point Ethernet, your data has a dedicated lane, so you’ll never experience bottlenecks or unpredictable latency.

VPNs are great for remote workers, but for critical site-to-site connections, Point to Point is faster, safer, and far more consistent.

Local vs. National Point to Point Ethernet

There are two main types of Point to Point Ethernet connections in the UK:

Local Ethernet Point to Point

Connects sites within roughly 25km of each other — ideal for linking two offices or warehouses in the same region.

National Ethernet Point to Point

Extends coverage across the UK, connecting sites that are hundreds of miles apart (for example, London to Glasgow).
It uses multiple carriers’ core networks to create a seamless, secure path end-to-end.

At Connect2, we design both — and can mix carriers for true resilient routing, giving you maximum uptime.

How Much Does Point to Point Ethernet Cost?

Costs vary depending on your location, bandwidth, and local network access.
Urban areas with strong fibre coverage tend to be much cheaper, while rural builds may involve extra construction.

However, every Point to Point Ethernet quote we provide comes with our Connect2 Price Promise Guarantee — if you find a like-for-like quote cheaper elsewhere, we’ll match or beat it.

Typical pricing starts around £200–£250/month for 100Mb circuits in major cities, with 1Gb options available from under £400/month.

Advantages at a Glance

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to connect two locations directly — whether across the street or across the country — Point to Point Ethernet is the fastest, safest, and most reliable solution available in 2025.

You’ll benefit from guaranteed speeds, full privacy, and complete control, all backed by Connect2’s 24/7 UK-based support and Price Promise Guarantee.

Get Connected. Protected. Perfected — with Point to Point Ethernet from Connect2.

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