I just signed up for DSL (Haven’t hooked it up yet) and I want to hook it up to 2 computers. I have already learned that I have several options but I want to find out if I missed any and what the best one would be. The only thing I want to share is the internet access, not transfer files or anything like that. I do not mind leaving one computer on all the time if I have to. I am looking for the cheapest, easiest way unless there is significant advantage to spending a little more.
One computer uses Windows ME (Desktop, would be the ‘Main’ computer) and one uses Windows 98 (Laptop). I have pretty limited computer knowledge so please keep that in mind. No matter what I do I think I will have to buy an Ethernet card for the laptop.
What I have heard so far –
[list=1]
[li]Just get a second DSL modem - With the minor disadvantage of not being able to use both computers online at the same time this seems pretty simple.[/li][li]Network - Some require a ‘Hub’ some don’t? I think the difference is the ‘main’ computer has to be on all the time without a Hub, right?[/li][li]Microsoft Internet Sharing utility - I Read a magazine article about networking that mentioned this but it didn’t elaborate. A quick web search revealed nothing.[/li][/List=1]
Are there any other options I missed, Thanks in advance.
I don’t think a simple hub will work for you. With a hub, you’d still need to get a second IP address from your service provider, whether dynamically with DHCP or another static address, and your ISP won’t do this for free.
I use a Gateway/Switch from UGate, but there’s a less expensive one from Linksys, which sits at one IP address from your ISP, and maps your home computers to their own private IP addresses using Network Address Translation. The Linksys product still sells for around $170, so it might me more than you want to spend, but these work great, and they are secure.
I’ve heard that there are ways to do this for cheaper (especially if you run Linux on one system), but I’m at a point in my life where I’d rather spend money than take time to set something up.
jimshep, I use the LinkSys product that CurtC mentioned and it is fantastic.
It might seem a bit pricey, but it’s really worth it. All you will need to do is plug your modem into the back of it, then plug each computer into it.
That’s it.
The LinkSys Box is a 2 in 1 device. It’s a Router, so it will act as a traffic cop for data going to and from your 2 computers, and it is a Network Switch (like a hub, but faster) so it connects your 2 computers to each other.
You just plug it in, turn it on, and follow the directions to set it up. There is no complicated software; the control panel is a web page that you access from one of your computers and it looks just like those futuristic screens from Star Trek!
It will do exactly what you need, plus allow you to transfer files between your laptop and desktop, play multiplayer games (if you want), etc.
I use a switch/gateway from Dlink. And like CurtC I went this way cuz it was easy and didn’t involve much work. I got it for $149 at Computer City. It was really simple and even comes with a built in firewall.
Talk to your provider. Ours came with the ability to use two computers at the same time [Came with a router-modem.] as long as we both had ehternet cards. What jimshep said might be the way to go though. :::: shrug :::, Remember, cheap is not always cheap in the long run.
You signed up for DSL? So did I, in October, its still not here yet. They said a couple more weeks. Takes a long time before the phone comp comes out the second time to add DSL.
Also: LinkSys EtherFast 4-Port Cable/DSL Router:
. Note: This unit
requires an external cable or dsl modem with an Ethernet RJ-45 interface. Features Connects to a Broadband
Modem Or to An Ethernet Backbone Equipped With a 4-port 10/100 Switch Connects All of Your PCs
ETHERFAST CBL/DSL ROUTER 1 PORT 10/100 VERSION
Our Price: $99.95
$10 rebate.
"
The Linksys Instant Broadband EtherFast Cable/DSL Router is the perfect
option to connect multiple PCs to a high-speed Broadband Internet connection
or to an Ethernet back-bone. Allowing up to 253 users, the built-in NAT
technology acts as a firewall protecting your internal network.
Configurable as a DHCP server, the EtherFast Cable/DSL Router acts as the
only externally recognized Internet device on your local area network (LAN).
The router can also be configured to block internal users' access to the
Internet. "
Is there a version of Linksys that will run under Linux, or is it a Microsoft product only? I’m seriously looking into creating the kind of network Linksys sounds perfect for and having a Linux-based router/switch would be a plus (more free security software for Linux). If you can recommend a similar product for Linux, or a good reason to use a Microsoft OS for the router/switch, I would thank you.
handy, you plug a cat5 networking cable into the ethernet port of each PC and the ports on the back of the LinkSys - there are 4 ports back there in the $150 version. Sorry that wasn’t clear.
Derleth, your question confuses me. The LinkSys product is a thing. Hardware, not software. It does not run “under Linux” or “under” any other OS. It just runs. You plug any machine that speaks IP into it via the network ports.
Windiows ME connection sharing can be set up pretty cheaply. All you need is 3 NICS and a cross over cat 5 cable. Put 2 nics in the main computer, hook the DSL modem to one of them (or a USB port). Hook the second nic to the secondayr computer using the crossover cable. Then all you have to do is set up the networking in windows. You can get NE2000 compatible nics for around $6 each, and this will allow network games and file/printer sharing as well.
Thank you, sdimbert. I was confused, and my confusion spread like a case of herpes in an army camp bordello. I thought LinkSys was a program that made a run-of-the-mill computer into a router/switch. Thanks for clearing up that misconception.
Now I have another question: Which is better, setting up a run-of-the-mill PC as a router/switch using software or buying something like LinkSys? I want to have one DSL IP address and multiple workstations with internet access and file-sharing capabilities/networked gaming over an ethernet LAN. A secure firewall running on the router/switch would be a plus, but is not absolutely needed. Speed is a plus, but stability is more of one. You can assume I want multiple workstations to access the internet at the same time. Any suggestions?
I use the Linksys hub and I love it. I have configured it so that I can get onto the internet from either computer (you don’t have to keep one computer on at all times). I would rather have a static IP address, but my ISP seems reluctant to provide one, however, I can set my hub to not disconnect, and in limited testing it has worked. Also, the Linksys provides a physical firewall. No more of that Zone Alert crap. Ports can be configured if you want set a FTP server or if you want to use PC Anywhere from work or whatever.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by “better.” If price is an issue and you happen to have an extra PC with a NIC that you don’t mind leaving on all the time, go ahead and try to find software to use it as a router. FTR, though, I don’t think you can “program” a PC to work as a switch… you can only use the PC/Software solution for a “network” of 2 PC’s connected by a crossover cable.
If by “better” you mean “easier to use, easier to setup and stable as hell” then the LinkSys gets my vote “every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”[sup]*[/sup] It’s a fantastic product.
It goes on my list of Fantastic Products which are defined as things that always do what they are advertised to do. It’s a short list, currently consisting of the LinkSys Box and Nasal Spray.
Here is how I have 3 computers on one cable modem with only 1 IP address through a LAN and a hub
I have 1 primary desktop running windows 2000. It is hooked to the cable modem and works great. The system is also hooked to a LAN via a second network card. I set windows 200 0 to share the network connection that corrsponds to the cable modem. I network the rest of the systems (one win 2000 one win ME). Now all 3 systems see eachother over my LAN and can share files and resources. I tell the other 2 system to connect to connect to the internet via a LAN. They make a request to the 1st system, and it sends it out. Then the info comes back, and the system then gives it to the correct other system on the network.
ISP thinks there is one system on the cable modem, and all the hardware I had to buy was the hub (not a router) and the network cards
Its strange but I have W98 on one computer & ME on the other too & I can’t get them to network. I read around & it seems pretty common. They did at first but now they don’t. Shucks.
Win2000 is great to network. WinME has a homenetworking wizard that worked very well – it also has an option to make a networking disk to get 98 systems to autonetwork.
There is a product by Cybernet called Netmax Firewall. It comes in several different flavors and is Linux-based. It functions as both a fairly feature rich Firewall and as a router to send traffic back and forth between the two networks (your DSL provider’s wide-area network and your in-home local network). If you have an extra PC with 2 NICs in it, it can sit in between your cable modem and a hub. I’ve got it, but have never installed it.
What I actually use is the LinkSys router mentioned above. I use the single-port version ($149) instead of the 4-port version ($299 when I was looking at it). The DSL modem/Cable modem/ISDN network connection plugs into the router via a XOver cable (depending on your DSL modem), and another port plugs into a PC or hub with a standard cat5 cable. The router functions as a basic firewall, and as a DHCP server to your local network, so you can manually administer the IP addresses or have the router do it. It also functions as a DHCP client to your DSL provider or you can use a static IP address. It also supports PPPoE signons, if your DSL provider requires. It’s a really nice product, is easy to use, is flexible, and seems to work much better than my DSL service (crappy phone lines). I’ve got a half-dozen PCs off and on doing various file transfers and internet stuff with a single DSL connection, which gives me somewhat unlikely combinations as a 900MHz Athlon PC with an ancient 240M hard drive (yes, you can load NT 4.0 and Seti@Home on a 240M HD. But I digress).
You will need a network card for each PC (cheap ones work fine most of the time, and can be had for $15 each for a 10/100 version). It doesn’t mattter whether the PCs on your local network are Windows, DOS, Unix, Power PC, Apple Mac or whatever. All they need is the drivers to talk to the NIC and the TCP/IP protocol loaded. Mix and match is fine.
I don’t know if you could do this with a USB-based DSL modem, probably not. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a USB-based router, especially for the $150 price tag.
Let me enthusiastically second the applause for the Linksys Etherfast Router.
It does what it says it would, and does it flawlessly. I was set up and running 4 PC’s off of 1 DSL connection in 5 minutes flat.
It has a very good built-in firewall too - such that 100% of my ZoneAlarm software warning messages disappeared.
It is better than setting up one PC to act as the router (via Windows 2000) mainly because the Linky is easier, compact, and the PC doing the routing can have a serious performance hit - you wouldn’t think so, but it does IRL. Not worth it - get the Linksys.
One comment - Ugh! Why on EARTH would anyone use a USB-based DSL modem, as opposed to a simple, powerful, no-fuss $5 Etherlink 3 card???
that (at least for Microsoft-based OS) it doesn’t work with W95 or NT without some serious patchwork. I dunno if Posix-based (Unix/Linux, etc) systems do USB out-of-the-box or not, I don’t think so.
I thought LinkSys was a program that made a run-of-the-mill computer into a router/switch. Thanks for clearing up that misconception.