I am putting this in IMHO because I imagine there are several possibilities as to how we can do this. The background, then:
One is Windows ME, one is XP. Other than that I don’t think there should be any issues about compatibility (should it even be an issue at all?)
One is a desktop and one is a laptop (see previous. Posting this bit for the sake of thoroughness).
Both have modems, neither is ethernet-ready, has a DSL hookup, cable modem, etc.
Wandering Agnostic told me that there is a way they can share one phone line (had to do with wireless etherner or something like that) and it involves hardware I don’t have and would rather not buy if it’s not necessary.
So what you y’all recommend I do to get both of these computers online at the same time with one phone line?
Just for the record, what Wandering Agnostic was probably trying to explain to you was that you could have one of the computers connected to the internet, and then use a LAN connection to the other computer. That way they can share, but there is still only one computer actually connected to the internet.
Without an Ethernet board (aka NIC) in each computer, the only way the two can share the same phone line is to simply take turns at using the phone line with their respective internal modems. You can’t have two computers with modems using the same pone line at once.
Now, if you pt a NIC in each PC, you can set up Internet Connection Sharing (It’s a Windows-based service, so there’s no extra software to buy) - One PC wou;d be the “master” and only its modem is active. The other PC gets onto the web through the “master” as if it were through a LAN (which it sort of is) NICs for desktops are cheap - I’ve seen 'em for ten bucks. For laptops, closer to $50. Not 100% sure on this part, but think all else you’d need is a crossover Ethernet cable (as opposed tp two regular cables and a hub.)
Even if you could share the line via a small peer to peer LAN setup using ICS the speed would drop from the existing turtlesque of dialup to snailesque. Not worth it IMO. Just switch off or get broadband.
I have a computer with ME networked to a computer with XP. I connect both of them to a phone line with a plug. Have to use dial up.
No internet sharing enabled.
You might be able to use Internet Connection Sharing, but each computer gets only HALF of the connection speed. So if you got a 56k connection, each computer connects @ 28.8k if you are using both at the same time.
See the thing is we don’t have many options as far as getting faster internet. Can’t get a cable modem cause cable doesn’t run out to where we like. We do have dish network but I dunno if it’s possible to set up the internet through them.
My ISP does offer ISDN but I don’t know what that is or if it’s fast. (Any ideas?) I also don’t know anything about DSL or how to go about getting it.
Any advice on the matter would be much appriciated. I look forward to the day when we won’t have to fight over who gets to play internet.
The bottom line is this. Yes you can share your dialup line by investing about $60.00 in some simple networking hardware (ie 2 cards + hub + 2 cables) and using the built in Microsoft peer to peer ICS applet. One PC will connect to the net and the other PC will share the connection via the network by working through the PC attached to the telephone line. I tried to use ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) with my kids PCs and my own before we got broadband, and quite frankly it was something of a PITA and never seemed to work quite right or share the dialup connection properly, but maybe that was just my screwup.
Anyway, if you have the option and financial ability to go broadband in some fashion (DSL etc) for less than 50.00 a month go for it, otherwise ICS or some variant is your only real option at this point. Generally IDSN or related broadband options offered by most smaller dialup ISPs are often based on long range wireless broacast setups, and are usually fairly expensive @ 60 to 120 a month plus you have to spend around 1,000 for the receiver hardware.
ISDN is basically in the same ballpark as 56k internet. Single line isdn is 64k, dual is 128k. It’s also damn annoying to use, IMO. Connections tend to drop and reconnect repeatedly, leading to local phone bills in the “OH MY GOD!” category. Not enough of an improvement for the price. Did I ever mention that my company used to have it? I was tempted to pull an Office Space style execution of the hardware once we switched to DSL…
Satellite internet access is rather pricy and somewhat fidgety to set up.
My understanding was that ICS doles out network access as it needs it–it’s only 28.8k each if both are attempting to access the internet at the same time…say both of you are surfing at once. If only 1 is actively surfing (while the other, is, say, reading a page), it shouldn’t be that much slower.
Satellite access through Dish is very pricey for both installation and service. I had the service on a pilot program (I used to work for a Dish retailer.) Uploads and downloads are very fast, browsing is just as quick as the server you’re accessing. The major drawback is the built in delay, or lag. It takes the signal .4 seconds (approx) to travel from the uplink to the satellite then to your receiver. This is fatal for multiplayer games that require low “ping” times for smooth play.
Also, if you go to your ISP they will want to charge you for each computer accessing the Net, and will not support a home network. Dish will allow a network to access but they will charge you for it as well.
I’ll just repeat what was said- Internet sharing is possible using a LAN, but on a dialup connection it will be like watching grass grow.
Note that ISDN varies widely by area. While single channel ISDN is 64k, it is 64k both up and down, and can also use data compression on top of that. I used 128k ISDN for about 4 years or so (can’t remember for sure) and it was rock solid the whole time. In TN, a dual channel ISDN line was roughly the same price as two normal phone lines. It is available in a lot of areas where cable and DSL aren’t offered.
