OK, so here’s the story. My girlfriend and i have just moved in together, and we’re trying to sort out our internet connection. When we lived separately, she had dial-up and i had DSL. We ordered DSL for our new place, and it’s up and running on my computer, but here’s where the problems started.
Because i had DSL service for over a year, Verizon let me keep my old DSL modem. Then, when my girlfriend signed up for Verizon DSL at the new place, they shipped us another one.
“Great,” i thought, “now we can each use a DSL modem to connect.”
Not so.
Apparently, two modems cannot use the same line at the same time. According to the chap at Verizon, the only way to hook up two computers on one account is to use a single modem with a router.
And here’s the next problem. My girlfriend’s computer, a laptop, doesn’t have an Ethernet card. Initially, when i thought we could each use a different modem, i was just going to set her computer up to use the USB cable on the DSL modem. But now we need a router, and i don’t think that there are any routers with USB capability.
Next, we also considered getting a wireless card for her laptop, so she can connect from anywhere in the house, as well as on campus. So, here are my questions:
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Is it a case of installing an ethernet card or a wireless card on her computer, or does wireless connection require both and ethernet card and a wireless card?
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Do wireless routers also come with wired connections, i.e., if she gets set up for wireless, can we buy a wireless router that will also connect by cable to my computer?
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Does anyone know if there are any routers that allow USB connection (which would eliminate the need for her to get ethernet)? Also, how good is USB connection for DSL? I don’t know much about the way this stuff works, but someone told me that USB probably won’t work as well as an ethernet connection.
If anyone could give me any advice on this situation, i’d be most appreciative. I didn’t want to leave myself completely in the hands of the Radio Shack dude, who is more interested in selling me stuff than in keeping my costs down.
BTW, in case it matters, our computers’ specs are:
My desktop: PIII 733Mhz, 256RAM, WinME
Her laptop: PII 266MHz, 128RAM, Win98