My roommate shares my computer for internet access- a situation we’re perfectly happy with, she really uses it very seldom and we have a family kind of relationship.
She has a computer that isn’t hooked up to the internet, though it had been at one time and has Explorer. The reason her computer isn’t connected is because we’re running the household on a super strict budget and, like I said, sharing really isn’t a big deal.
The cable company charges per modem for internet service.
Someone suggested to us that we just share a modem between the two computers. Still just one modem, no extra charge from the cable company. The two computers, though in different rooms are really only about 5 feet apart from one another. Mine is in my bedroom, and hers in the living room- right outside my bedroom door. The two computers are just on opposite sides of the same wall- 2 1/2 feet from my computer to the door, wrap around the wall, 2 1/2 feet to her computer.
What is needed to have the two computers share the same modem?
Will it expect the speed or reliability of connection?
Suppose one computer gets a virus, does this put the other computer at risk?
Oh, and on computer issues the two of us are pretty dumb. I’m proud of knowing the word modem- really, we’re pretty dumb. So, answer like you’re talking to a dumb person- I will not be insulted.
What you need is a router. This is the cheapest one I could find at Best Buy - more shopping around may find you a better deal.
If you have wi-fi on your computer, it’s pretty straightforward - plug the router into the modem, then your computer will detect there’s a wireless network available. If you don’t, you’ll need to run a cable from each computer to the router. Five-six feet won’t be a problem. Anything that says “Ethernet cable” should be fine. Get the cheapest one you can find, it’ll be fine.
Once you’re connected, you’ll need to configure the router. That varies by manufacturer, but typically you’ll visit a web page on your router and fill in the blanks. These days a lot is auto-detected.
Since your computers will be sharing the connection, you could see your bandwidth cut in half. This won’t be a problem for email or most net surfing, but streaming video could be impacted. Reliability won’t be affected.
Both computers will be networked together. If one gets a virus, it will attack the other more than a random computer would. If the other is up to date on patches, it won’t be more vulnerable. I wouldn’t worry about viruses in the context of setting up a router.
There are a bunch of sites that explain how to set up a home network. Here’s one from PC Mag that goes into more detail. As far as relative complexity, I’d say it’s about like checking your oil in a car.
does your modem have a network cable connecting it to the computer?
If so, you’d need a router. you run a network cable from the modem to the back of the router (there are usually 5 ports there, one of them separate from the other 4 – connect it to the separate one), another network cable from the router to your computer, and yet another network cable from the router to your roommate’s computer.
a CD comes in the box with the router. it’s most useful as a drink coaster. do NOT run it. it’s not needed at all, and just adds junk to your computer.
Actually, all you need is a cross-over cable of sufficient length (5 metres should do). Windows supports Internet Connection Sharing. Connect the two computers with the cable, enable TCPIP & DHCP on her computer and ICS on yours and you’re done.
That would require two RJ45 jacks on at least one of the computers. Not too many computers happen to have that. Anyway, between using a router and installing a PCI Ethernet card along with setting the crossover up, to say nothing of troubleshooting that unusual setup if something goes wrong, I’d say that using a router is the far easier and superior option.
Solution #1 is to buy a nice long Ethernet cable (if you have an ADSL modem) (or phone cable, if your modem is of that relatively ancient type) that connects your modem to one PC at a time & stretches far enough to reach the other PC.
Solution #2 isn’t nearly as cheap: for about $70, you can buy a “wi-fi router” that literally sets up a little radio station that broadcasts and receives signals from your PC. It plugs into your modem. Of course, your PCs woudl also need wi-fi adapters-- usually already built into laptop PCs, but a $30 purchase for a desktop PC. Unless your wall contains closely spaced metal like chickenwire or LOTS of rebar, wi-fi will be able to go through your wall easily & give you about a 10m/30’ range.
True, but as I quickly discovered while using such a setup, it’s a royal pain in the ass - the one computer linked to the 'net has to be on at all times. If it has to reboot or shutdown for some reason (be it maintenance, changing parts, bad joke, windows crapping out as it’s wont to do…) the other computer is cut off without warning.
