Question about dial-up access?

Question

If one computer can connect to the internet with dial-up, how come a second computer can't simply plug in the phone line and connect? I know there's more to it, but what do I do? I already have a connection with one computer, so what do I need to do to connect to the net with the second computer?

Answer 1

To have a computer on the Internet net it needs to have a unique IP number. When a person at home connects to the Internet via cable or dsl, each computer at that home can get it;s own IP assigned, with routers and such you can add more IP's to computers via the cable/dsl.

But with dial-up the IP assinged to you is basically a call-foward from your ISP. Your ISP assigns a temporay IP, that is tracks on it's system, so any information you request, or receive, is a direct connection from that computer to your ISPs. So when you plug in another computer to the phone line, you are sharing the physical connection, but the information coming down has no way to tell which computer is what.

Best solution is get a dial-up share program, which is basically a low level network where one computer get's all the information, and then routes it after wards to the right one,

Answer 2

Can you make two phone calls on one phone at the same time? Of course not. A dial-up connection is nothing more than an ordinary phone call that allows your computer communicate with your ISP's system and get on the internet.

To access the internet with both computers both computers need to have network cards (NIC) installed. Then connect the NICs with a crossover CAT5 cable and configure Internet Connection Sharing. See Help & Support for how to do that.

Answer 3

the only way to do this with a dial up connection is getting another phone line that uses a diff number u can't connect two comps to 1 phone line