Can I share an internet connection without a switch or wireless router?

Question

I have an internet connection on my pc, and I want to share it to another computer. Can I just connect a network or LAN cable between the two computers? Will this work to share the internet? Or do I need a switch/router/hub for the connection to go through?

Answer 1

Yes, its possible. If your PC that's getting online already has a LAN card but is connected to the modem, then make sure that PC has another slot for another LAN card so you can connect it to the other PC. You'll need to enable the ICS on the computer already getting online.

You can also go wireless. You'll just need to use wireless adapters instead of LAN cards.

But remember, if you're using a regular modem, or dial-up, it'll affect the speed. Its the advantage of using the router - you just plug things up theoretically, and your good to go, and the speed is okay - of course this can only be said because routers were made specially for broadband modems.

Answer 2

While there is something called "Internet Connection sharing" built into windows XP, it requires at least a hub/switch for both computers to plug into, and isn't very reliable compared to using a router- the connection on the 2nd machine usually dies after awhile (sometimes just a few hours) requiring a reboot.

If your main computer had two network cards, you could also try using a crossover cable (keep in mind you need two physical connections- one between computers and one to the Internet), but again this isn't as good as a dedicated piece of hardware such as a router.

Routers are dirt cheap- especially with wireless ones selling for under $50 brand new, you can probably get a used regular old router for $20 (the same cost as a network card)

So grab secondhand router like a Linksys BEFSR41 or D-Link DI-604 (which have a built-in 4-port switch) and be happy!

Answer 3

Do you have two network cards in at least on of the PC's? If so, you would need one of those network cards connected to the Internet, and the other connected to the other PC using a cross over cable. What OS are you running. Windows XP has Internet connection sharing. This will allow you to have the network cards used like a hub and allow you to access the Internet on the other computer.

Answer 4

Yes you can. You will need one computer to have 2 network cards. Once you have that the computer with the 2 network cards will need to have ICS(internet connection sharing) setup to provide internet access to the other computer using a crossover cable. This will provide what you are trying to do without the need to buy any other devices.

Answer 5

Dead easy
make sure one computer has 2 network cards installed
buy a crossover cable or a crossover plug if you already have a cable.
connect the computer with 2 cards to the internet
then connect the crossover lead to both computers
then click my network places, setup a home or small office network
and follow simple instructions

windows xp assumed

Answer 6

This is entirely possible. It's a bit difficult to set up though. You need a crossover Ethernet cable to go from one PC to the other. After that, you will need to set up a static IP address for the other PC. You will then need to set up a proxy server on the PC with the Internet connection and have the other computer connect through that proxy server to access the Internet. Every program you run on the other computer will have to be set up to go through the proxy.

Answer 7

Yes you can if your computer has 2 network cards.
It's as easy as 1-2-3 in Windows XP

Answer 8

The only way you can share an ie connection if on a wireless network is to have a open wn

Answer 9

You will need to have at least a hub, aren't expensive, try a second hand store or even garage sale have seen them for like $5.00 or try ebay.

Answer 10

You need a router for it to work xx