What do I need in order to have internet on two PC's in my home?

Answer 1

If you are doing broadband (internet over the cable, satellite, or via DSL) then you'll need to purchase a router. This can be a wireless router if one of your computers is a laptop with a wireless card.

Many broadband companies, if you let them know you have the need, will provide this router as a built in device on your cable modem / dsl modem so that you don't need another device.

A good wireless or non wireless router from Belkin, D-Link, Linksys, Trendnet or another reputable name should be between $20 and $50 at most.

If you are on dialup - there are ways of sharing this out using netowkring cards, however, they don't work very well, and you're talking about sharing bandwitdth that isn't adequate for 1/20th of one computer with two. I'd seek out broadband if this is the case.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

A router. Assuming that you have cable or DSL coming in to one PC already, what you need is to add a router.

You would disconnect the cable that currently brings the Internet to your first computer from the back of the computer, and plug it in to a port on the router instead.

The router will then have additional ports so that you can run a cable from each computer to one of those ports. You can have as many computers as the router has ports. (4 is the most commmon, but they also come in 8, 16 and 32).

For another $10 you can get a router which includes wireless. Besides the ports for connecting PCs by cables, it will also broadcast a radio signal (for about 300 feet) which can be used to hook computers with wireless cards to the router.

Setting one up is simple, and most people can do it themselves. Usually your ISP will help you for free if needed.

The cost of a router is usually in the $40-60 range. All brands are basically the same, so get whatever one is on sale that week. An extra $10 will get you wireless (which is cheaper then replacing the whole router 6 months from now when you decide you need the wireless feature).

Answer 3

You need an internet source (e.g. DSL from your phone carrier, CATV Internet from your cable provider, or other source). These feeds are terminated via a modem.

You will need a router. The router WAN port plugs into the modem internet feed.

The router may be an integrated switch / router which has 4 LAN ports. If it has 1 LAN port you will need a network switch. You connect the LAN ports to the pcs via straight cat5 cable; you connect the router LAN port (if there is only 1 LAN port on the switch) to the network switch via a straight cat5 cable.

If you wish to go wireless, get a wireless router. The wan port is connected the same way. You will need wireless cards on the pcs unless they are notebooks with built in wireless.

Answer 4

spare Ethernet card suffices...
In Windows
under Network connections you can click Properties in the device you use to connect to internet and select Details tab check the checkbox for Share internet connection

In Linux
you can configure iptables
this is the cheapest solution, however disadvantage is that you have to have the first computer turned on to have internet on the second...

Other choice is to buy a switch, there are heaps of them in good prices.. Depending how you connect to internet. You can use ethernet cable (utp) or use a wifi router...

Answer 5

best thing would to buy a router to allow you to use the internet with multiple computers....routers are pretty cheap, like 50 bucks.

I would use D-link or Linksys.

Answer 6

A switch or router. I would stick with the router as it can provide you with so much more than a simple switch.

Answer 7

Buy a router