I have 2 computers in my house and only one hooked up to the internet by one cable modem. I would like to make both computers internet ready, so that both my fiancee and I can get online at the same time. What would I need to have to connect both computers up online and how would I do this ?
2007-09-10 05:09:28 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Computer Networking
In this case you would either need a wired or wireless router, depending on the distance between computers and their capabilities.
If both computers are at the same location, you can get a cheap linksys or dlink Ethernet router. You connect your cable modem to the router then you connect the computers to the LAN ports. It is easy to use them out of the box and you won't need a professional to do any work, assuming that both computers have an Ethernet NIC (most newer computers do). It is basically the telephone-like connector but wider.
If they are distant, you might want to create a wireless LAN. For this you would need a wireless router and at least an 802.11 b/g-capable computer. Wireless routers also come easy to use and step-by-step CD ROMs. The problem with this is that at least one of the computers will need to have a wireless card installed. There are USB adapters available so you won't need to hire a technician either.
To create your wireless network:
Buy a wireless router. A good one should also have some Ethernet ports so you connect any computer to it without using the wireless network.
If the computer that you want to connect to wireless is not does not come with a wireless (a.k.a. wi fi or 802.11) card, you should get a USB one for desktop or PC card for laptop. If you want, you can have an adapter professionally installed which will give you a slightly higher speed but that will cost you extra time and money.
Connect your cable Ethernet cable to the Wireless router (follow the instructions in the manual).
Secure your network (using WPA2 if possible, if not, use WEP)
Connect your computer (s) to the wired or wireless network.
Enjoy!
2007-09-10 05:12:35 · answer #1 · answered by krazy_teknos 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Jeez, this is not rocket science. If you pay for another connection you will get the same service levels on both machines. Cable IS is a shared medium so it is no worse than when your neighbor puts in their own cable modem. The advantage to two modems is with the upstream limiters put in place to limit the bandwidth to a single modem. So theoretically you have more bandwidth available. Practically the cable segment is probably oversubscribed to a point where limiters are not often needed as the overall customer load on the segment limits the actual throughput. Is the possible performance improvement worth it? Maybe, but do not get your hopes up. Where you might see an actual issue in implementing this solution is with the signal levels. By splitting the cable you add a 3 db loss at every split. So by doing so you will lessen the signal to both devices. This is not necessarily a real issue unless you already have a marginal signal. Normally high quality cable and splitters will do the job, but a $100 bidirectional cable amplifier will deal with most signal level issues.
2016-05-21 03:22:10 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. You need to purchase a wireless router. (cheap from ebay). Also if you dont have a wireless receiver installed on one of your comps, you will need to purchase that to (however some routers come with a usb wireless reciever). I was in the same position as you once, I am using d-link cable router. Make sure you purchase a cable not ADSL router. Once you've purchased it, pretty easy to install just read the manual.
If you dont like wireless, you can get a normal router. Same job but with wires - Not 100% on them though as I have never used them.
Or you can call your cable company and ask them to fit a new connection in a different room or something. Option 1 is the best though.
Good Luck
2007-09-10 05:18:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
use a wireless router and a wireless card for one of your computers. This way you do not have to string wire through out your house. Also you can secure your network this way. It is not hard at all. Linksys is the brand i prefer.
2007-09-10 05:18:43 · answer #4 · answered by alex j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What Krazy said, you need to be sure the router supports NAT (Network address translation), most do - but that is the key feature for what you want to do.
2007-09-10 05:17:16 · answer #5 · answered by Fester Frump 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋