vivid_vibe

I have recently acquired a second computer and would like to share my current cable internet connection with it. My question: is there a way to do this without buying additional hardware, or am I required to buy something else. If so, what should I be looking for exactly? Any advice will be appreciated greatly (and repped, of course).

vivid

Admiral Michael

Depending of your connection you could get another network card, or get a router. If you have dialup then I wouldnt share that. If its a high speed connection then a router would be the best choice. It depends if you have a ethernet modem. If you rent it from your ISP then you may be able to exchange for one.

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kcnychief

If you are worried about TCO (Total Cost of Operation), you shouldn't be. You can get a decent router, especially if you are thrifty, for 30-40 bucks. Sometimes even cheaper, or free AR if you keep your eyes peeled. A few good sites to check out for deals like that would be....

http://www.slickdeals.net (my personal favorite)
http://www.fatwallet.com
http://www.dealnews.com

I am sure there are others, but all are great for finding really great deals on items. The benefit to a router vs. a software-type ICS application would be security and scalability. This would make adding more computers in the future easy as pie.

Good luck

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LeeJend

You can find top brand routers for $20 after rebate (usually with wired ports and a wireless connection). Watch the circuitcity, bestbuy, officedepot and officemax ads. They all have their weekly ads online.

Mail order:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&InnerCata=145

Watch the local sales this weekend. Nothing good right now:
http://www.compusa.com/
http://www.officedepot.com/
http://www.officemax.com/
http://www.officemax.com/
http://www.bestbuy.com/

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vivid_vibe

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I think I'm gonna go with this router:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833124136

Now, am I correct in assuming you can have wired and wireless systems connected through this at the same time? I don't have any wireless setups at the moment, but I figured I could future-proof. What type of cable should I be buying if I am to use this to connect 2 computers to my cable internet connection (like cat5, cat5e, cat6)? I'm lost on all that stuff.

vivid

LeeJend

Cat5 will support the 100mb speed. You have 4 wired plugs (look at the back picture, the 5th plug is the incoming from the modem) so it will support 4 computers wired plus multiple wireless connections on that router.

Make sure you turn off or otherwise secure the wireless connection so no one can tap in.

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kcnychief

Good recommendation and good pricing, however you really won't notice much of a difference in the LAN between CAT5, CAT5e or CAT6. I would just go with whatever is cheaper really. The only time you would need to think serious about cabling is if you were going Gigabit, which isn't yet cost effective for the home user.

Personally, I would recommend this router...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833124010

It is $13.00 cheaper than the After Rebate Price on the other router, and you don't need the "Speedbooster" for now since you aren't wireless. I have tried both, and have actually gotten a more reliable transfer rate consistency from the WRT54G. This is the ONLY wireless router I setup both at home and for clients.

The only difference between the two, obviously is the Speedbooster technology which is 35% faster, but as I mentioned before, these haven't been very reliable.

Just to make sure no one gets annoyed by this post, let me add "In my opinion"

And as far as the router setup goes, take the ethernet from your modem and plug it into the "Internet" port on your router. Then, one by one, plug in your PC's into the remaining 4 ports. Here is a glimpse at the back of your router, notice "Internet" is on the far left next to the "reset" button.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Admiral Michael

Not a bad selection I like linksys myself. If you not going to use wireless for a while I would disable it until you need it.

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