Network Internet Access

Hiya all,

I currently have a desktop PC connecting to the Internet via a cable modem. I will be getting a laptop soon and want this to connect to the Internet (aswell as my desktop PC) using the same cable modem. My question is what is the best way to do this? I think I can pickup a 5port switch for £25 or so, will this work? I will be using Windows XP Home on both machines.


Many Thanks,

Dave

 

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It's totally dependant on what you want to be able to do at the end of the day.

For instance you could place a LAN connection between your PC and laptop and have the PC connect through the modem. This requires some configuration but could allow you to place a firewall on the PC to keep the Laptop safe.

Advantages: n/a (I presently use this setup because I have a LAN HUB)
Disadvantages: Will need a bus between the two machines. (cable) which in turn means they would also need cards for the bus (Ethernet etc)

You could get a 5 port Switch/Router, connect both your laptop and PC to different ports and access the internal firewall with a browser.
Advantages: Easier to plug/unplug and Configure, Expandable,
A firewall that works for all machines connected to the Switch/Router, Check for DHCP etc as this will allow your systems to "Organise" themselves on bootup.
Disadvantages: Depending on specifications (Some won't allow some ports to be mapped across correctly, while others give you full access to setting them up.).

If you've got the money, go with a Router.

 

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I'll with Stryder on this. For about £150 you can get a multi-function router/ADSL modem with basic firewall/DHCP/802.11g wireless/fast ethernet capabilities. As well as a few more functions that can be usefull. If you can stretch to that it is worth it. Ebay may have the same for less dosh.

On the cheap side, an Ethernet Switch/Hub and ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) enabled on your PC connecting to the Net.

 

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Thanks for the response guys. I'll give you a bit more info about my setup and my understanding on how a switch would work in it.

My current cable modem plugs into my network card on my PC.

Ideally what I want is to plug the cable modem into a switch(cheapest option) and plug both my Desktop and Laptop PC's into the switch. The thing I'm uncertain about is will my PC's automatically pickup the cable modem that is plugged into the switch? Or will I have to(like you mentioned) network my 2 PC's together and use the share facility?

Thanks in advance.

Dave

 

Everything that connects into a Router uses the IP protocol in a network. The router should pick up the Modem's IP and then can allocate IP's throughout the PC's that are connected.

It is also possible usually to fix your own IP's, however I guess that your cable connection is going to be dynamic, so your best using assigned IP's rather than placing your own (It lowers misconfigurations)

You should be able to find a Cheap Router/Switch, if both machines have USB then you could go for a pure USB one. (In my case I'm going to have to go for a Hybrid USB/RJ45 Ethernet)

[Btw, RJ45 is the type of connection for a 10/100 ethernet card and RJ11 is type of connection used with a regular 56k modem.
I mention these because it helps to know what your looking at when your looking for a decent router/switch.]

Ref:
www.kelkoo.com or www.kelkoo.co.uk : a company that compares highstreet prices (You can use this to work out the best prices on Ebay)

 

Thanks Stryder,

You've given me some info to work on. I'll see if I can pickup a cheap router on ebay.

Thanks again.

Dave