What do I need to....

M

~Mobius~

Guest
.... Connect a new pc I am getting to my current internet connection.

My broadband modem is downstairs and currently there is a wire that connects it to my pc upstairs, when I get my new pc I want to share connection so what do I need, and would normal shops sell it?

Also, would 2 pc's hooked up to the same line cause games to lag?
 
W

Will

Guest
You would need, at the simplest, two free network cards, and a crossover cable running between the two. You then would configure ICS (simple with WinXP I've been told) or something similar. But the PC connected directly to the modem would need to be switched on for the other to have access.

And the second question, depends what you were doing. Running Kazaa, yes, checking email, no.
 
C

Cdr

Guest
Whenever I used to take my PC round to my mates, we'd ICS - on a cable modem, we'd both have pings roughly around the 60 mark. Not a huge decrease in speed (and it was still a damn sight faster than the 56k I had at the time).

If you want a more expensive option, you could go for a router. This is what I currently have atm, with 3 PCs connected to the net at the same time (2 web browsing, MSN, usual net stuff), I get on avg. a ping of around 25-30 (sometimes less).

So like Will says, it depends on what the other PC is doing at the time - heavily downloading will decrease the speed of whatever you're playing - normal web browsing wont.
 
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Will

Guest
I have a router too, then again, I've serving five PCs, so an ICS network isn't an option.

If you want to be a bit more experimental, you could always set up an old PC as a Linux-based router.
 
S

Sibanac

Guest
I like those little hardware routers, they are pretty cheap and offer far more protection then any software wirewall
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
So would, say, my local Game shop sell this stuff?

How much would it cost and whats the bare minimum I need to make it work?
 
W

Will

Guest
Your local game shop wouldn't, your local PC store would.

About £25 would do you at a guess. I tend to beg, borrow, or steal.
 
C

Cdr

Guest
My router cost me £50 - tis a damn nice router tho.
 
F

FatBusinessman

Guest
Originally posted by Will
If you want to be a bit more experimental, you could always set up an old PC as a Linux-based router.
Click to expand...

What he said - if you've got an old PC lying around (anything faster than a 486 should pretty much do you :)) then try installing something like Smoothwall on it - the setup program should take you through it with a bare minimum of fuss, and it's all free :D

A certain amount of Linux know-how is desirable but not necessary.
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
Is it a kind of box with sockets where I can connect wires to it and my pcs? Or is 1 computer connected to the other and 1 of the computers connected to this thing, and how do I connect it to my broadband modem box?

Also because 1 pc is a further distance from my modem than the other do you think there might not be a wire long enough to reach or are they fairly long?
 
S

Sibanac

Guest
Originally posted by mobiusmid
Is it a kind of box with sockets where I can connect wires to it and my pcs? Or is 1 computer connected to the other and 1 of the computers connected to this thing, and how do I connect it to my broadband modem box?

Also because 1 pc is a further distance from my modem than the other do you think there might not be a wire long enough to reach or are they fairly long?
Click to expand...

asuming you modem is now connected to a network card on your pc ...

The router has 5 rj45 sockets on it (thingys to put the network cable thingy in :) )
You put on cable in the hole thingy labled 'wan' and the other end of the cable in your modem.
then put 2 cables in any other hole (except the one labled power :) )
and connect them to the 2 pc's
The cables can be upto a 100m


to configure it it depends if you have xdsl or cable
 
E

Embattle

Guest
Get a router if you've got the money, even if it is only two PCs.
 
V

vofflujarnid

Guest
1x crossover cable, 2x NIC. It's the most simple way imo :D
 
F

FatBusinessman

Guest
However, it requires you to have the "middle" computer on whenever the other one wants to access the Internet. It's rather neater to have a dedicated router, especially if you decide to add another PC in the future.
 
V

vofflujarnid

Guest
You mean the computer that is the "Gateway" i.e, the computer which routes other computers on internet? So it needs to be booted and online so the other(s) computer(s) can be online.
 
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FatBusinessman

Guest
Well, strictly speaking it's only a gateway if it's between networks running different protocols, but I suppose I can let you off ;)
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
I'd rather get the one that doesnt require one pc on for the other to work.
How much would that cost?

And (God this is going to sound stupid..) what exactly is it called? So if I went into the shop what would I ask for? Also is router pronounced rooter or rauter?
 
F

FatBusinessman

Guest
It's pronounced "rooter" for all us normal people :)
 
I

Insane

Guest
Solwise do a few Asus Routers but the SAR715 is a nice little router that will only cost £84.60 on Solwise which is ADSL Spec'ed and well praised by many people.

if you dont believe me, you could read the review of it on ADSLGuide.org.uk

:D
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
(Sorry for asking the same questions over, this is really confusing. :) )

So for 2 pcs to share 1 connection you need a router, and do both pcs need to be on?
 
C

Cdr

Guest
heh

For both PCs to share a connection you either need;

Internet Connection Sharing

or;

A router

Whats the difference?

ICS - one PC needs to be on otherwise the second wont be able to access the internet - pain in the ass if you ask me :D

Router - much more the easier option. You plug your Cable Modem or ADSL Mode straight into the router. This means that each PC can access the internet directly, without the need for the other to be on. It also means thats there's very little (if any) slow down in the connection (with ICS you're looking at an increas of roughly 20 points in the Ping Value). By far the better option is the router.

A router can range from quite cheap to quite expensive - mine cos me £50 from Staples, and its a Belkin 4-Port Router. Its easy to set up and easy to maintain.

Go for the Router option :D I spent a year or so doing the ICS option, swapped to a router and found it much easier.
 
K

kameleon

Guest
for two PCs to share one connection in your case a cable connection, you have two choices


a: internet connection sharing (ICS) for this you need 2 network cards in the host (internet gateway) machine one conected to your cable modem and the other connected via crossover network cable to the client machine (which also needs a network card). In order for the client to connect to the internet, the host machine has to be turned on.

b: A broadband router or switch. For this you need the broadband router which is connected to your cable modem. Both your PCs then become client machines and connect to the router using straight through network cables and one network card each. You can connect to the internet on either machine without the other being turned on and still share files between the two computers.


Option A is the cheapest solution, because network cards are only about £5 each; unfortunately, there will be issues of connectivity, as the host machine will be doing lots of jobs at once, and this can slow down the internet connection considerably, especially if you want to do processor, memory or hard drive intensive tasks on the host machine. Also, if the machines are in different rooms , its a pain in the bum having to get up and turn the machine on in order to connect up.

Option b, while slightly more expensive, gives you more control over your internet connections, you can block ports for individual machines, allocate bandwidth and will also run as a firewall. You can pick up a four port broadband router for about £40 and you will need cabling to each machine too. The other benefit is that the connection is always on, and no extra pressure is put on either machine because the router does all the network intesive tasks. You also have the added benefit of being able to add lamchines later with very little difficulty, in order to do this on an ICS network, you will have to buy a hub, scrap the crossover cable and buy straight through cables for each machine you want to add.

In the long run while option b is initially more expensive, it will save you time and money later.
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
Ok thanks, makes more sense now, definatly a router for me. :)

How can I tell if my pc has a network card in it already? Also how much are these wire things? :)
 
S

Sibanac

Guest
Originally posted by mobiusmid
Ok thanks, makes more sense now, definatly a router for me. :)

How can I tell if my pc has a network card in it already? Also how much are these wire things? :)
Click to expand...


well from the outside you can look for a whole that looks like a phone jack but a bit bigger

or go into windows device manager and just look if there is a network adapter listed there.
 
M

~Mobius~

Guest
Originally posted by Sibanac
or go into windows device manager and just look if there is a network adapter listed there.
Click to expand...

It does. :)

Thats a good thing right? :p
 
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