Connecting 2 computers to 1 broadband connection - HOW?

Hello

not sure if this is the right newsgroup or not, sorry if it isn't!

i have just got a broadband connection on my downstairs computer and i want
to connect my son's computer upstairs to the same connection.

what is the cheapest / easiest way to do this?

thanks in advance for your time and help.

andrew

switch1200 said this...
> what is the cheapest / easiest way to do this?
>

Hi. Easiest is via a router such as the Linksys BEFSR41. This will cost about
£50 but is easy to set up and avoids all the hassle of ICS connection
sharing. Also it means that either pc can be on/off without affecting the
other user's connection.
I've got the Linksys and can thoroughly recommend it.

--
º~ dªv¡d ~º

"switch1200" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bl6alm$5sr$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello
>
> not sure if this is the right newsgroup or not, sorry if it isn't!
>
> i have just got a broadband connection on my downstairs computer and i
want
> to connect my son's computer upstairs to the same connection.
>
> what is the cheapest / easiest way to do this?
>
> thanks in advance for your time and help.
>

The cheapest way is to put a network card in your son's machine and another
one in your machine and run a cross over cable between them & use Internet
Connection sharing. NICs are about £15 each and you'll need some cable.

The BEST way to do it is to buy a router with a built in switch (about £50),
connect it to the Internet and connect both machines to that

The advantage of using ICS is that its cheap

The disadvantage is that your machine has to be on in order for the second
machine to see the internet and your PC is connected directly to the Net.

The advantages of using a router are that firstly the machines can access
the net independently of each other and secondly that because its the router
that's connected to the net directly and not your PC its inherently much
more secure. This is because the router also acts as a firewall. It does
this because it has an IP address that is a public internet address which is
assigned to it by the ISP. Your computers iin the other hand form a private
network and so have private addresses which cannot (for a simple example) be
"Pinged" from the internet. The router then does "Network Address
Translation" (NAT) between the public and private addreses. The router
itself actually has two IP addresses - one that it gets from your ISP on the
public side and another that you give it on the private side that will be in
the same range as those that your PCs use - thereby forming a private
network.

The router will block malicious attempts to connect through it and is , to
all intents and purposes, a fairly dumb looking thing from the outside.

If you can't run cables you may like to consider Wireless. Wireless is
getting better/faster and cheaper now. It will allow you to do all of the
above and is more than fast enough for internet use. You can get some
routers which have a wireless access point AND physical connection
capability built in so you could, for example, connect your machine to it
via cable & your son's via wireless. These will cost nearer £100. A Wireless
network card would be about £35-£40

All you can eat for networking gear at www.wstore.co.uk

HTH

I.

"switch1200" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bl6alm$5sr$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello
>
> not sure if this is the right newsgroup or not, sorry if it isn't!
>
It is.
> thanks in advance for your time and help.

There are 2 ways to connect more than 1 PC to the internet at any one time.

Internet Connection Sharing:

A very basic NAT utility that provides DHCP and allows client PC systems to
connect to the internet as long as ICS is installed on the system that is
using a modem, either analogue or xDSL.

Cheap, cheerful, free to use, not installed by default, The PC running ICS
must be connected to The Internet and left on for other PC's to gain and
establish connectivity.

Limitations are, no port forwarding i.e. not possible to setup Internet
services such as web and SMTP and independence of the other systems to
connect.

Routers.

Independent connectivity a guarantee, NAT implementation by default,
internet services a real possibility. Costs start at around £60 for a
generic OEM model and can go in to the several hundreds and higher for a
business class, industry standard piece of kit. hint: Cisco..

I personally use a Efficient Networks EN5861 OEM full spec (not BT) router
and have no problems with connectivity and run 2 servers as well as 4 PC's
on a home network.

I'd certainly go for the router option every time.

Dave.

switch1200 wrote:
> Hello
>
> not sure if this is the right newsgroup or not, sorry if it isn't!
>
> i have just got a broadband connection on my downstairs computer and i want
> to connect my son's computer upstairs to the same connection.
>
> what is the cheapest / easiest way to do this?
>
> thanks in advance for your time and help.
>
> andrew
>
>

Router is the best way, you need a ADSL router, 2 lan cards and cables.
You can do with just 2 lan cards and crosover cabling using a proxy
server program (such as the built in Windows ICS) but this has
disadvanages but can work quite well.
Using an ADSL router you don't need your USB ADSL modem unless you
get one which has a USB socket the modem plugs into.

Lan cards try Realtek 8139 should cost less than 10 pounds each.
Router -- cheap Conexant Chipset routers work quite well these are sold
under several different brands.
Cables --- Unless the computers are very close together in whioch case
you just need a long patch lead to connect to the router, try B&Q
Wharehouse they have a home network cabling kit on special for about 27
pounds that has all the cables and fittings you will need.

In article <bl72qs$j91$(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
> switch1200 wrote:
> > Hello
> >
> > not sure if this is the right newsgroup or not, sorry if it isn't!
> >
> > i have just got a broadband connection on my downstairs computer and i want
> > to connect my son's computer upstairs to the same connection.
> >
> > what is the cheapest / easiest way to do this?
> >
> > thanks in advance for your time and help.
> >
> > andrew
> >
> >
>
> Router is the best way, you need a ADSL router, 2 lan cards and cables.
> You can do with just 2 lan cards and crosover cabling using a proxy
> server program (such as the built in Windows ICS) but this has
> disadvanages but can work quite well.
> Using an ADSL router you don't need your USB ADSL modem unless you
> get one which has a USB socket the modem plugs into.
>
> Lan cards try Realtek 8139 should cost less than 10 pounds each.
> Router -- cheap Conexant Chipset routers work quite well these are sold
> under several different brands.
> Cables --- Unless the computers are very close together in whioch case
> you just need a long patch lead to connect to the router, try B&Q
> Wharehouse they have a home network cabling kit on special for about 27
> pounds that has all the cables and fittings you will need.
>
>
You sure that's the 'cheapest / easiest' solution for the poster?