Sharing cable modem with one IP address
- Thread starter just21
- Start date
We use a cable modem to distribute to 4 computers in our trailer. The thing you need is:
1) A Network router that supports a WAN interface (cable/DSL)
Netgear and Linksys are both great.
2) Network cards for all your machines (100 mbit works great)
Then, simply plug the cable modem into the router and then plug all your other computers into the router/hub and you are golden.
One thing -- there is a bug with Windows XP and wireless network cards. You will need to DISABLE Zero Configuration Networking in XP or else you will lose your connection for 3 seconds every 30 seconds or so (which may mean the different between profit and loss for an extreme scalper)
I use Internet Connection Sharing within Windows 2000 Server. No extra hardware required (aside from your existing network). It works great. It may be available under Win 98 or Win 2000 Pro as well... I'm not sure.
If you have a Fry's in your area, go pick up an SMC7004VWBR wireless router. http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?sec=Products&pg=Product-Details&prod=258&site=c
It will support 4 computers directly connected to it and as many wireless-connected ones as you want (in reality, it's not 4 computers it's 4 separate LANs but this may be more complex of an explanation than you're looking for).
The price is unbelievable for a 4-port wireless router with built-in firewalling (NAT, virtual servers, VPN pass through, etc) : $89.99 shelf price minus $50 rebate = $39.99. I'm very happy with mine.
--opm8
It will support 4 computers directly connected to it and as many wireless-connected ones as you want (in reality, it's not 4 computers it's 4 separate LANs but this may be more complex of an explanation than you're looking for).
The price is unbelievable for a 4-port wireless router with built-in firewalling (NAT, virtual servers, VPN pass through, etc) : $89.99 shelf price minus $50 rebate = $39.99. I'm very happy with mine.
--opm8
Netgear, Siemens, Linksys, and a couple other manufacturers make DSL/Cable routers with both 10/100 wired (usually 3-4 ports) and 802.11b wireless.
The routers support NAT so multiple PCs can share the one WAN connection transparently - they also keep the DSL/cable link up whether your PCs are on or not, so when you turn on your PC you don't have to wait for the DSL to connect. The routers are usually configured/managed via your browser and most also support DHCP for convenience on your internal LAN.
Note that the use of NAT in the router effectively walls off your internal LAN from outside hackers, which is nice unless you're doing anything that needs the ability to receive unsolicited inbound connections for some reason (most don't) - you won't be able to do that through this type of router.
However, if you need to be able to connect to and control your machines from a remote site, check out GoToMyPC.com - I've been using it for about a year, it's fairly cheap and it works great and you can establish a secure link from the outside to your home machines even if you're using a NAT router.
The hardwire/wireless combo routers give you the option to connect one or more machines on wireless if you can't or don't want to run Cat 5 cables to them. You use a PCI or USB based wireless adapter on the PCs you want to connect wirelessly. Most support encrypted communications if you're worried about the neighbor kid hacking your wireless LAN.
Check Circuit City (I was there last week and both the wireless enabled routers and the adapters were on sale) or online.
The routers support NAT so multiple PCs can share the one WAN connection transparently - they also keep the DSL/cable link up whether your PCs are on or not, so when you turn on your PC you don't have to wait for the DSL to connect. The routers are usually configured/managed via your browser and most also support DHCP for convenience on your internal LAN.
Note that the use of NAT in the router effectively walls off your internal LAN from outside hackers, which is nice unless you're doing anything that needs the ability to receive unsolicited inbound connections for some reason (most don't) - you won't be able to do that through this type of router.
However, if you need to be able to connect to and control your machines from a remote site, check out GoToMyPC.com - I've been using it for about a year, it's fairly cheap and it works great and you can establish a secure link from the outside to your home machines even if you're using a NAT router.
The hardwire/wireless combo routers give you the option to connect one or more machines on wireless if you can't or don't want to run Cat 5 cables to them. You use a PCI or USB based wireless adapter on the PCs you want to connect wirelessly. Most support encrypted communications if you're worried about the neighbor kid hacking your wireless LAN.
Check Circuit City (I was there last week and both the wireless enabled routers and the adapters were on sale) or online.
lol