One ethernet connection, 2 computers?
Discussion
Have two computers needing access to the internet but only a cheap non wireless one ethernet connection modem. Is there an easy way to do this. i.e is it possible to get a two way splitter similar to a telephone socket type thing for the ethernet connection?
Or is my only option to get a modem with a few more ethernet connections and go all the way to the shop and install it all for them from scratch? which being pretty useless with these things will probably turn into a nightmare and never work again properly.
Or is my only option to get a modem with a few more ethernet connections and go all the way to the shop and install it all for them from scratch? which being pretty useless with these things will probably turn into a nightmare and never work again properly.
You need a thing called a "switch" and a couple of ethernet/network cables.
Cables go from both your computers into the switch and also from your switch to your ADSL modem. Switches come in "four port", "eight port", "sixteen port" etc depending on how many cables you can plug in. You only need a four port.
You could buy cheap from dabs or you could go down to PC World and get one for that instant gratification fix.
Its a total piece of piss - no technical knowledge required these days.
Cables go from both your computers into the switch and also from your switch to your ADSL modem. Switches come in "four port", "eight port", "sixteen port" etc depending on how many cables you can plug in. You only need a four port.
You could buy cheap from dabs or you could go down to PC World and get one for that instant gratification fix.
Its a total piece of piss - no technical knowledge required these days.
Right you have two ways of doing this.
1. A 'Router' buy it, plug it in, carefully read through the manual and the setup will be easy. Really, they're pretty much plug n' play.
2. Put TWO network cards in one computer (assuming it's not a laptop) and connect the modem to it. Then get a cross-over cable from maplins and connect this between the two PC's. On the machine with two cards in it turn on 'internet connection sharing'.
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
1. A 'Router' buy it, plug it in, carefully read through the manual and the setup will be easy. Really, they're pretty much plug n' play.
2. Put TWO network cards in one computer (assuming it's not a laptop) and connect the modem to it. Then get a cross-over cable from maplins and connect this between the two PC's. On the machine with two cards in it turn on 'internet connection sharing'.
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
ThePassenger said:
...
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
Passenger,
I'm confused because my system has just that set up.
Modem (could be a modem/router - whats the difference?) - wire to switch - other computers connected to switch by wire or wirelessly (sp). Works fine.
I would add that I'm no expert and it's my Son that set it up! Just confused!
Steve
skeggysteve said:
ThePassenger said:
...
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
A switch will do you no actual good here. The modem will, in all likleyhood, see two machines trying to pull an IP, spaz out and only one will get a valid IP (and thus internet connection).
Passenger,
I'm confused because my system has just that set up.
Modem (could be a modem/router - whats the difference?) - wire to switch - other computers connected to switch by wire or wirelessly (sp). Works fine.
I would add that I'm no expert and it's my Son that set it up! Just confused!
Steve
It depends on what the first device is and how intelligent it is.
A pure modem's DHCP system is often only setup to give out one address to the first person that asks, I've seen plenty of modem's (ADSL) that will automatically lock themselves to the MAC of that first requester, the NTL STB system did pretty much the same thing. The NTL modem I've got (black thing with Virgin written on it) does the same thing but only temporarily, a reboot will enable it to talk to another machine... it will only issue one address though. Think of modem's as a straight through device or translator, they normally just enable the connection it's up to the computer at the other end to be protected.
A router as far as home units goes, is a device that may have multiple ethernet ports and/or wireless, it may not; I've seen ones that are 1 in, 1 out designed to bolt to a switch but have full NAT. It will 'pretend' to be a computer and pull information from the modem (or replace the modem all together) and then use it's own DHCP system to issue addresses to anyone who comes along (i.e. 192.168.0.2) on the internal network. It'll look after network address translation (NAT) so that all of these computers can roam the wild internet without issue. Most have fairly basic firewalls built in and offer a bit of protection from the outside world (via NAT and the firewall).
If you've got ADSL and your son set it up, he's probably dropped a router in to make life simple. If you've got cable he's probably stuffed the modem somewhere and fed it in to a router (play hunt the cable and you'll find it
). Of course, if you've brought multiple static IP's from your ISP then the game is different and yes the one modem you're issued will chat to as many clients as it has IP's allocated.
ThePassenger said:
Said a lot of 'stuff'
Not sure I understood most of that
We have ADSL, (no chance of cable out in the sticks), I've had a quick look and the modem is a router type. Wire to telephone point, power supply and wire to switch (I know it's a switch because I paid for it!) and so out to all computers.
As I said, I was confused, mind you probably more so now
But thanks for the reply.
skeggysteve said:
ThePassenger said:
Said a lot of 'stuff'
Not sure I understood most of that
We have ADSL, (no chance of cable out in the sticks), I've had a quick look and the modem is a router type. Wire to telephone point, power supply and wire to switch (I know it's a switch because I paid for it!) and so out to all computers.
As I said, I was confused, mind you probably more so now
But thanks for the reply.
To put it a bit more simply...
Your router is intelligent and will share out cream cakes between whichever elephant sticks out his trunk. What Phoenix probably has is just a modem. A modem is a zookeeper with OCD and will only give cream cakes out to the first elephant that sticks out his trunk. To get rid of his OCD the zookeeper needs to get a treatment called DHCP which will cure him and allow him to throw cream cakes with gay abandon...
To slightly dumb up from what trooperiziz has said...
A modem basically transfer you to the outside world (WAN), via the phone line. It might be an old dial-up jobby, a broadband modem that plugs into one computer, or a modem-router.
A router manages the internal network (LAN) traffic, including the interface with the modem.
A modem-router (often shortened to modem or router, just to confuse us) does both in one box.
On a network, every device has to have a unique name (the 192.123.3.4 thing), and therefore you need one device to manage that (the DHCP bit). Normally on a home network that will be the modem-router. Your exisiting device would appear to be a modem-router (rather than a USB-connected modem), although I've never heard of an Ethernet modem-router with just one ethernet port.
I'm assuming that:
- You have correctly described everything
- You are on broadband
- You're current device is Ethernet (designed for multiple connections) and not USB (designed for just one computer)
So there are two simple operations I would recommend.
1) Replace the current modem-router with another that has more than one Ethernet port.
Go for 4-ports or more (allowing for a bit more expansion), and 10/100 Base Ethernet (100 is faster. You could even have 1000 "gigabit" Ethernet if your computers have this, but home versions are rare and it would add little to your internet browsing). Plug it into the mains, the phone socket, and into each computer (you'll need another ethernet cable), and start it up. Then start up your computers.
You will need the instruction manual, which will tell you how to access the configuration settings on the modem-router (there may be a set-up assistant program, otherwise you access it thrugh your internet browser). You will also need the paperwork from your ISP so you can input all the settings and get the router looking out at the internet. As long as you type them in properly, this will only take 5 minutes.
You only need to do this once - the settings are on the router, not the computer. For the second computer you just need to make it see the network and the router.
Simple, cheap (£30?), sorted, and probably the best option. Your only issue will be finding an Ethernet modem-router - smaller stores think we are all fascinated by wireless and may not stock them. You could do worse than browsing the web and ordering online.
2) Just add a switch
To do this, your exiting "modem" would need to have DHCP. Check the manual. If it does, you could add a switch. This looks like a modem-router with several Ethernet ports, but no phone line connection, and no DHCP software inside.
If the existing device does have DHCP, you just need to plug the switch into the router, and the computers into the switch. It's effectively acting as a splitter (though it actually does more that's not worth explaining). You should not need to change any settings.
As before, look for 10/100 Ethernet or gigabit (Netgear do a cheap 5-port gigabit switch - £15?). As before, smaller stores may not carry them. And of course you will need two extra cables.
3) Add a router (not modem-router) - if your exisitng "modem" does not have DHCP
This will have the DHCP, and your old modem would be treated as the third device on the network.
Hardware set up is just like option 2, software set up a bit like option 1
Could be done, but the cost difference between a router and a modem-router is such that it's hardly worth the effort. Easier to have just one box to deal with it all.
There are a couple of other options as already suggested. But the hassle suggests you should just go with option 1. Provided you have the manual, and your ISP paperwork for settings, it requires only a numpty level of understanding.
A modem basically transfer you to the outside world (WAN), via the phone line. It might be an old dial-up jobby, a broadband modem that plugs into one computer, or a modem-router.
A router manages the internal network (LAN) traffic, including the interface with the modem.
A modem-router (often shortened to modem or router, just to confuse us) does both in one box.
On a network, every device has to have a unique name (the 192.123.3.4 thing), and therefore you need one device to manage that (the DHCP bit). Normally on a home network that will be the modem-router. Your exisiting device would appear to be a modem-router (rather than a USB-connected modem), although I've never heard of an Ethernet modem-router with just one ethernet port.
I'm assuming that:
- You have correctly described everything
- You are on broadband
- You're current device is Ethernet (designed for multiple connections) and not USB (designed for just one computer)
So there are two simple operations I would recommend.
1) Replace the current modem-router with another that has more than one Ethernet port.
Go for 4-ports or more (allowing for a bit more expansion), and 10/100 Base Ethernet (100 is faster. You could even have 1000 "gigabit" Ethernet if your computers have this, but home versions are rare and it would add little to your internet browsing). Plug it into the mains, the phone socket, and into each computer (you'll need another ethernet cable), and start it up. Then start up your computers.
You will need the instruction manual, which will tell you how to access the configuration settings on the modem-router (there may be a set-up assistant program, otherwise you access it thrugh your internet browser). You will also need the paperwork from your ISP so you can input all the settings and get the router looking out at the internet. As long as you type them in properly, this will only take 5 minutes.
You only need to do this once - the settings are on the router, not the computer. For the second computer you just need to make it see the network and the router.
Simple, cheap (£30?), sorted, and probably the best option. Your only issue will be finding an Ethernet modem-router - smaller stores think we are all fascinated by wireless and may not stock them. You could do worse than browsing the web and ordering online.
2) Just add a switch
To do this, your exiting "modem" would need to have DHCP. Check the manual. If it does, you could add a switch. This looks like a modem-router with several Ethernet ports, but no phone line connection, and no DHCP software inside.
If the existing device does have DHCP, you just need to plug the switch into the router, and the computers into the switch. It's effectively acting as a splitter (though it actually does more that's not worth explaining). You should not need to change any settings.
As before, look for 10/100 Ethernet or gigabit (Netgear do a cheap 5-port gigabit switch - £15?). As before, smaller stores may not carry them. And of course you will need two extra cables.
3) Add a router (not modem-router) - if your exisitng "modem" does not have DHCP
This will have the DHCP, and your old modem would be treated as the third device on the network.
Hardware set up is just like option 2, software set up a bit like option 1
Could be done, but the cost difference between a router and a modem-router is such that it's hardly worth the effort. Easier to have just one box to deal with it all.
There are a couple of other options as already suggested. But the hassle suggests you should just go with option 1. Provided you have the manual, and your ISP paperwork for settings, it requires only a numpty level of understanding.
Don't know what has happened, looks like english words but they don't make any sense to me
Both computers than need connections are laptops. I have been having a rummage around and found an unused BT Voyager 2091 Wireless ADSL Router (well, that's what the label says but it may as well be written in Japanese for all I know) This has only one ethernet port so one of the laptops can use this (it's an old laptop without wireless) and the other laptop can use the wireless. When we upgrade the older laptop then they can both use the wireless.
Looks like this is my easiest, cheapest option, just got to go in early tomorrow morning before the shop opens to set it up. Now this could take ten minutes or it could take hours, or it may never work again.
Wish me luck, I will need it.
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