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ArianceKonress

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Internet Connection

I had a question that I was hoping that someone that understands more about internet connecting could answer.

I have broadband internet with a modem on one computer. On my other computer I have dial up which I plan to get rid of by the end of the month. Is there a way that I can connect both of my computers and be able to use broadband internet on both of them at the same time? If so then what do I need to do and how much will it cost? Will it slow down the speed of the internet?

Thanks

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11/02/05 20:14

Baron The Ruthless

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Re: Internet Connection

I think i know what your asking. I have the same type of internet connection. What you want is a router, and depending on who you get it from they can cost up to i think 100 dollars. I think you can get one from wal mart for 50. This is the only way that you can do what your asking. Or you can have the other computer hooked up to its own line and have its own IP address from your internet provider but that is another monthly bill so i suggest getting a router.

Also it wont slow down your internet.

***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***

Do you play Yugioh? If so come check us out at http://www.itstimetoduel.com/ im DimensionRuler.

11/02/05 20:23

He_Who_Hugs

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Re: Internet Connection

Uhh can you give a lil more info on the 2 PCs? Like the version of windows. And well how far away are the PCs I mean if they are kinda far get a wireless adapter card, its way easier and no wires!

11/02/05 20:27

Baron The Ruthless

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

Uhh can you give a lil more info on the 2 PCs? Like the version of windows. And well how far away are the PCs I mean if they are kinda far get a wireless adapter card, its way easier and no wires!

This is what im talking about when i say get a router. As for cables its not like you can just split into the cable your already using. That wont work cause the information wont know where to go and you wont get any internet that you wanted to split into for. Also with a router distance does not matter cause you can get one with some really large distance. My brother in law has one that will reach two trailers over from where he is.

Do you play Yugioh? If so come check us out at http://www.itstimetoduel.com/ im DimensionRuler.

11/02/05 20:31

He_Who_Hugs

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Re: Internet Connection

What I was trying to get to was that if he is just connecting 2 PC's that are next to each other just get a crossover cable and connect the two and set up the workgroup. Then share the connection so the other PC will see it. If it was in different rooms (like my house) get wireless and set it up. Its cheap and easy and no stupid wires running though out the house. YES it can slow your connection, I mean if one PC is hogging bandwith like downloading stuff the other PC will feel the effect, but just having the other pc on won't really effect it.

11/02/05 20:39

He_Who_Hugs

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Re: Internet Connection

Well, assuming you have XP, just go to the network setup wizard (Start-> Programs-> Accessories-> Communications). On the PC with the high-speed set it as "This computer connects directly to the internet and other computers connect to it" blah blah. Then on the other PC do the same thing but set it as "This PC connects through a residential gateway" blah blah. The 2 PC's will have to be networked, (Crossover cable, router, switch, or wireless connection) I got a crossover cable at radio shack for like 8 bucks. For like a router switch or wireless I get stuff cheap at newegg.com.

Prices:
Wired- Router or switch and cables $30ish for router or switch and like $20ish for 2 Ethernet cables (depends on length, longer length more $)

Wireless- 2 wireless cards will range from $40-$100 (depends where you look and what you get) You can get USB wireless adapters too, so you wont have to open you PC up or anything just plug it in.

Advantages-
Wired- Faster (Between PC’s) A bit more reliable
Wireless- Well umm it’s wireless, bit less of a hassle

Disadvantages-
Wired- Wires, can be a pain to setup sometimes
Wireless- Slower speeds (Between PC’s) Sometimes can get interference from other devices.

Well I hope this helps you out a bit.

***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***

11/02/05 20:59

ArianceKonress

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

Uhh can you give a lil more info on the 2 PCs? Like the version of windows. And well how far away are the PCs I mean if they are kinda far get a wireless adapter card, its way easier and no wires!

One computer is Windows XP and the other is in the basement (directly under other computer) and is Windows ME. I've heard that most routers only allow you to be online at one of them at a time. I want to be online on both of them and have acess to the internet at the same time on both. Is that possible with a router?

11/02/05 21:01

Baron The Ruthless

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Re: Internet Connection

That is possible with a router. Yes but if the PC is direcly above from the other one i would drill a small hole in the floor and use the cable as he is saying. It would be alot cheaper. I go with a router cause my computers are at opposite ends of the trailer.

Do you play Yugioh? If so come check us out at http://www.itstimetoduel.com/ im DimensionRuler.

11/02/05 21:04

He_Who_Hugs

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Re: Internet Connection

Yea, a long enough Crossover cable would be cheap and easy for you then.

11/02/05 21:07

voidgere

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Re: Internet Connection

Personally, i would go wired if you are going to game.

WindowsME is not and operating system I would trust for any networking purpose. I would recommend upgrading to Windows XP or going back to Windows98.

With a router setup, you should not see any diminish in online speed. With cable broadband (provided by a cable company), the speed will remain the same across both computers when connected via router.

(Before I get flamed, I have tested this. I have the same setup. Two computers attached to modem via router. We can download the same uncompressed file--an mp3--at the same speed at the same time.)

My experience with DSL is limited so I can't vouch for performance there. Wireless connections are good if you can stand the occasional drop and/or interference. However, wireless technology is getting better everyday so investing now in the base equipment might not be a bad idea.

**I recommend a Linksys network - NIC cards, Routers and Modem. Very user friendly and very little in the way of maintanence. Price is competative as well.**

With the location of the computers (as your description), I think a wired network would benefit you best.

11/02/05 21:14

He_Who_Hugs

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

**I recommend a Linksys network - NIC cards, Routers and Modem. Very user friendly and very little in the way of maintanence. Price is competative as well.**

You sound like an ad for them =P But I agree with you they are good stuff!

11/02/05 21:20

RoxAlot

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Re: Internet Connection

Ok regardless of the previouse post. The fact that one has ME and one has XP is designed off of the NT setup. Therefor it is set to use 20% of the bandwidth when on a network connection. IE:With the router the ME Computer #2 will in fact suck more bandwidth. This however will not affect guildwars in anyway. Being that guildwars is serverside. IE: By serverside i mean regardless of your connection speed you will in no way be faster than anyone else. Be it dial up or broadband. Now as for the router. If you in fact decide to go wireless. You will want wireless G if you have stone/brick walls. IE:The more area the signal needs to be pushed through,the more packets will be lost. If you do however not have thick walls wireless B is another option. It is cheaper but the signal is not as great. Now if you in fact decide to run a hardline (cables). There are 2 ways to go about this. 1. A router. This is a small box with small ports for the broadband cables. Your modem in plugged into this box and cables are ran from this box to the other devices. 2. A network switch. This is basically the samething. Only without authentication. IE:The router has its own ip adress. The network switch will not. You can purchase a router for a minimum of about 15 bucks. (American) to anywhere of 150 bucks. You can however puchase a network switch for sometimes as low as 10 dollars at a local radio shack. I suggest you go with a router. You purchase a lyncsys router for as low as 30 dollars. And it just so happens that their company is very advanced in such hardwear. Allso just adding. If your Computer #2 (The 1 with me) is on dial up as is. It may not have a network card. IE: an internal hardware piece. Which basically makes a hole big enough for broadband cables to be plugged into your computer. If you do not have one of these you can purchase one for as low as 5 dollars (American). Anyway, that is about all you should need to know. I hope this little guide helps you.

11/02/05 21:22

PsychoJOhnny

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Re: Internet Connection

What I have at home is an DSL connection of 512 kbps, slow I know, then it's connected to a router and it splits the internet into 4 lines for the 4 computers I have at home. One important thing (don't know if this has been discussed) is that you have to have the right IP numbers for each computer at home, in this case the one you have in your basement. My ISP gave me 5 IP numbers for 5 computers, if you have a DSL Line you should ask your ISP for them if they have them or if that is even allowed. Well, at least that's how they work here in my country.

Hope I helped.

JOhnny

11/02/05 23:32

Melon

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Re: Internet Connection

Go with a wired router. I have a wireless one set up, one computer is wired directly into the router and the other works on the wireless signal. The one on with wireless gives lag spikes in the game when you play it due to constantly changing signal strengths. just my 2 cents =)

11/02/05 23:53

tmakinen

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Re: Internet Connection

I've got an ADSL modem/Router/Firewall/WLAN access point combo with NAT for about a year now and it's a complete bliss. With the original ADSL modem provided by the ISP any computer was under attack within 30 seconds of connecting it to the net. I'm only running Windows for games and I don't trust it enough to make a naked connection, so before getting my router the only computers I dared to use were an obsolete Apple PowerBook and a Linux laptop.

11/02/05 23:57

lani

GameAmp Staff
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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

WindowsME is not and operating system I would trust for any networking purpose. I would recommend upgrading to Windows XP or going back to Windows98.

Hear, hear!
The best description of Windows Me I've come across is this:

QUOTE

The codebase of Windows 98, the Look of Windows 2K and the bugs of both

Btw, in the case of Internet Sharing over multiple windows PC's the one doing the sharing is effectively fulfilling the purpose of a Router or NAT-box and would be the 'only' pc connected as far as the ISP is concerned. The downsides are that this machine needs to be running in order for the other pc(s) to have net access and you'd be relying on Windows' own gateway/firewall software. Something I would not be comfortable with.

A seperate Wire(d/less) Switch/Router is highly preferable as its seperate and more reliable. Costs are relatively cheap these days as well.

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11/03/05 05:43

ArianceKonress

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Re: Internet Connection

**I recommend a Linksys network - NIC cards, Routers and Modem. Very user friendly and very little in the way of maintanence. Price is competative as well.**
QUOTE]

With that brand/type of router I could send a cable from both computers and have access to the internet on both at the same time? Would I need a specific cable to connect them? Or would some sort of crossover cable linking both computers together be better? If I were to purchase some sort of crossover cable where would the cable connect to in the computers (USB, or some sort of output?) and is that standard on any computer?

Thanks for the help

11/03/05 15:51

RoxAlot

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Re: Internet Connection

There is no such cable or device. You will have to get a router.

11/03/05 15:55

Transmission

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Re: Internet Connection

This is what youll want to get: Linksys Router

Youll need between 3 or 4 Ethernet (aka Cat5) cables, depending on how many PCs you want to connect. They are common in most PCs and are pretty cheap.

Guides:
Fine tuning your PC for better gameplay
Securing your computer from attacks
City of Heroes on Linux

11/03/05 16:07

nameos

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Re: Internet Connection

well if ur asking wat im thinking then do wat i do

get a router, if the 2 pc's are in different rooms then probable wireless router, unless u want a long cord going through ur house. But i have a regular router and all i do is get a ethernaet cord going from wall to router then 2 cords from router to each pc. its ez that way

but the drawback is that it will slow down ur connection a decent amount if your playing games such as GW.

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11/03/05 16:09

lani

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

Youll need between 3 or 4 Ethernet (aka Cat5) cables, depending on how many PCs you want to connect. They are common in most PCs and are pretty cheap.

Hmmm, we call them UTP cables here in the Lowlands. Cat-5 being a quality designation for such cables. We've got some Cat-6 intermixed with Cat-5 at home, but we're sicko's.

QUOTE

but the drawback is that it will slow down ur connection a decent amount if your playing games such as GW.

Eh? Not sure how you figure this in with Routers, they don't slow down your connection at all, unless you mean that playing a game like GW slows down your overall connection, regardless of Router usage.

There's some other brands besides LinkSys you could choose, but LinkSys has a very good blend of userfriendliness and security.
There's actually someone in the US somewhere running a city-wide wireless ISP based on LinkSys Wireless Routers, with a customized Linux distribution on it. Really cheap cost of operations there.

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11/03/05 16:21

Transmission

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

Youll need between 3 or 4 Ethernet (aka Cat5) cables, depending on how many PCs you want to connect. They are common in most PCs and are pretty cheap.

Hmmm, we call them UTP cables here in the Lowlands. Cat-5 being a quality designation for such cables. We've got some Cat-6 intermixed with Cat-5 at home, but we're sicko's.

If he lived near me and went to somewhere like Bestbuy or Circuit City and asked for unshielded twisted cables I doubt they would know what he was asking for. Here they're commonly known as Ethernet or Cat 5 cables (if you want 5e or 6 you need to specify and they'll still probly look at you blankly).

So as long as you end up with cables, shielded or unshielded, with RJ45 connectors at both ends you'll be set.

Guides:
Fine tuning your PC for better gameplay
Securing your computer from attacks
City of Heroes on Linux

11/03/05 19:55

lani

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Re: Internet Connection

QUOTE

Hmmm, we call them UTP cables here in the Lowlands. Cat-5 being a quality designation for such cables. We've got some Cat-6 intermixed with Cat-5 at home, but we're sicko's.

Ah o.k. Different countries with different ways I guess. Propbably due to how the cables got called by the general public at first. :-)
Nowadays we go to the local electronic workshop store and get a roll of 100 meters of Cat-5 or 6 as needed, a bag or two of connectors RJ45 and 42 (for ISDN) and we've got the, ah connector-applying-tool, at home. We tend to lay a lot of cable for friends & relatives and that saves about 30% of the price :-)

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11/04/05 09:27

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