Cable modem question

[BUTCH1]

Hello all, My question is: do ISP's generally allow you to have more than one cable modem
hooked up at the same time?. My 2nd comp. is close to a cable outlet and it would be easier
and cheaper than setting up a network. Thanks in advance, Barry

 

[DeeKnow]

nope... most cable systems work by 'authorizing' the MAC address of your cable modem.. just hooking up another modem will not work

 

[BUTCH1]

Yea, I know I'd have to call in the MAC address for the 2nd modem I was just
wondering if they allow 2 modems.

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
Yea, I know I'd have to call in the MAC address for the 2nd modem I was just
wondering if they allow 2 modems.

i would think that answer would be unique to the company, not sure though... and also, if you do that, wouldnt that give them a reason to charge you another monthly fee for an addition connection? in addition to the cost of a new cable modem, which i havnt seen for less than $50, and a good for no less than $100. How is that cheaper than a $15 router and a couple legths of cat 5? I jsut wired my mother in laws house for less than $20, she was EXCTATIC. $35 belkin 4 port router from microcenter with $20 mail in rebate makes it $15, pack of 10 rj-45 connectors for $3, and cat 5 cable my friend gave me (but seriously you can get 1000 feet for $25 if you dont have that, beats paying $9.99 for a 20 foot cord with ends) and jsut borrow a crimper to terminate it, CUSTOM length!

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Paperlantern

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
Yea, I know I'd have to call in the MAC address for the 2nd modem I was just
wondering if they allow 2 modems.

i would think that answer would be unique to the company, not sure though... and also, if you do that, wouldnt that give them a reason to charge you another monthly fee for an addition connection? in addition to the cost of a new cable modem, which i havnt seen for less than $50, and a good for no less than $100. How is that cheaper than a $15 router and a couple legths of cat 5? I jsut wired my mother in laws house for less than $20, she was EXCTATIC. $35 belkin 4 port router from microcenter with $20 mail in rebate makes it $15, pack of 10 rj-45 connectors for $3, and cat 5 cable my friend gave me (but seriously you can get 1000 feet for $25 if you dont have that, beats paying $9.99 for a 20 foot cord with ends) and jsut borrow a crimper to terminate it, CUSTOM length!

This man has the answer.

 

[BUTCH1]

Thanks for the suggestions, I like the idea of wireing it myself except my attic
is very difficult to crawl through,..Hmm maybe running it along the soffit??

 

[txxxx]

Technically its possible to have 2 cable modems on the same line - whether the cable company would allow it to happen is another question. Each modem would have to have its own DHCP account.

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

Wireless networking is a possibility to if you don' want to wire but it will cost you more money

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: txxxx
Technically its possible to have 2 cable modems on the same line - whether the cable company would allow it to happen is another question. Each modem would have to have its own DHCP account.

They would allow it and they do. They would just treat it as another account, just like you would if you lived in a multifamily home/duplex, etc.

It's not worht paying the extra account though.

 

[DeeKnow]

wireless is not all that much more, and definitely saves having to crawl through the attic
60 bucks should get you a router/NIC combo

 

[paendragon]

Thought about going wireless?

 

[BUTCH1]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'll prob.
end up going wireless. Can a wireless router/nic
keep up with broadband (cable) or is a wired
router that much faster?? Also the 2nd comp.
is at least 40' from were the router will be
and going through 3 walls. I'm hopeing the
signal wont be so degraded that it would
fall back to a slow throughput.

 

[jonesthewine]

Butch1, Wireless is your solution. It can more than "keep up" with cable speeds...what will determine your download speeds more than anything is the number of users in your neighborhood who are online when you are. I've got a wireless D-Link router that is hooked up to my cable modem, feeding four computers (1 wired, 3 wireless). Slowest download speeds are 350-400KB/second, and I have reached 1.3MB/sec on occasion. Try to keep your wireles router away from your wireless telephone (if 2.4GHz) and you should be fine. No worries about the 40 foot distance,if you have problems just fiddle with the orientation of the antenna(s) on the router and you'll find a solution. Good luck.

 

[MDE]

802.11b wireless- 11 Mbps theoretical (closer to 5-6 actually)
802.11g wireless- 54Mbps theoretical (closer to 35, backwards compatible with 802.11b)

Either one can more than keep up with any broadband connection you'd have with your router\NIC budget.