cable sharing

[fakesushibunny]

um... i was wonderin that is it possible to share cable with 2 computers without paying twice the money. i use Charter pipeline in LA region. If i have to use router, which would be a good choice: wireless or wired. Also can u'all teach me how to configure and how to set up the whole router system plz? thank you

also, can u (whomever is reading this thread) recommend some decent (not best) routers. thx

 

[hjo3]

Wired will be cheaper than wireless, but you'll have to run CAT5. Performance will be the same with both (though files transferred on your home LAN would be ~2x-10x faster with wired).

As for routers, I'd suggest anything by LinkSys. But really, they're all pretty much the same. I'd just buy whatever's cheapest (~$20).

How to set up the router system: easy. (This assumes you're using a wired setup.) The system will look like Cable Modem > Router > PCs. Each of the PCs needs a NIC (Network Interface Card). These are also cheap; you might already have them even (not sure what you networking experience is). You can get them for like $10 online.

The router setup is really easy; it's basically just: plug everything in, follow a couple steps in the manual/ call the Charter techs, cycle power on the modem and router, boot up a computer, tada.

 

[fakesushibunny]

if i do gaming, will wireless affect the flow of the gaming greatly?

 

[hjo3]

No. Wireless is typically 11 mbps (though a 54 mbps type exists) which is enough for any game played on the internet or on your home LAN.

The only real difference you'll notice between 11 mbit wireless and 100 mbit wired is prolly the speed of large file transfers. E.g. you move 2 gigs of MP3s; on 11mbit it'll take ~30 minutes... on 100mbit, it'd be about 5 minutes.

 

[owensdj]

fakesushibunny, I also use Charter Pipeline. I have a Netgear RP614 Web Safe Router. If you're going to use wired networking rather than wireless, I'd recommend the RP614. It's very easy to set it up to use Charter Pipeline. All you have to do is set the router to obtain an Internet IP address from Charter automatically(Get Dynamically From ISP). Set all of your computers to use DHCP, which they probably already are.

 

[fakesushibunny]

oh ok thank you, if i have more problems, can i ask u?

 

[JackMDS]

May be this can Help.

Link: AnandTech - FAQ. Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing

AnandTech - FAQ. Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...?

Link: AnandTech - FAQ. What do I need for wireless Networking?