HELP - How do I share my Cable Net connection?

[IhateComedians]

Hi. I have a Windows 2000 Pro machine at home with AT&T Broadband cable Internet access. My roommate wants to share this Net connection with his machine, a Win 98 rig. I know that there is a low cost way to do this, but I don?t know the specifics of doing such. I do know that there are all in one kits that will help me do this, but is it really necessary? My roommate wants to spend only about $100 to get this done (but more if necessary) and his PC has no NIC card.

What I am looking for is a web site that shows me how to set this up, step-by-step, as simple as possible. Can anyone please provide links for guides, or if you know of companies that sell kits please let me know.

Thanks

 

[Chipset]

Practically Networked

 

[ojai00]

In order to share a connection, your roommate's computer must have a NIC card. An easy way to share a connection is through a router. You hook up both your computers to the router, and the router to the modem. It's that simple. Routers go for less than $100 now. I got my SMC Barricade router for about $89 (and during the time I got it, there was a $40 rebate going around). You can search on Hot Deals...there are a lot of posts for router deals. You can check Practically Networked for guides on how to set up a network. Good luck.

EDIT: Sorry, Chipset beat me to it...

 

[Wik]

Do a search, this question gets answered like every day here.

 

[Chipset]

Another way would be to get 3 cheap NICs and have 1 computer act as a server using internet connection sharing software. 2 NICs go in the server, one connects to the cable modem and the other connects to the other computer's NIC with a crossover cable.

 

[Garion]

Actually, I would not recommend using a computer as a router. You definitely want to go with a router. They provide better performance, are more stable, don't go away when the computer is rebooted, draw less power, and are really easy to manage. It's a no brainer.

You should be able to pick up a good router (Netgear, SMC, Linksys, etc.) for about $75, a NIC for your friend's PC for about $15 and have $10 left for a few cables. You'll be very happy with this setup.

- G