ICS with cable modem and Hub

[CaptainBill]

My sister just got cable access at her apartment in school and wants to share the connection amongst her 4 friends as cheaply as possible and since I can't be there to set it up...I opted not to go with a router but just a hub. The FAQ says to plug the cable modem into one of the ports on the hub but doing so changes the mac address and will be screwed up with the cable provider and need to be changed. I was wondering...can't I just install another nic in the computer with the cable modem coming into and then just plug straight through cable from the second nic into the hub and so on and so forth? That would save from the MAC address changing,

 

[Soybomb]

A few things to keep in mind. Most cable providers will only provide you with one IP address unless you pay extra so plugging all the comptuers and the modem into a hub might be a problem for you. My provider just records the MAC address of the modem and uses that to authenticate so my internal network devices don't matter, just power cycle the modem and I can switch things around. You might check to see how they've got theirs.

But yes, if you don't want to buy a router it might be easier to run the cable modem to a nic on one computer, and then turn internet connection sharing (or whatever program you like to use to do NAT) on a second nic. Run that out to the hub and the other computers into that.

I'd just buy the router

 

[wjsulliv]

I agree with soybomb. It's easier to use a router if the second NIC isn't already installed.

But as far as I can see you should be fine with 2 NIC's in one machine, the first connected to the cable modem the second connected to the hub. Ofcourse you can never turn off that machine when somebody else wants so surf, which could be a problem in a college dorm type situation with restarts and not wanting the comuter on all day and all night.

 

[CaptainBill]

ok thanks...I wanted to go with the router but she has to do all of the setup because I can't be there so I thought this might be easier We'll find out huh? Thanks for your input

 

[rw120555]

Originally posted by: CaptainBill
ok thanks...I wanted to go with the router but she has to do all of the setup because I can't be there so I thought this might be easier We'll find out huh? Thanks for your input

Unless maybe the cable company is providing multiple IPs, it seems to me like the HUB will be much more complicated to set up and maintain. You'll have to mess around with ICS, install a 2nd NIC, leave one PC on all the time... A router might take the better part of 5-10 minutes to set up and will work better in the long run.

 

[JackMDS]

rw120555 has a point, setting a Router (especially seeking Internet sharing, and not Networking) is much easier then the 2 NIC hub ICS way. It takes 5 minute to set it up and configure, you can instruct them on the phone while they clicking.

Money wise it is not big difference either, a Hub with extra NIC is $20-$30, a Router is $30-$50.

My notion in the FAQ about using a Hub, and calling the ISP to change the MAC, was in the days that Routers cost five times more then the Hubs, and many young people could not afford it.