Phone Line Networking with Shared Cable Connection?

ozds

Junior Member
Dec 24, 2000
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I'm looking at trying to share a cable connection that my old people are getting between two machines, one on a second floor, the other in a basement. I want to get them a router (I use the Linksys BEFSR11 plus my hub here, nice and easy to set up) and do some kind of networking NOT involving trying to drop a cable from top to bottom of the house. It seems like the phone line networking products might be nice for this, but I'm a little unclear on the connection. I want to do this where the machines do not both have to be on for the basement one to be able to get out to the net. Is that possible? I am a little unclear on how phoneline network cards actually operate and connect. (This is for two older people, so performance is not really an issue, they'll just be happy faster than 28k. :D )

Thanks for any help!

oz
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
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1,677
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Besides the router, I'd suggest getting a HomePNA bridge. Very simple setup. You plug the bridge into the router and VOILA! - instant HomePNA LAN. Just get a HomePNA card for the second computer and you're all set. Plug the primary computer directly into the router with an Ethernet card.

You could also hook the HomePNA directly into your primary PC, but the problem with that is that you have to have that PC on all the time, and it's more of a headache.

This is my setup, and it works beautifully. In fact, I'm sharing DSL on the same line as the HomePNA, and it all works fine. (For my laptop I have a combo Ethernet/HPNA card, and it will switch between the two transparently, depending on which I have plugged into the card at the time.)

Eug's Ethernet & HomePNA LAN combo.

EDIT:

P.S. See this thread for a bit more information.
 

ozds

Junior Member
Dec 24, 2000
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Cool, I wasn't really sure about how to connect from the Phoneline stuff into the Ethernet stuff. Finally figured out what a bridge was for. :D Your setup looks exactly like what I had come up with. Thanks for the confirmation.

PS - Your graphic doesn't seem to work.

oz
 

ozds

Junior Member
Dec 24, 2000
9
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That it does. Maybe there was a problem with the web server the other day, I checked the link both from this thread and another thread you had posted it. Oh well. :D