Sharing a cable connection without a router

[imported_TylerD]

Our family's PC is on the first floor in the kitchen. The cable wire that runs to the living room right next to the kitchen is split with a splitter, and one line runs into the kitchen and hooks up to the cable modem. I am currently building a PC which will go down in the basement at the opposite end of the house (approximately 100-120 feet away).

Now, cable lines run in the basement to the "entertainment room" and also to a bedroom. In fact, the cable enters the house in the basement in the room next to where this second PC will be located.

Wireless is out of the question because of the distance involved, cost, and security. If I use a router, I assume it will have to be put in the kitchen, with one cat5 cable going into the kitchen PC and one running across the house and downstairs to the second PC. The problem is, I can't really be drilling holes in the wall and I definitely cannot leave cables strewn about the house on the floor.

So, is it possible to split off the line running into the downstairs bedroom and run it into a second cable modem on the second computer? I know splitting cables how ever many times is generally bad, so would this cause a major slowdown in our internet speed or will it cause any problems with TV reception?

 

[imported_TylerD]

Also, my cable modem can be hooked up to the PC either with a 10/100 Base T cable or a USB cable. Is it possible to hook it up to one PC with one and one PC with the other or would that not even work?

 

[TheBDB]

Without a router won't you have a problem with only having 1 IP address, unless you pay the cable company extra?

 

[imported_TylerD]

I wasn't sure exactly how that works. That's kind of my question. Will the second PC somehow assign itself an IP, or try to use the same one or what? Will it simply not work?

 

[bluntman]

I won't work. You internet provider only gives you one IP address per household, unless you opt for the extra monthly fee and buy yourself and extra IP address.

 

[Brule]

I've always been able to change between PC's with different mac addys, but not a second cable modem. Login wasn't required so I always assumed the cable modem itself was verification. That was a few years ago (old in tech terms) so I don't know if they've changed much since.

 

[jose]

You need the router to be a dhcp server & do nat for the single Ip # that you probably have w/ the cable co. The best thing to do is run one cat5 cable between each pc & then locate the cable modem w/ a router next to your close's run of coax from the cable company. If you split the signal too much you'll need a bi-directional coax amplifier.

The way it will work is the cable co. will assign a single external ip to your router then the router will assign each pc connected a internal ip# .. ie 192.168.1.x
Look at the Linksys routers, they have built-in firewalls & DMZ's & do port forwarding etc. Also most cable tech support personell are familiar w/ them.

Regards,
Jose

 

[imported_TylerD]

Originally posted by: jose
The best thing to do is run one cat5 cable between each pc & then locate the cable modem w/ a router next to your close's run of coax from the cable company. If you split the signal too much you'll need a bi-directional coax amplifier.

- Well both computers are equally close to a cable line, so basically I just need to get a router?

- So is it inevitable that I run a cat5 cable roughly 100 feet? Is there no way around that?

- If I were to use a wireless router, would I get a good signal with the second pc being on a lower floor and roughly 100 feet away? Or is the wireless route pointless to even consider?

 

[Brule]

Originally posted by: jose
.... If you split the signal too much you'll need a bi-directional coax amplifier...

How good do these work? I've wanted to try one out, but didn't want to waste cash on a crappy tool that doesn't work.

TylerD: What kind of basement do you have? If it's unfinished and open it shouldn't be too hard to run cable. If you need to go through crawlspaces I hope you don't mind enclosed areas.

 

[0roo0roo]

wireless routers are never pointless to consider. if the routers antenna isn't enough, there are plenty of after market antenna solutions that will give you signal where you need it. secrity... just gotta set it. that or well, your only other choice, a wired router and all the wiring it needs.

 

[imported_TylerD]

It's a completely finished basement. There is an unfinished room with no ceiling that I could theoretically use to climb into the small space between the basement's ceiling and the floor, but I honestly don't think I could fit.

I'm starting to think wireless sounds like a better idea with every minute that passes. Since the second pc will be a floor lower than the wireless router, and roughly 100 feet away, will I get a good signal/connection? And when these wireless specs refer to 11Mbps, is that 11 MB per second? Is Mb different from MB? Because the best my cable modem ever downloads is roughly 800-900 Kb/s and so 11 MB would be more than sufficient. Or is there a difference between download speeds and data transmission speeds?

I'm more of a software guy than a hardware guy, if you can't tell.

 

[Rix13]

Wireless 'G' gets 54Mb/s and its also backwards compatible with wireless 'B' at 11Mb/s

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=608

 

[imported_TylerD]

Originally posted by: Rix13
Wireless 'G' gets 54Mb/s and its also backwards compatible with wireless 'B' at 11Mb/s

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=608

I'm aware of 802.11g and a/g. But b is cheaper, not to mention 54Mb/s would be complete overkill anyway, wouldn't it? I could get a 802.11b router and card off of Ebay for less than $50.

 

[Rix13]

yeah that was my next point.. G is more expensive.. B is fine.. unless you are gonna be transferring large files between computers i would go with B but the nice thing about the 'G' router is future upgradability to 54Mb/s

 

[DaveSimmons]

Wireless is out of the question because of the distance involved, cost, and security.

having your computers connected directly to the internet is a bigger security issue than using wifi, if you use WEP. Sure it's crackable given time, but wardrivers aren't going to park in your driveway for a couple of ours just to crack it to see what you're P2Ping.

Central placement of the 'G' router might be good enough, or you might need to either use the wired ports they all have or get a repeater.

 

[imported_TylerD]

After I initally send some big files from the kitchen pc to the new one, there won't be much file sharing at all. So I don't see that as an issue.

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/tp/80211b_aps_home.htm

That website lists the Netgear ME102 as being an excellent wireless router. They are selling for $10 on ebay, and I could also snag a desktop network card for roughly the same amount. So I could get a wireless network going for about $30-40.

I have two big questions, though:


- Will setting up a home network require extra expense from my cable internet provider? I was under the impression setting up a network was my business and I wouldn't be charged for it, but the website:

http://usercenter.cox.net/rsuite/sdcuser/asp/showContent.jsp?sublevel=yes&frameurl=/custsup/homenetworking/index.shtml

says "home networking" is $10 per month. Is this to use their equipment or some other kind of service like that?


- Again, will wireless work with the PCs roughly 100 feet apart and on separate floors? It will have to go through the floor and about one or two walls. My ISP's website says "It will even penetrate most walls so you can have devices in different rooms and even on different floors and still stay connected to the network. The wireless router will typically go through two to three walls before you lose connectivity."

 

[Rix13]

most isp's the home networking charge of $10 a month is for a second IP address.. with a router you dont need to worry about that. some isp's dont officially support routers but they know they cant do anything about them..

 

[Brule]

As said previously, look into a good antenna and a setup to make the most out of it. Unless you're putting the second PC in a lead lined bomb shelter wireless could work. Rather it will or not depends on your time, patience, money, and ingenuity. "Home Networking" is misleading and unneeded. A box running linux as a solid firewall/router would even be cheaper, and a commercial router certainly will be.

 

[imported_TylerD]

Originally posted by: Brule
As said previously, look into a good antenna and a setup to make the most out of it. Unless you're putting the second PC in a lead lined bomb shelter wireless could work.

COULD work? I hope you meant SHOULD or I'm a bit scared now. 0_0

 

[Brule]

Just me being overly cautious. Insert should and I take no liability.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

I've got an 801.11b and a 801.11g (replaced the old one) that works through two floors (basement --> first --> second) on seperate ends of the house with "good" signal reception.

First floor reception is "very good".

A WiFi router will be plenty.