home network

[ageedoy]

i need help. i have a computer downstairs that is connected to the at&t @home cable modem service and another upstairs. i want to network the two computers to share the cable modem connection. what would be the best way to do so? i dont want to have to do any drilling if possible, and running the wires to the upstairs computer would use too much cable.

[Wombat]

Intel and a few other companies sell networking devices that use your home's power grid like LAN cabling.
Not as good as other wire-for-networking-purposes set ups, but it gets rid of that nasty drilling bit.

[Greebe]

I'm sure you can go wireless as there are many products on the market to do this, but the networking performance between the machines will be greatly effected.

[ageedoy]

would i need an ip router or something like that in order for them to share the ip? and does anyone know what person i would call to have the two different rooms connected? maybe some kind of electrician? i might consider trying the phoneline network, but i dont know exactly how to set it up. if i set it to go from the cable modem to the hub, i can connect the downstairs computer to the hub through the rf45 cable, but then the upsairs will be connected through the phoneline and im not sure if its possible to go from a phoneline to a hub.

[Greebe]

Go to NAT32. read til your heart's content. That's what I'm using.

[ageedoy]

thanks, but isnt that more of a software solution? im lookin for more of a hardware solution so that i can connect the computers. im having trouble networking them together (hardware wise) because of their locations.

[Greebe]

Ken, yes but if they can't talk to each other what's the use? I'd suggest going to Tomshardware or similar sites and do some reading up on basic networking before doing anymore.

[Helevitia]

ageedoy,

You are making this too difficult on yourself. The best(and cheapest) solution is to connect both computers to a hub. I know you don't wnat to run wires but it's not too bad Then the only other choice you need to make is how you want to make the IP connection. You can use Win98 SE and there is a feature that will allow you to use two computers on one internet connection or you can just rent another IP address from @home for antoher 5 bucks a month(you can rent up to 3). If you absolutely do not want to do any kind of "drilling" then maybe spending the extra money for another system is worth it. They also sell wire covers that come in 6ft. lengths. You can then run these along side your wall and ceiling corners to the upstairs(no drilling required). I agree with Greebe though, you should do a tiny bit more reading.

Dave

[ageedoy]

sorry, im gettin a lil confused. lemme outline a lil something and maybe itll clear up my situation for myself.

1. goal
- cable modem to hub
- 2 computers to hub

2. problem
- getting the second computer to the hub.

3. finishing up
- setting up the computers through nat32 or win98se to get the network working

anything wrong with the outline? im not against drilling because its better than running cables up the wazoo to the upstairs computer. but because of the locations, i dont think that i could do the drilling on my own.

[MultimediaMan]

I feel your pain.

Having done this myself (Including wiring through walls), I can provide some input.

You can go quite a long way with a 10BT or 10/100 Ethernet(Up to 100 meters with 10/100). Getting the cable through the wall can be a trying exercise. Plan ahead. Use a tape measure from point "a" to point "b" and figure as close as you can how much cable you need and add a minimum of 1/3 to the total figure for how much wire you should buy.

Wall jacks are available for a price, they can be quite expensive from a hardware store - computer shops generally have the same product for less.(~ 8.00 USD at Lowe's Hardware compared to ~ 3.50 USD at a local computer outlet.)

The network topology you describe would require another IP to be purchased from your ISP.

If you don't mind adding another network card to your "host" computer, you can avoid this pitfall.

It goes like this: Install two network cards in one computer, one connected to the cable modem, the other connected to your Hub (Best to use two different makes or models - less hassle figuring out which is doing what). Your second (Third, Fourth, Fifth, ad nauseum) Computer will be plugged into the hub. Your computer with dual network cards will become a proxy server. Windows 98 SE's Internet Connection Sharing works very well, and best of all it's free. You will not need to purchase another IP from your ISP in this scheme, and will have better security overall. Networks cards are so cheap, you'd pay for the second network card in less than six months with your savings in ISP charges alone.

Any electrician could do this job in fairly short order - another person to talk to is a home theater installer - they generally are well equipped to run wire through existing walls. Make sure thoug hthey know how to route the wire around flourescent lights. etc...the CAT 5 cable is fairly fragile, and kinks are to be avoided at all costs.


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My (Current) Primary system:

Abit BE6 (PL BIOS)
P3 450
384MB PC-100 SDRAM (Non-ECC)
Matrox Marvel G200-TV AGP (NTSC) v2.6 BIOS
3Com 905B-TX NIC
SBlive (W/ OD I/O Card, Liveware 3.0 + Update)
ADS Cadet Radio Data AM/FM Card (8 Bit ISA)
3x WD AC28400 EIDE HDDs (ATA66 Enabled)
Creative DVD5241E EIDE 5x DVD-ROM
M/S Windows 98SE (English)
DirectX 7

My (Current) Secondary system

Data General/ ALR 2650 Mobo (v6.004 BIOS)
P2 350 (Non-SMP)
256 MB PC-100 SDRAM (ECC)
3 x Number9 Revolution 3D 8 MB PCI Adapters
Adaptec 6901 10BT NIC
Onboard Adaptec 2940 U2W
Onboard Intel 82558 NIC
Onboard Cirrus Logic SVGA adapter (Disabled)
Creative ModemBlaster 5601 Data/Voice/Fax Modem (ISA)
Creative AWE64 Gold
2x WD 4.5 GB Enterprise SCSI3 HDD
Nakamichi MJ-5 CD-Changer SCSI2
Panasonic LK-MW602 CD-R
2x Nakamichi MBR 7
Windows 98SE
DirectX 7

Tertiary system:
Dell Inspiron 7100 Laptop

[Jammrock]

ageedoy,

Have I got a nice little toy for you to look at. LinkSYS just released a box that is a 4 port switch/firewall/router/DHCP server/Internet sharing device all in one. I have not used on personally, but if this thing works to spec all you need is this little box and 2 network cables and you are in business. Here is the link:

http://www.linksys.com/scripts/featu...p?part=befsr41

The basics are as follows:

1) Plug cable modem into the WAN uplink on the LinkSYS box.

2) Setup the ISP info for the box via a web browser.

3) Set each computer to use DHCP to recieve the LAN IP info.

4) Reboot computers and setup browsers to use the LAN for web access.

That's it, no software needed that will slow down your machine, and it should work with online gaming and everything! The manual goes into more detail (yes I read the manual, yes I am a geek), but that is the basics of it. I plan on getting on once I get high speed Internet in my apartment.

My $0.02

Jammrock

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PIII 450@504, 256 MB RAM, 35 GB total w/ WD Experts, Abit UDMA 66 controller, CL 6x DVD, PLEXTOR 8x4x32 ATAPI CD-RW (my newest toy), G400 32 MB DH, SB Live! w/ Digital I/O, LinkSys Etherfast 10/100, DSI 56k modem, Addtronics 6896A Case w/ a crap load of fans and Dynmat noise dampening, MAG DX715T monitor.

Hi, my name is Jammrock. I'm a computer phreak and an EverCrack addict.

[ageedoy]

hm. i think the best way for me then is to start looking for an electrician that will wire up these two rooms then connect both computers to either the linksys router or a hub. one alternative ive been thinking about is using linksys' 3 port network bridge for their homelink system.
http://www.linksys.com/scripts/features.asp?part=hpes03

using that set up, id have the downstairs computer connected to the network bridge through 10bt cables and the upstairs computer connected through the phone lines. does this sound like a good idea? thanks for the help from everyone.

[Greebe]

Ken, stick with 100baseTX only. Cat5 (rj45) cable isn't as fragile as has been claimed. Forget the powerline/home phoneline type networking (best they can do is ~1 mbps). A switch isn't neccessary unless you plan on hosting games (if on a tight budget that is, ie switches aren't that much more). Nat32 is neccessary for software communication between machines and is superior to MS's ICS (see the info on the link already supplied). It's only $25 and does an excellant job for a software version router.

Forgot to mention that if your only looking to connect two machines all that's needed is a crossover (cat5) cable, a couple of nics and NAT32. This will lower your costs considerably and can be upgraded at a later time with a hub/switch if you add more machines.

[Greebe]

Jammy, NAT32 doesn't affect the speed. Therefore is better and far cheaper. Checkout the link I posted. Many businesses use this program for their server/office websurfing on a single cable modem connection.

I have three machines on a uhmmm single V.90 connection (damn wish they'd get cable modems here, it's been 1.5 years of empty promises Errr). All machines can websurf/email/ICQ and play online games at the same time (although limited by my connect speed) without problems!

[Beezer]

Ageedoy: Is cable modem service available in Milpitas already? If so, I'm a bit pissed -- I live .5 mile outside of your city limit. Not available yet in San Jose.