Router? Hub? How Can I Link 2 or 3 Machines Together?

C

ChrisHarris

New Member
I'm a total beginner. I'm on DSL. I have 1 decent rig now, and I'm about to put another machine together with spare parts. This 2nd machine will just be for surfing.

I want to put my nice rig downstairs in my shop and leave another machine upstairs in the den.

How do I hook them both up to the DSL service? Router? Hub? I've heard these terms used when discussing this idea--but I don't have any idea what the difference is and how to run both these machines off the same DSL connection. :o

I may build a third machine in a couple weeks. It will be an AMD gaming rig, but it will also have to be connected so that I can play Counter Strike.

Wireless router? Run cables? How do you hook them all up?

Could someone educate me, please. :confused:

Thanks
 
Your situationg sounds like it would best be suited by WiFi, a wireless router. They're really very easy to hook up, all you do is take the cable currently running from your modem to your computer, and plug it into the router. You will also need wireless cards for the computers you plan to make wireless. These are also extremely simple to install, all you do is install the driver, then put the card into a free PCI (or USB) slot. The instructions are stupid-proof, anyone can understand how to install it if you follow in the instructions.

BTW: A router takes the 1 signal from your modem, then splits it off into multiple signals for different computers/devices. A wireless router does this just that....wirelessly.
 
computermaineack said:
Your situationg sounds like it would best be suited by WiFi, a wireless router. They're really very easy to hook up, all you do is take the cable currently running from your modem to your computer, and plug it into the router. You will also need wireless cards for the computers you plan to make wireless. These are also extremely simple to install, all you do is install the driver, then put the card into a free PCI (or USB) slot. The instructions are stupid-proof, anyone can understand how to install it if you follow in the instructions.

BTW: A router takes the 1 signal from your modem, then splits it off into multiple signals for different computers/devices. A wireless router does this just that....wirelessly.
Click to expand...

Okay. So, I'd have a wireless router hooked up to the existing external DSL modem. Ethernet cable coming out of the modem and into the wireless router.

Put a PCI wireless card into each computer and install a driver. Done.

Is that all there is too it?

What speed router should I be looking at?
Can you help me pick one out?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...iption=router&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=

I really don't want to go cheap--but I'd rather not spend $300 on a wireless router either.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
ChrisHarris said:
Okay. So, I'd have a wireless router hooked up to the existing external DSL modem. Ethernet cable coming out of the modem and into the wireless router.

Put a PCI wireless card into each computer and install a driver. Done.

Is that all there is too it?

What speed router should I be looking at?
Can you help me pick one out?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...iption=router&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=

I really don't want to go cheap--but I'd rather not spend $300 on a wireless router either.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, first off you will need to have one computer connected to the wireless router in order to set-up and secure the wireless portion of the router. Then if you want to move them both away from the router, that would be fine (you only have to have a direct connection during the set-up phase).

As far as type of connection, a wireless G router should be just fine, unless you want to go about 150 feet away with the computers... Furthermore, you don't need any speedboost unless the two computers will be transferring files a lot over the network. When considering a brand of router or cards, any D-Link, Netgear or Linksys products should work just fine. They all have really easy set-up processes and you should be able to get up and running within a fairly short period of time. Good luck! :)
 
Dciscouts: I've set up quite a few wireless networks, and I've never hardwired the computer during setup.

ChrisHarris: Yes, that's really all there is to it. If you're spending $300 on wireless, you're getting ripped off. I wouldn't recomend getting Linksys...go with Netgear or Belkin or D-Link. 802.11G will give you about 54mbps xfer speeds, and a fairly good range. We have super-g, which is 108mbps, which is kind of stupid, because our internet isn't that fast.
 
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