How many computers can I have hooked up to my high speed internet?
I have high speed internet through my phone company (zoomtown) I just bought a new computer and am giving my old computer to my brother. How to I hook both computers to the internet. Do I need to get another box for the old computer from the phone company, or do I need to to set up a wireless network on my own?
You need a router to split the signal. Weather or not you choose to get a wireless or wired one is up to you.
If both computers have wireless cards in them you can set up a wireless network.
If not, you will need either a router or a switch (for simplicities sake, both accomplish the same basic function). You plug the router/switch into the modem, and plug both computers into the router/switch.
For your uses, I’d say get a router.
Either wired or wireless network. You’ll need a router.
Cables will be connected like this:
Wall to Modem
Modem to Router (Internet port)
Router to Computer1
Router to Computer2
Or, if you use wireless with the two machines, just the first two steps.
You can connect as many computers as you want.
The “box” you refer to is the high-speed modem. That’s the device that is directly connected to your ISP, and is the ONLY device directly connected.
This modem is called your “gateway” to the internet.
When you connect a single computer to the internet, you use an ethernet cable to connect your computer to the modem, which has a single ethernet port.
However, if you have more than one computer, you can plug what’s called a “hub” to the modem instead, and then plug your computers into the hub.
Most hubs have 4 ports, but you can get them with 6 or 10, and even more if you look around.
If you have more computers than you have ports, you can plug another hub into the first hub. This is called “daisy chaining”.
Suppose you had 5 computers. and let’s also suppose you happen to have two 4-port hubs.
You would plug a hub into the gateway. This gives you 4 ports to the connection.
Now you would plug 3 computers into the hub.
In the 4th port, you would plug another hub.
Now you can connect the other 2 computers to this second hub.
If you get more computers, this process can be repeated.
This is the simplest workable method.
There CAN be problems if all the computers are being used at the same time using this method. These particular problems can be solved using a router, but that gets a little more complex.
I’ve connected 3 computers at a time using a single 4-port hub with no problems.