Connecting 2 PCs to broadband with router

[Blair]

At present I have a simple network by joining my PCs with a crossover cable
and I can access Wanadoo Broadband from either as long as both are switched
on.
If I altered my system using a router which would allow each to access the
Internet separately without the other being switched on, would the
Speedtouch modem be connected to the router giving a common connection or do
I have to have separate Speedtouch modems for each PC?
Blair

 

[Guest]

If your router can NAT/PAT the connection to the DSL modem you shouldn't need
modems for each PC.

Meaning that if the router can have one external IP address but can give you
an separate internal addresses on another subnet it will translate the IP
know as NATing (kinda like a firewall would do) So you should be fine.

 

[Chuck]

At present I have a simple network by joining my PCs with a crossover cable
and I can access Wanadoo Broadband from either as long as both are switched
on.
If I altered my system using a router which would allow each to access the
Internet separately without the other being switched on, would the
Speedtouch modem be connected to the router giving a common connection or do
I have to have separate Speedtouch modems for each PC?
Blair

Blair,

You connect the router to the modem, and both computers to the router. The
advantage of the router is that you don't need multiple modems - you can share
one Internet connection among multiple computers, and protect each computer,
simultaneously.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/networking-your-computers.html>

 

[Tony]

Blair,

You connect the router to the modem, and both computers to the router.
The
advantage of the router is that you don't need multiple modems - you can
share
one Internet connection among multiple computers, and protect each
computer,
simultaneously.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/networking-your-computers.html>

It is unlikely that the OP will find a router that you can connect the
Wanadoo Modem to as it has a USB connection. Might be better to get a
router with a built in modem.

 

[Blair]

At present I have a simple network by joining my PCs with a crossover cable
and I can access Wanadoo Broadband from either as long as both are switched
on.
If I altered my system using a router which would allow each to access the
Internet separately without the other being switched on, would the
Speedtouch modem be connected to the router giving a common connection or do
I have to have separate Speedtouch modems for each PC?
Blair

Blair,

You connect the router to the modem, and both computers to the router. The
advantage of the router is that you don't need multiple modems - you can share
one Internet connection among multiple computers, and protect each computer,

simultaneously.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/networking-your-computers.html>

Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP [Windows - Networking]
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck mvps org.

Thanks for your help
I just have to make up my mind whether it is worth the time and expense
changing.
I can see the advantage if one of my PC's fails
Blair

 

[Blair]

It is unlikely that the OP will find a router that you can connect the
Wanadoo Modem to as it has a USB connection. Might be better to get a
router with a built in modem.

It would be as has been suggested by Chuck
Thanks
Blair

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for your help
I just have to make up my mind whether it is worth the time and expense
changing.
I can see the advantage if one of my PC's fails
Blair

Blair,

The advantages are substantial.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/ics-is-ok-but-you-can-do-better.html>

 

[Blair]

Blair,

The advantages are substantial.

That was a most interesting article you wrote- I learnt a lot.
One further point. Will my existing network still work with the router or do
I have to set up a new network?
Blair

 

[Chuck]

That was a most interesting article you wrote- I learnt a lot.
One further point. Will my existing network still work with the router or do
I have to set up a new network?
Blair

Blair,

The router, with a pair of patch (straight-thru) cables, will replace the
current cross-over cable - you connect both computers directly to the router.
What pieces of the existing network do you want to keep?

 

[Blair]

Blair,

The router, with a pair of patch (straight-thru) cables, will replace the
current cross-over cable - you connect both computers directly to the router.
What pieces of the existing network do you want to keep?

I was only thinking about the software set up but obviously there will have
to be a new set-up
Blair

 

[Blair]

Blair,

The router, with a pair of patch (straight-thru) cables, will replace the
current cross-over cable - you connect both computers directly to the router.
What pieces of the existing network do you want to keep?

One further question.
The LAN ports are for the items I want to network such as my printer and
scanner.
At present they are connected to my present Network via a USB connector.
Presumably I will have to replace these with a USB / 10/100 ethernet
connector.
What are these ethernet connectors called? I need that info in order to buy
them
Blair

 

[Chuck]

One further question.
The LAN ports are for the items I want to network such as my printer and
scanner.
At present they are connected to my present Network via a USB connector.
Presumably I will have to replace these with a USB / 10/100 ethernet
connector.
What are these ethernet connectors called? I need that info in order to buy
them
Blair

Blair,

Hmm. Are you maybe talking about one of these? Or are you going the other way?
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...822411&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper>
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...822411&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper

 

[Blair]

Blair,

Hmm. Are you maybe talking about one of these? Or are you going the other way?
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=US/Layout&packedar
gs=c%3DL_Product_C2%26cid%3D1118334822411&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisito
rWrapper>http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...822411&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper

Not really. I think I am very bad at expressing what I want to know.
Having got my wired router I will connect it to my two PC's
I then have 4 slots which can be used to connect printers etc.
All I want to know is what type of cable connects the printer etc to the
router? and what are their connectors called at either end.
Hope this makes sense!
Blair

 

[Chuck]

Not really. I think I am very bad at expressing what I want to know.
Having got my wired router I will connect it to my two PC's
I then have 4 slots which can be used to connect printers etc.
All I want to know is what type of cable connects the printer etc to the
router? and what are their connectors called at either end.
Hope this makes sense!
Blair

Blair,

Well, there's a challenge. Printers (now, and in the past) have used a myriad
of connectors. Most recently - parallel ("Centronics") or serial ("RS-232").
Currently, Universal Serial Bus ("USB") is popular. Some printers may contain a
native, or add-in, network controller, and accept a standard Ethernet cable for
connectivity. None of these are a given possibility.

Why not tell us what make and model printer, and / or what make and model
router, you wish to connect? The web sites of the vendors should contain the
necessary details.

 

[Blair]

Well, there's a challenge. Printers (now, and in the past) have used a myriad
of connectors. Most recently - parallel ("Centronics") or serial ("RS-232").
Currently, Universal Serial Bus ("USB") is popular. Some printers may contain a
native, or add-in, network controller, and accept a standard Ethernet cable for
connectivity. None of these are a given possibility.

Why not tell us what make and model printer, and / or what make and model
router, you wish to connect? The web sites of the vendors should contain the
necessary details.

My printer is an Epson 880 and has a USB connector
I am thinking of the ZyXEL 660H Router. which has 4 sockets for wired
connections
What I was really asking was what type of socket is fitted to all routers
(usually 4 sockets)
I know that they are not USB sockets so my printer cable will not fit.
Does that make more sense?
Blair

 

[Chuck]

My printer is an Epson 880 and has a USB connector
I am thinking of the ZyXEL 660H Router. which has 4 sockets for wired
connections
What I was really asking was what type of socket is fitted to all routers
(usually 4 sockets)
I know that they are not USB sockets so my printer cable will not fit.
Does that make more sense?
Blair

Blair,

OK, now it does indeed make sense. The ZyXEL 660H, like most gateways and
routers, has 4 Ethernet ports for networking.

Ethernet is the more common networking Data Link component, with Ethernet
drivers built in to Windows networking. USB is a general purpose cabling - used
for stuff like keyboards, mice, and monitors for instance - and requires drivers
specific to everything connected.

With an Ethernet cable, both ends are electrically identical, so Ethernet can be
used to connect any 2 devices which have Ethernet ports. USB ports are not
identical on both ends. AFAIK, a USB cable requires a computer on the Host end
(where the drivers are loaded), and a hub or peripheral on the Guest end. I
don't think that there are any routers which substitute for computers by
providing a Host port for a USB cable.

You can, however, get USB to Ethernet printer servers, such as the Linksys
WPS54G, which will manage your printer and provide Ethernet (or WiFi)
connectivity. You connect your printer to the print server, and the print
server, by Ethernet, to the gateway / router. Epson also appears to make
printer servers, but I'm not sure if any are for USB connected printers.
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...ite=US&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper>

 

[Blair]

OK, now it does indeed make sense. The ZyXEL 660H, like most gateways and
routers, has 4 Ethernet ports for networking.

Ethernet is the more common networking Data Link component, with Ethernet
drivers built in to Windows networking. USB is a general purpose cabling - used
for stuff like keyboards, mice, and monitors for instance - and requires drivers
specific to everything connected.

With an Ethernet cable, both ends are electrically identical, so Ethernet can be
used to connect any 2 devices which have Ethernet ports. USB ports are not
identical on both ends. AFAIK, a USB cable requires a computer on the Host end
(where the drivers are loaded), and a hub or peripheral on the Guest end. I
don't think that there are any routers which substitute for computers by
providing a Host port for a USB cable.

You can, however, get USB to Ethernet printer servers, such as the Linksys
WPS54G, which will manage your printer and provide Ethernet (or WiFi)
connectivity. You connect your printer to the print server, and the print
server, by Ethernet, to the gateway / router. Epson also appears to make
printer servers, but I'm not sure if any are for USB connected printers.
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=US/Layout&packedar
gs=c%3DL_Product_C2%26cid%3D1114037289494%26site%3DUS&pagename=Linksys%2FCom
mon%2FVisitorWrapper>

Thanks for your reply-the fog is beginning to clear ! .
But my position is this- At present I have a network with a crossover cable
which allows me to share files but also to share the printer.
The only limitation is that I require to have the host PC on in order to
operate the client PC
When I fit a router/modem this will enable the PCs to operate independently.
The question is if I leave the printer connected to the host PC via a USB
connector will the network I have set up allow the other PC to access the
printer.?
Secondly if I only have two PCs is there any point in having 4 Ethernet
ports? Surely I only need one?
Blair

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for your reply-the fog is beginning to clear ! .
But my position is this- At present I have a network with a crossover cable
which allows me to share files but also to share the printer.
The only limitation is that I require to have the host PC on in order to
operate the client PC
When I fit a router/modem this will enable the PCs to operate independently.
The question is if I leave the printer connected to the host PC via a USB
connector will the network I have set up allow the other PC to access the
printer.?
Secondly if I only have two PCs is there any point in having 4 Ethernet
ports? Surely I only need one?
Blair

Blair,

When you share a printer by attaching it to a computer, the computer will have
to be on for you to access the printer from any other computer. That's the
advantage of having a router (for sharing Internet service), or a print server
(for sharing a printer) - to remove a host computer from the necessity of being
online all the time.

If you have a printer connected to both a print server and a host computer, the
host computer will access the printer directly. All of the other computers can
access the printer thru the print server, and the host computer will not have to
be on for the print server to be used.

If you have 2 computers, you need 2 Ethernet ports. You can't buy routers with
an exact port count for your current computer population. It never hurts to
have a spare anyway, for problem analysis - sometimes a port may fail, so a
spare is not a bad thing to have.

 

[Blair]

r

Blair,

When you share a printer by attaching it to a computer, the computer will have
to be on for you to access the printer from any other computer. That's the
advantage of having a router (for sharing Internet service), or a print server
(for sharing a printer) - to remove a host computer from the necessity of being
online all the time.

If you have a printer connected to both a print server and a host computer, the
host computer will access the printer directly. All of the other computers can
access the printer thru the print server, and the host computer will not have to
be on for the print server to be used.

If you have 2 computers, you need 2 Ethernet ports. You can't buy routers with
an exact port count for your current computer population. It never hurts to
have a spare anyway, for problem analysis - sometimes a port may fail, so a
spare is not a bad thing to have.

Thanks again Chuck.
The fog has finally cleared thanks to you.
Regards
Blair

 

[Chuck]

Thanks again Chuck.
The fog has finally cleared thanks to you.
Regards
Blair

Thanks for the feedback, Blair. But stick around, there's plenty more fog to go
around. ;-)

The more I learn, the more I see there's way more to learn.