network and dsl

maorifulla · 02-08-2005, 04:11 PM

hi, i'm about to make the change from dial-up to dsl. poblem is that i have two comps and i want to buy a modem/router and hopefully hook up a network between the comps (not networked at the moment). first of all, i dont no how to setup a network. secondly i want to setup a wireless network. thirdly i dont no how to hook the network to the modem (to share connection) and how many ports i will need for the network. (im not sure whether the network connects to the modem/router or how it works). will i need a router with more then 1 port if i want to connect more comps to the network later on or will the network connect to the 1 port and the rest of the comps connect ot the network? how does it all work? please help. any help will be much appreciated.

**Fox** · 02-08-2005, 04:29 PM

Blow is a rough picture of how the final setup should look. In addition to the things your DSL provider will give/rent you, you'll need a wireless router (most any will support at least 2 clients, so that shouldn't be a problem) along with a PCI (or PC card if the machine is a laptop) wireless adapter for each computer to connect to the wireless network.

maorifulla · 02-08-2005, 04:50 PM

so wen buying a dsl router, how many (extra) ports will it need, if any? do i just buy a normal dsl modem or will i need a router? does the wireless router connect to the dsl modem/router? does each comp need a pci card to connect to the wireless network?

johnwill · 02-08-2005, 05:41 PM

Make sure the DSL modem supports Ethernet connections, or your router will be a doorstop.

Each computer needs an Ethernet port to connect, many newer machines include them on the MB.

**Fox** · 02-08-2005, 06:37 PM

Quote:

how many (extra) ports will it need, if any?

Like Johnwill said, you'll need a modem with ethernet. If you're planning to use only wireless, then your computers won't all need category-5 type ethernet adapters that are integrated into most motherboards now, but instead wireless PCI cards, which run about 40 dollars apiece. The same will go with the router- if you're leaving wires behind, you won't need one that says something like "with 4 port switch". From what I've seen, most of them do, so I don't know how much of a price advantage you'd gain by getting one without.

I also forgot to mention this- there are three protocols of wireless LAN today: A, B, and G. G is the fastest and the most expensive, while b and a are the cheapest and slowest (and a isn't very popular from what I've seen). Buy the router and the cards to match, or else you'll end up with either the router or the cards being needlessly expensive considering that they won't support each other's capabilities.

johnwill · 02-09-2005, 02:19 PM

Actually, 802.11a and 802.11g are the same speed. Most of the time, 802.11a is more expensive, because it's not that popular. This is due to the fact that it's not downward compatible with the slower 802.11b, since it runs at 5ghz, not 2.4ghz carrier.

**Fox** · 02-09-2005, 02:24 PM

Whoops, my mistake. I had assumed it was developed before g and b, forgetting that those numbers are not models but IEEE identifiers.

02-08-2005, 04:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
maorifulla Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 189 OS: XP pro	network and dsl hi, i'm about to make the change from dial-up to dsl. poblem is that i have two comps and i want to buy a modem/router and hopefully hook up a network between the comps (not networked at the moment). first of all, i dont no how to setup a network. secondly i want to setup a wireless network. thirdly i dont no how to hook the network to the modem (to share connection) and how many ports i will need for the network. (im not sure whether the network connects to the modem/router or how it works). will i need a router with more then 1 port if i want to connect more comps to the network later on or will the network connect to the 1 port and the rest of the comps connect ot the network? how does it all work? please help. any help will be much appreciated.

02-08-2005, 04:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
maorifulla Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 189 OS: XP pro	so wen buying a dsl router, how many (extra) ports will it need, if any? do i just buy a normal dsl modem or will i need a router? does the wireless router connect to the dsl modem/router? does each comp need a pci card to connect to the wireless network? Last edited by maorifulla : 02-08-2005 at 04:53 PM.

02-08-2005, 05:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 30,227 OS: XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Make sure the DSL modem supports Ethernet connections, or your router will be a doorstop. Each computer needs an Ethernet port to connect, many newer machines include them on the MB. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

02-09-2005, 02:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 30,227 OS: XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Actually, 802.11a and 802.11g are the same speed. Most of the time, 802.11a is more expensive, because it's not that popular. This is due to the fact that it's not downward compatible with the slower 802.11b, since it runs at 5ghz, not 2.4ghz carrier. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

02-09-2005, 02:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
Fox Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,735 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Whoops, my mistake. I had assumed it was developed before g and b, forgetting that those numbers are not models but IEEE identifiers.