edited because I miss read the request :D:D:D

[Edited by Wurzel - 5/2/2003 8:54:08 AM]

You Can get routers cables everything for networking and cheap from ebuyer.com :D:D:D

[Edited by Diandave - 5/4/2003 12:34:44 PM]

Currently i have an ntl home 120 cable modem connected by usb to my desktop pc which in turn is networked to the pc downstairs and the laptop. I have heard people talking about routers, what would the advantage of this be?

Ta

inbuilt NAT which give you a hardware firewall

cheers

big sinky

Do your other PC's require the main PC to be on to access the internet via the Cable Modem? A router will remedy this...

yep all the other pc's need my desktop to be on to access the internet which is annoying if other people want to use the net downstairs after ive gone to bed because i have to leave the pc on.

so a router will let them connect without this pc being on?

In lay terms:

Router sits between the cable modem and the PCs, so each PC can have net access independant of any other. Also acts as a hub, so each PC can (with the correct permissions) access files on each of the others, and because it uses NAT (Network Address Translation) it is also a hardware firewall.

If you have a printer with a lan card, it can be connected to the router as well, giving you a network printer which can be used by all without one specific PC being switched on. (Some routers also come with a built in print server, so you can connect a normal parallel printer)

Other than buying the router, you will need to change the cables between the PCs to straight-through wiring (they will be cross-over at the moment)

Before buying a router, check which connections you have on the cable modem. Does it just have USB or is there also an RJ45 (LAN) socket. This may/will determine which routers you can go for.


HTH

Cheers for the outline thats cleared it up slightly. Can anyone point me to a website which will sell this "straight through" cables?

You can get them from Maplins.

To save having to take the existing cable(s) out, you can buy a cheap crimp tool and a few RJ45 plugs and modify the existing cables yourself (or find an IT bod who lives nearby and talk to them nicely), or you may even be able to buy an adapter that converts one to the other.

http://www.mdbgroup.co.uk/md/gifs/crossover.gif

For straight through cables, wire both plugs to the spec on the left of the diagram.

Fig
Your diagram is not quite correct. On the right hand side the colours are correct but 3&6 should be receive and 1&2 should be Transmit.

Not my diagram, found it on the net, but on careful inspection, I agree, the wording is wrong.

Left hand side transmits on orange, received on green. Right hand transmits on green, receives on orange.

On commission are we? :D

i bought me router on ebay. £30 inc P+P. a belkin one with 4 ports. does my job admirably.

cheers

big sinky

Or save yourself the hassle and buy a Buffalo cable / dsl router and it will autosense the cable and switch between straight through and cross-over as required.

Details at Buffalo Technology
Get the wireless version and they do a bundle which includes a PCMCIA wireless LAN card that you could use in your laptop. It works very well (I'm using exactly this setup while writing this :) ) Expect to pay around £140 for the better spec (54meg) router / pcmcia bundle.

Chris

Thanks for all your replies guys and girls, just a few more questions to help get my head around this whole idea!

Firstly, as we have 2 desktop pcs and a laptop i like the idea of the laptop being on the network via wireless networking but at the same time id like to keep my existing method of cables for the 2 desktop pcs (unless making the whole lot wireless is going to be inexpensive). Is this sort of wireless and wires arrangement possible at all? Also if so could someone point me in the direction of (an exact link would be great so i know im not buying the wrong stuff :p) a site which sells the hardware i need including "straight" as opposed to crossover cables?

Cheers!

David

Yes it can be done - exactly how my two desktops and laptopn are configured.

I've got the Netgear FM114P router and a Netgear Wireless LAN card for the laptop. Not sure which you'll need though, depends on whether your cable modem has RJ45 (LAN) as well as USB connection.

Cheers Fig,

my cable modem has both USB and RJ45 output ports so this shouldnt be a problem. Could you possibly point me to the gear il need somewhere on the net?

These are the bits I used, should suit your requirements.

You'd be wise to shop around, these prices may or may not be competitive, I have no idea.

Router
Wirelass LAN card

There are undoubtedly other products to do the same job too.

Cables you can buy from Maplin, PC World or any reasonable PC shop. PCW will be the most expensive option.

Fantastic, thanks Fig. Just one other thing, will the router accept cable connections as well as wireless or do i need a seperate device for that?

The router is all you need. It has both RJ45 and wireless built in.

Muppet in me coming out :rolleyes:

Yup, but you'll need adaptors to put the MA401's into your PCs, as they wont have PCMCIA sockets (The adaptor fits into a PCI slot and has a socket for the MA401 to sit in.)

Of course, there may be other network cards with built in wireless capabilities, but I've never used 'em

Netgear now make a PCi fully integrated card, with an external antenna. Not sure of the model number, but have one somewhere.

It saves having to use the MA401 and PCi carrier with PCMCIA slot :rolleyes:

Phill

See, I said there were probably others :D

djuk

As mentioned earlier, Buffalo do a good starter package - wireless router for adsl / modem and a PCMCIA card. All for £140. Product code WBS-G54A-CB-1#BDL

Using one right now - very good - easy to setup and great performance.

Got mine from More Computers - Good service and the best price I found.

Chris

Chris

and if i decided to go wireless for everything i assume all i need is a wireless network adapter for each desktop pc?

[Edited by djuk - 5/6/2003 4:20:08 PM]