Linking 2nd PC to wired broadband?

earthmother

Hope the title is right


I have a desktop PC connected to Talktalk broadband. Hubby has just got a laptop, with an internal modem that he'd like to connect to the web.

The system isn't WiFi ready, and anyway at present a wireless router is financially out of range, so we were hoping to be able to connect him in the old fashioned way for the time being.


Do I have to connect him through the modem attached to the desktop (and if so, how), or can I just set up the password/username onto the laptop and plug him in to any phone socket in the house?

Or, as a temporary fix until we can get a router, is it going to be easier to get a bog-standard dial-up disc for him - seeing as it's only going to be for occassional internet use.

benje302

Hi

First of all is the router provided by your isp connect to your PC via a usb or a cat5 cable (ie normal ethernet) ?

Do you want to use your pc at the sametime as the laptop ?

If not then simply unplug your connection and plug it straight into his laptop.

If you both want to surf togther then :-

If its via ethernet then all you need to do is get a mini hub and connect that to the router and then plug your pc and the laptop into the hub via the correct cables.

If its via usb then do the same as above but use a usb mini hub.

Hope this helps

Benje302

joshm_2

There might be some terminology confusion here, but in any case we need to get moe of an idea of the setup.

The internal modem on the laptop is unlikey to be an ADSL modem but a standard 56k modem. So yes, it is possible to plug it in to any phone socket in the house (remember to use a microfilter) and use a dial-up account (not sure if Talk Talk give you one) but your computers won't be networked and the laptop will be a surfing slug.

How is your modem connected to your PC at present? USB I would guess. Rather than having me blabber on about it all, it's probably best for you to look on the web, for instance here:

http://www.gyre.co.uk/help/broadband/connection_sharing.php

espresso

To get a full answer on the Techie board you really need to give more information i.e. make/model of your modem.

If you have a SmartAX MT882 made by Huawei, (one type supplied by TalkTalk) it has one USB port and one Ethernet port, so you already have a simple router able to talk to two computers. Therefore if you are using USB to connect to your first computer, simply get an Ethernet cable to connect to the second. When using Ethernet, no software or drivers need to be installed and it should be able to share your connection when connected.

Note that it is not possible to share the connection using a USB hub as stated above by Benje302!

:rolleyes:

Funkyfreddy

earthmother wrote:

Hope the title is right


I have a desktop PC connected to Talktalk broadband. Hubby has just got a laptop, with an internal modem that he'd like to connect to the web.

The internal modem will be a dialup modem which you could use for dialup (56k) with any number of "Pay as you go" dialup connections. It will not be a broadband connection though and have nothing to do with your TalkTalk ADSL connection.

earthmother wrote:

The system isn't WiFi ready, and anyway at present a wireless router is financially out of range, so we were hoping to be able to connect him in the old fashioned way for the time being.

Do I have to connect him through the modem attached to the desktop (and if so, how), or can I just set up the password/username onto the laptop and plug him in to any phone socket in the house?

Or, as a temporary fix until we can get a router, is it going to be easier to get a bog-standard dial-up disc for him - seeing as it's only going to be for occassional internet use.

As espresso suggested confirmation of the Modem you have is really needed but assuming its a basic ADSL modem and nothing more....

If only of the PC's needs to be connected at once then you could install the modem drivers on the Latop and just make use of the modem when your desktop is not in use - ie only one of the computers can be connected at one time.

You could also look at networking the Desktop and Laptop together and making use of the ADSL connection on the Desktop from the Laptop. The Dekstop would need to be on at any time you wanted to use the Laptop.

Best option IMO would be to look for a Wired Router, prefereably with a firewall - something like the Netgear DG834 if it would be within budget. Take a look on eBay. You could then connect both PC's to the router via a CAT5 cable - use both PC's at once if you wanted or either individually.

Cheers
FF

earthmother

Right - I'll try to answer your questions - and thank you for your posts


We don't have a router of any sort - we have a Speedtouch modem USB'd into the desktop (no spare ports of any sort on the modem), and the internal modem on the laptop is a Motorola SM56 (having checked the Control Panel).

Whilst most surfing will be done at different times, there will be times we both need access at the same time.


I think having read all your advice, we're going to be best getting a cheap dial-up account for now, and getting a wireless router after Christmas. The more I think about it, the less a wired broadband network will work practically (nowhere safe to run the wires, and laptop will be used in more than one place) - however a wired dial-up connection will be fairly easy - if there's one thing this house isn't short of it's phone points.




Just a thought - but would an ADSL modem plugged into another phone socket work? I have a Sagem one somewhere around here from an old contract.

espresso

earthmother wrote:

Just a thought - but would an ADSL modem plugged into another phone socket work? I have a Sagem one somewhere around here from an old contract.

Yes for convenience until you get a router but not both at the same time. Only one modem can be connected to the line at any time.

geordie_joe

earthmother wrote:

I think having read all your advice, we're going to be best getting a cheap dial-up account for now,

When I got broadband a couple of years ago I had problems with it. Tried to access the internet using my old dial up modem and it would not work.

later I did some search and found that you can't use a dial up modem once your phone line is broadband enabled.

earthmother

Thank you both

I had wondered whether we could use both dial-up and broadband on the same line.

I'll see if I can get the ADSL modem up and running - we can surf around each other, so to speak, for the time being - if it doesn't work for some reason we've not lost anything, at least the broadband is paid for upfront

espresso

geordie_joe wrote:

When I got broadband a couple of years ago I had problems with it. Tried to access the internet using my old dial up modem and it would not work.

later I did some search and found that you can't use a dial up modem once your phone line is broadband enabled.

Yes you can but when connecting a dial-up modem it needs to be connected via an ADSL filter. Using Dial-up on an ADSL enabled line is just like using a fax machine at the same time.

donny-gal

I seem to remember that Staples were selling off net products and someone kindly put a list on the other board, you may find a reduced wireless router, if you scroll through looking for Staples.
Regards