This is hard...Ethernet

[Dtere]

Ok this is really pissin me off, it shouldn't be this hard.

Ok here's what i have...

I have a computer upstairs, the cable modem, and hub are both beside it. I have the CAT-5 wire from the cable plugged into the UPLINK of the hub, then i have another CAT-5 wire running from the 1st hole of the hub to the ethernet card of the computer upstairs, then i have another CAT-5 wire going from the 2nd hole of the hub to a USB ethernet connection downstairs.

Ok i hooked the CAT-5 up to my USB ethernet card, i plugged it into the USB port on the case, but the funny thing is, nothing happened when i put it in, very frustrating.

So i've been messing with it to try and get it online for the past 4 hrs, and i can't do it, i tried setting up a connection, told the Setup that i was trying to make a connection and i was using broadband, and then boom it said i was finished. But i still can't connect to the internet.

Can someone give me a hand please?

BTW, the internet obviously works for the upstairs computer, even when plugged into the hub, otherwise why would i be online?

 

[NoNameRequired]

Was your first computer connected to the internet while you were trying to get the second one online ? Make sure your ISP supplies multiple IPs.

 

[t'kron]

If you want to hook up two computers sharing the same internet connection and the same IP address you need a router, not a hub

 

[Dtere]

hmm... the isp will charge me for extra for another IP won't it?

How much extra usually?

 

[Unregistered]

router is cheaper in the end
no extra ip

Wargy

 

[Dtere]

So there is no way to set up XP as a proxy server or something... so I will only need one isp?

 

[Rapmaster]

Yes you could use the Internet Connection Sharing feature of XP (also in 98SE, ME and 2000)

That PC would basically become a router.

You will actually need more than one IP from your provider if you use only hubs. But NOT with a router (or Windows ICS) sharing out the connection.

I'm not going to try and figure out your current setup, but you SHOULD do this:

Cable modem connects to router
All PCs connect to the ports on the router (router has a built in switch, which has the same purpose as a hub)

If you need to extend the distance or something, you can put a regular CAT5 from the uplink port on the router into one of the regular ports on another hub. And then plug more PCs into that hub. (Or plug a crossover type cable from a regular port on the router into a regular port on the hub... same function.) Usually if you use the uplink port on the router or hub it will disable the one of the regular ports next to it so make sure you read the labels.

If you want to use the ICS feature and avoid the need for a router... put two network cards in one of the computers. One card will connect to the cable, and the other will connect to a regular port on the hub. All other PCs will connect to the hub(s) as well. Then setup Internet sharing (this is really easy in XP.... http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_ics/ )

It's best to use a router though-- much easier and doesn't force you to leave a computer on. If you are very l33t you could set up a Linux machine and have it perform NAT and DHCP (which is what a home router or Windows ICS would do.)

 

[Dtere]

Yah, i'm guess i'm going to have to go with a router, i don't want to pay the isp a monthly fee for another ip, i'm going with a linksys 4 port cable/dsl router.

 

[Rapmaster]

Yarrrrr I like the Linksys, she's a solid router.

 

[Nelson]

Yep .. I been preachin that for over a year

also check out that link I posted for Home networking