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How do you Broad Band networking

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by netstalker

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I have been having difficulty networking my computers with broadband connections.

I presently have satellite Internet connection. Direc-Way. Two-Way Satellite Internet connection. I'm attempting to use a router to network my computers. I have acomputer with windows XP and an I-Touch Home automation CPU with Windows 98. I am not having any luck connecting these two computers. I have called DirecPC,who provides the service but they will only tell how to connect one computer. ( Windows XP).
I am also having the same problem with Bell South with their DSL service. I have (3) computers one with Windows98 and (2) with Windodws Me. They informed me that they don't recommend networking their DSL service thru multiple computers. What is going on?.The Broad Band providers do not provide or support networking. Where can a person get help?
Thank You,
Tedley

10 replies

by xanderoth

First off realize that the ISP doesnt want you networking their connections becuase they want you to use as little bandwidth as possible.

Anyhow- when networking XP and windows98 you must go through a little process. Click on Start-my network places-and click on the leftpane text that says "setup a small home or office network. Follow the instructions- you will need a blank floppy or a copy of the XP cd to install components on the 98 machine as well.

Now remember a few things- the XP computer gets its IP address from your ISP, so unless you can get an address from your ISP on the 98 machine- networking with tcp/ip is impossible.

Ensure you have a hub. The dsl or satelite network cable should go into the uplink port on your hub. Your computers connect to any of the remaining open ports on the hub. Set both computers to recieve dynamic ips. Call your isp to tell them you have 2 computers connected if they need to allow more than one dhcp address. You may need to reboot the dsl/satelite modems after the connection is made.

Now if the ISP says they WILL NOT allow more than one computer on at any time (cannot is not correct- they most certainly can, but they don't want to) then you must buy a cheap little dsl router and setup a private network. Basically configure the router to receive the dchp address on its external adapter and configure a small internal custom network with whatever scheme you wish on the internal side.

by xanderoth

Rereading the question lets me see I missed a few points and added a few of my own! Anyhow- the DSL connections with the 3 computers- DSL modem goes to hub uplink. all 3 computers connect to the remaining ports. Set all computers tcp/ip settings to receive dynamic adresses. Check your dns settings as well, contact your isp for dns settings if they need to be specified.

by isys

Do any of your computers attach through the router? Do they connect if hooked directly to your DSL modem? You might need a cross-over cable to connect the modem to the router.

by shanghai sam

A quick search of the internet should give you several links to home networking how-to sites. These are good for small office (5-10 machines, 1 internet connection) networks, too. Explaining how to put together and troubleshoot a network is reallytoo involved for this forum, but a couple of things to check are; Make sure that all of the machines have the same subnet mask and same range of IP addresses. A lot of broadband providers only give you one address, so you may have to get a router with a built-in DHCP to handle the extra internal addresses. Using NAT adds a layer of security, too. Also, make sure that all of the machines are part of the same workgroup (if you don't have a domain controller) or domain (if you do). I've found that file and printer sharing must be active on Win9x machines to be seen by my XP Pro machine. Maybe it's just me, though. One internet site that seems to have some pretty good how-to's and some good network equipment suggestions is; http://www.homepcnetwork.com/

Good luck.

by ndhiman

Just buy the 4 port Linksys Router for $80 from Staples or any other store. It is set to work right out of the box. Turn everything off and then follow this to turn devices on. 1. Linksys Router 2. DSL Modem 3. PC's.. Wait for couple minutes and youshould be online....Make sure everything is set for DHCP.. No static IP's..
Good Luck

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