Networks two PC's and a packet of crisps

Hey, at the moment my friend has a main pc with internet and a second one downstairs. Can he surf the internet on both pcs by means of an ethernet port switch in the main one... does this work?

Thanx

 

he needs to enable sharing internet through the first computer then network them together

 

No he doesnt, thats a load of rubbish.

firstly does he use a USB modem or an ethernet modem // router?
secondly do both PCs have network cards?

if you follow this tutorial :: http://www.buzzons.co.uk/tutorials/XP_Networking/

you will be able to set it up WITHOUT using the ICS wizard (or a pile of poo as i call it)

 

If you would read the first post (altough it isn't that clear) you'll see that he's asking for that in specific, so yes he does, and what you are selling is a load of off topic blabber...

 

Options:
1 - Ethernet from modem to router, router's integrated switch (unless you have an odd one, in which case router to switch then that switch) to both PCs. If it's DSL, make sure you set up your account info in the router's config.

2 - Modem to comp1, comp1 to switch, switch to comp2, enable ICS

Former is better, but if you already have the switch and don't want to buy a router, the second option is cheaper. Just keep in mind that you can only surf on PC2 if PC1 is on if you go that route.

 

Not at all.
He is completely correct in what he said... network the PCs then share the net connection

He didn't go into any detail on how to set the network or the possiblity of using a router but Firehed has pretty much covered that above.

Rather than using a switch/hub to join the PCs it would also be possible to join them directly with a crossover cable.

Also, given that you can pick up wireless USB dongles for under a tenner these days your mate could just pick up two of these and form an ad-hoc network.

The solution he goes with is really dependent on two things: budget and distance between comps.

 

Sorry i was unclear posted this quickly -

So its possible for the guy to buy two USB dongles for the ad hoc network, and then enable ICS on the first computer which is connected to the ethernet modem ?

This correct?
Thanks a lot

 

Yes he could, but I personally have had problems with wireless networks going through walls, and especially, floors. And because you said the pc's are on different floors I'd make sure first that the wireless network has a good broadcast strength.

 

It should be possible. As Glider said, you may have some signal strength issues depending on the number of and thickness of walls between the computers.

For faster transfer speeds make sure you get 802.11g spec adaptors, although you probably wont saturate the 11Mb/s of 802.11b with the net connection alone.

Avoid 802.11a as it uses a higher frequency which means that it is pretty limited in distance, especially if there are obstacles in the way!

 

alright thanx very much everyone.

 

5.0ghz should be more penetrating than 2.4, it also won't interfere with cordless phones, most of which also run on 2.4ghz. However .11a is more expensive and unnecessary, regardless of what it does or signal strength.

You can only buy new stuff in g- or a-spec anyways, you can't buy b anymore. And most places won't carry a either.

 

Fair enough, tbh I didn't look around to see if shops still carried stock of old wifi products so just assumed that there would still be the odd a/b card knocking around still!!

As for the penetrating thing, I know Wikipedia is not always reliable and should never really be trusted but here is an extract from the 802.11 page: