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How to share a broadband internet connectionSummaryThis document is about broadband connection sharing, and it will help you answer the following questions:
It does this by covering the following topics:
IntroductionThis document describes the three most common techniques used to share a broadband internet connection with multiple computers. The first solution, sharing a broadband connection using Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing, is suitable for home use and low-budgets. The second method, Sharing a broadband connection using a dedicated broadband router, is a better solution for small businesses and homes when more flexibility is needed. The final method, sharing a broadband connection using a Linux router, is the most advanced solution: it offers the broadest range of features and the most control over security, logging and access. Contents of this page:
See also the Glossary of Broadband Internet Terms Need more help? More Broadband help is at hand! Method 1: Sharing a broadband connection using Microsoft Internet Connection SharingDescriptionMicrosoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) enables a computer connected to the Internet via a cable or DSL modem to share its connection with other computers connected to it. It is cheap because of its minimal hardware requirements and fairly straight forward to set up. However it is only suitable for situations with limited requirements. Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing is software built into Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Windows 98 ME, Windows XP and Windows 2000. ICS enables a computer connected to the Internet via a cable or DSL modem to share its connection with other computers connected to it via Ethernet cable. The network can be set up in two ways, depending on the number of computers that need to share the connection. For two computers onlyWhen
only one other computer needs to share this connection (as in Figure
1), then Computer #2 can connect directly to Computer #1 using a crossover
cable. Note that both computers must have network
cards installed.
Hardware requirements for connection sharing using Microsoft ICS with two computers
See the Glossary of Broadband Internet Terms for further descriptions of hardware and terms. For three or more computersWhen
more than one other computer needs to share the connection with
Computer #1 then you need to use a switch
(or hub)
(Figure
2). This time the computers are all connected to the switch using
standard Ethernet cable.
Hardware requirements for connection sharing using Microsoft ICS with three or more computers
See the Glossary of Broadband Internet Terms for further descriptions of hardware and terms. Pros and Cons of using Microsoft ICSPros
Cons
Need more help? More Broadband help is at hand! Method 2: Sharing a broadband connection using a hardware broadband routerSummaryA dedicated broadband router is a much better approach than the one above when more than two computers need to share one broadband internet connection. With this method, all computers on the network are connected together using a switch (or hub), and the switch is connected to the broadband router. All the computers can then connect to the internet using the router as a gateway (see Figure 3). The router would normally be left on; it has no moving parts, is low voltage and silent. This means that any computer on the network can connect to the internet at any time without delay. DescriptionBroadband routers start at quite a low price: £60 or so will get you one that works. However the price range is very broad; the more you spend the more features you will get. All routers provide a degree of network security through a technology called Network Address Translation or NAT. NAT means that computers on the internet can only see your router, and they cannot gain direct access to your own computer. Broadband routers usually have no moving parts in them (i.e. a disk or fan), so they are silent in operation and hardly ever fail. Setting broadband routers up is usually a straight-forward process too. Most will automatically detect the necessary settings, and they will usually set up your home network for you too (using a technology called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP). Why use this approach?
Figure 3: Broadband Internet connection sharing using a hardware router
Hardware Requirements for connection sharing using a broadband router
See the Glossary of Broadband Internet Terms for further descriptions of hardware and terms. Figure 4: Broadband Internet connection sharing using a hardware router with separate switch and modem
Need more help? More Broadband help is at hand! Method 3: Sharing a broadband connection using a Linux routerSummaryA dedicated Linux router offers the greatest control over access, security and logging. Linux is an operating system designed from the ground up to be secure and robust in a network environment. The software required to configure a Linux computer as a router and firewall comes as standard with the operating system. In terms of usage, a Linux router is very similar to that of a hardware router: all computers on the network are connected together using a switch (or hub), and the switch is connected to the Linux router. All the computers can then connect to the internet using the router as the gateway (see Figure 5). Using a Linux router you have full control over the traffic that is allowed in and out of your network. You can control who accesses what and at what time, and you can log everything that passes through your internet connection. However, this flexibility comes at a premium: the configuration of such a computer is not for beginners! Figure 5: Broadband Internet connection sharing using a Linux router
Hardware Requirements for connection sharing using a Linux router
See the Glossary of
Broadband Internet Terms for further descriptions of hardware and
terms. Courtesy of
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