Okay here's the situation..my son and I both have a computer. We have a cable modem to access the internet and both want/need to be on the internet at the same time. Is this possible? I have a hub and hooked it up (cord from modem to hub, cord from hub to his computer, cord from hub to my computer) but it isn't working. The modem won't link up to the hub. Am I doing something wrong? Please help!! Thanks
What is the brand and model number of the hub? How many ports does it have, and are they labeled? Does the hub have power from its power supply?
Can you give us the following info: Model # of the Cable Modem Model # of the hub. Operating System on your PC and his PC. Distance from the cable modem to each PC. And, how is it wired; wall jacks, straight from hub to each PC, ...etc..? A "hub" is not the best route for a simple install. You'd find a "router" more user friendly and less complicated cabling.
As far as the model numbers, I'll have to get them when I get home. Both are Windows. They are wired straight from the hub to the PC. My son's computer is about 12 feet from the cable modem and mine is anywhere from a foot to 25 feet (I use a laptop, he has a desktop). My wireless card isn't working. The hub has 8 ports and I will have to double check if they are labeled...I don't believe they are. But I am at work. Yes the hub has power to it. The "link light" is lit on both ports that are connected to the computers but nothing on the one from the modem to the hub. Maybe a router would be my best bet.......how would I go about setting that up? THANK YOU!!
Routers can be wired or wireless. A wired router is essentially the same as a (wired) hub, just the router usually has more built-in functions. You'd gain almost nothing by going from a hub to a wired router. The lengths of cables you're using is not the problem. There is only ONE port on the hub that can be connected to the modem for the entire hub to work correctly, and that port will usually be called "uplink", or it will be the first or last port, or will be spaced further away from the rest, etc. In other words, it should not be a guessing game as to which one it is. It should also light up when it is connected to the modem, just like the rest of the ports. If it doesn't light up there is a connection problem on either end of the cable, the cable is bad, or the port on either the modem or the hub are bad, or both. Or it could be a firmware problem. Lots of possibilities. Now if you want to go wireless, you would need a wireless router and (working) wireless adapters ("cards") for both computers. Why does the wireless adapter in your laptop not work?
I had a wireless router and the laptop never worked with it, not sure what the problem is/was. Obviosly I don't know much about computers.....other than getting my work done on them! I know on the hub there are two sets of 4 ports and there is a button that says "uplink/normal." I'll have to try plugging the cable into different ports. I know the cables are working becuase I've plugged them each from the modem directly into my laptop and they work. Thank you again for your help!
Actually in my experience I'd say just the opposite. Most hubs that I have ever dealt with have an external power supply, the hub itself, then you plug youor modem into either the modem or uplink port using either net cables, and as long as you have working network cards you run ethernet cables from the ports on the hub to the computers. Pretty much plug and play compared to the routers I've had to deal with where you are dealing with IP address assignments by the router, and are more likely to run into conflict problems. Craig
Other than the fact that both have network connections, a hub is nothing like router. A hub (overly simplified) is a distribution point for network connections. A router is designed for doing NAS translation to allow sharing a single WAN (internet) connection with multiple computers, and usually has a "hub" built in to its design. Some ISPs do not allow more than 1 DHCP address per account, this is when you must have a router. If your ISP allows multiple DHCP address, then depending on the configuration of your modem, a hub may be sufficient. If you are using a plain Hub, or switch, then I would recommend buying a router and trying it as it is most likely the problem. lissa - most routers today are truely plug-n-play. However, I would recommend changing the default wireless settings if the one you get has wireless. I would also recommend changing the default admin login password.
H3xKing: I understand the vast available functions of routers. What you're talking about only serves, in my opinion, to complicate the issue for the original poster. All she wants is to connect two computers to one modem. An inexpensive hub, which she already has, is a simple solution that dilemma. lissa27504: Wireless routers and adapters must have the same settings - they must have the same "ID" set internally (via their software) at minimum, more if security is set up - in order to communicate. They aren't something you can just take out of the box, plug in, and then expect to communicate instantly. Setting them up is not complicated , it just may seem that way if you don't know what to do or how to do it.
Knowing which Operating systems your using would really help, like ...XP or 98 or 2000 or vista. Using that hub with conflicting OS's wil breed problems especially so with Vista. I disagree with Fox. Routers are very much so plug and play now, and cheap. Also, the wireless router you have should also work as a wired router. Remove the hub put the router in and plug the 2 PC's to it. It should connect instantly. Google "how to wire a router" for directions
Yes, wireless routers are plug-n-play. So are wireless adapters. But try getting them to communicate with each other by doing nothing but taking them out of the box and turning them on/installing them. At bare minimum you have to make sure the SSID matches. Now if you want encryption turned on, that's another step for both. If you want MAC address filtering, that's another step for both. Now if you're talking WIRED routers and adapters, SSID, encryption, and MAC filtering is a moot point. I have used a hub for multiple PC with different OSes, namely 2000 Pro and XP Pro at the same time. Nary a trouble. Your mileage may vary.
Not necessarily. If her ISP limits to a single address, then she will have to get into a complicated process of establishing a dedicated system do do internet sharing (NAS). A process that will be even more complicated if she has multiple OSes. I agree that a wireless router needs security settings. However, she stated that she was plugging them in, an extremely simple task to accomplish with a router, esp. if she already has one available.
