This is the equipment I have in my possession right now:

Laptop, with a network card
Desktop, with a network card
8 port hub
Toshiba cable modem (with usb and ethernet connection, ISP: Earthlink)
lots of ethernet cables
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Right now my network is setup as follows:

Laptop connected to Earthlink's cable modem via ethernet.
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What I want:

Have the internet on both computers, without needing the other computer to be on.
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What I think i need:

a router (so that internal ip addressing will let me share my internet independent of the other computer)
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What i dont know how to do:

where to get a router
what type of router to get
how to operate a router
what kind of settings need to be tweaked
how to wire the network
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What would be nice:

later on if i want to hookup another computer, i wouldnt have to do any tweaking.
later on if i want to hookup an Xbox or a PS2 for online gaming, i wouldnt have to mess with the insides of something sacred as an Xbox/PS2
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Hows that? how much would i have to spend on a router, if thats what i actually need. What if i get a wireless router? what do i need to put in the laptop and desktop so that they can communicate with the wireless router (i believe its something called an access point thing? not sure...) and how would that work with something like an Xbox or PS2

Thanks in advance

Buy a Linksys BEFSR41 router at Best Buy. It's about $50 at most. It supports 4 computers. setup is simple, the 'manual' is a big foldout sheat with pictures. You access it's settings through your browser. I don't like wireless routers, they are always having connection problems. Wired connections are never a problem. But if you want wireless then get the Linksys WRT54G 4 port router with wireless. It's about $70.

A few basic setups when networking:

Router-setup WAN:
Protocol: Fixed IP
IP-address, Subnetmask and default Gateway: as per ISP-information
DNS-servers: as per ISP-information
Enable NAT

Router-setup LAN:
IP-address: set to e.g. 192.168.1.254 (or use default)
Subnetmask: 255.255.255.0
DHCP-server: disable

Router: Some System-settings (depending on your router)
Optional SNTP (time): e.g. 194.35.252.7 for UK/Ireland (GMT)
uPnP: disable
Dynamic routing: disable
Remote config: disable
Dynamic DNS: disable
Firewall: Block hacker attack: enable
Firewall: Block WAN request: enable
VPN: disable all settings unless you need it

PC-Settings
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Use the following IP address: 192.168.1.101 (102, 103 etc.)
Subnetmask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.254 (IP-address from your Router)
Use DNS Server address: 192.168.1.254 (IP-address from your Router)
Second DNS: leave blank or put in first DNS-server from WAN-part in Router

Enable File/Printer sharing if you wish (works only within local network)
Check individual printer(s) that they are shared as well (in printer-settings)

And make sure all your PCs are in the same WORKGROUP.

If software firewall installed, enable the other PCs IP-address(es)

And finally, have a look here, lotsa answers: http://www.homenethelp.com/

I have the Linksys wireless router set up at my home. My desktop and DSL modem are hard wired to the router and my laptop uses the wireless connection via a Linksys wireless card I installed. Set up was a piece of cake. Just follow the directions that come with the router. No problems accessing the internet with either unit and no problems sharing files. If I can set this up, then anyone can.

Good Luck!

Hey, thanks for the replies! Tarkus, yeah I think I'll stick to wired networking too. I did some research on the routers and found this.
(prices quoted from amazon)

Linksys BEFSR41 - $50.65 (Linksys's basic 4 port router, by far the most popular)
Linksys BEFSR11 - $44.64 (Linksys's 1 port router, you are supposed to plug in a hub for more connections)
D-Link DI-604 - $35.14 (D-link's basic 4 port router)
Netgear RP614NA - $37.04 (alternate products, 4 port)
Belkin F5D5231-4 - $56.99 (alternate products, 4 port)

I'd prefer to buy either the Linksys BEFSR41 (looks nice heh), or the D-Link DI-604 (its cheap). And if you say the setup is as easy as it gets, then its all working out for us pretty good. From what I can see, realblackstuff, that looks pretty easy to setup. I just have one question though I can't tell if I have a static ip address or a dynamic one, everytime i check my ip address on a site its reported the same, but Earthlink says it doesn't provide static ip addresses unless you pay for it. Is that a router or firewall's ip address that maybe i go though to access the internet that I keep seeing on the ip address checking sites?

I've been using the Dlink 604 for nearly 2 years now, very easy to set up and configure, never given me a problem that an occaisional power cycling (probably about 4 times in the whole time i've had it) hasn't cured.

as for your ip staying the same, i'm in the UK using NTL, they give a dynamic IP, but the ip they give me hasnt changed now in over a year.... i'm guessing you'll be the same, it's a dynamic ip, which means it can change, but you might find it's very infrequent that it does.

Do consider a wireless router. I've recently installed a D-Link 624 model. It has all the features you might want and then some. Wireless routers are much more versatile than their wired cousins and almost all of the brands support wired network connections (usually 4 ports are built in). With a notebook it'll be neat to work from wherever you sit down with the computer.

A key decision, if you go for wireless, will be whether to go for the older, more prevalent 802.11b routers or the newer 802.11g models. The b models are very inexpensive but operate at a slower wireless speed of 11 Mbs. The g models have wireless speeds of 54 Mbs, and up to 108 Mbs with speed enhancements offered by most vendors on their high end products. The g models are generaly backward compatible with b type network cards. Either speed is more than up to the 2-4 Mbs of a cable modem. Also with a wireless router make sure that you activate security features to keep unauthorized hackers or freeloaders from gaining access to your cable modem.

As far as static vs dynamic IP for your cable modem, your ISP makes the call. As you already have found out a static IP address will mean a higher monthly fee. If you don't need it, why pay for it? Also, use the routers DHCP server to dynamically assign IP addresses to each client. Using the alternative, static DHCP, creates more set-up headaches for each client computer.

Dlinl dsl604

I have the same router and all was well until i upgraded my firmware, can you send me the settings you have used (obviously change the ip addresses)

any help would be much aprreciated.

:approve: