From Leo's mailbag:
> From: A Computer User
> Sent: March 19, 2006
> To: Ask Leo!
> Subject: cable/ethernet configuration
>
> Leo,
> --------------
> I have four related questions.
>
> First, my situation. My cable internet broadband-serviced
> house has in each room an outlet with a female coax cable
> connection and a female Ethernet connection. All outlets
> throughout the house are active. I have one Mac computer
> hooked up to a cable broadband modem. I would like to add a
> 2nd Mac computer that is located in another room far removed
> from the room in which the 1st Mac is located. I do not want
> a wireless connection. I understand I can direct the incoming
> coax broadband signal into a router, and then connect my
> first Mac to the router via Ethernet. My 2nd Mac would then
> be connected to a second Ethernet signal coming out of the
> router. Keep in mind that my 2nd computer is located too far
> away from the router to string an Ethernet cable to it.
>
> Question #1: Can I plug that second Ethernet output signal
> coming out of the router located in room #1 into the Ethernet
> wall connection located in that same room, then plug my 2nd
> Mac computer located in room #2 into that room's Ethernet
> outlet and expect to be able to get on-line? (Both my Macs
> have built-in Ethernet ports)
Yes but not with out a little investigation/work.
Ethernet is a point-to-point connection ... so it's NOT the case
that all the ethernet ports in your home are simply connected together.
They likely (hopefully) all route to a single location, where you would
find connections (the "other end of the cable") that corresponds to each
ethernet port in your home. In *that* location you can place a hub, and
then do exactly as you describe.
> Question #2: Can I enter my 1st computer's TCP/IP info into
> my 2nd computer to enable it to recognize my broadband
> provider, or must I request a 2nd TCP/IP address from my
> provider for my 2nd computer?
You shouldn't need to. Both computers should be configured to
obtain an IP address automatically, and the router should provide
that address. To the "outside world" (i.e. your ISP) you still use
only one IP address, but on your local area network, routing the
traffic to the correct computer is handled by the router.
> Question #3: Can I access the Internet with both computers at
> the same time?
Sure.
> Question #4: If the answer to question #3 above is 'yes',
> will doing so slow the speed of one or the other or both
> computers if they are cruising the net simultaneously?
It depends on what you're doing. You have only so much bandwidth
available coming into your house. If you start a large download
on one computer that uses all the bandwidth, then the other computer's
internet access will slow down. If neither is using the internet,
then neither will slow down. If it's somewhere in between it depends
on what they're doing, and how much bandwidth your ISP provides.
This article has an overview of a typical home network setup:
http://ask-leo.com/how_should_i_set_up_my_home_network.html
Thanks for asking,
Leo
Article 1174
| Category:
Networking
