SOFTWARE FOR SHARING THE INTERNET
The following software packages, with the
exception of Windows 98 SE, can be downloaded for a free trail. Most of them use
a sliding price scale. The more computers you want to link up, the more
expensive the program.
Setting up a home network and internet
connection sharing can be complicated. Most good internet sharing program will
try to make the task allot easier. There are allot of programs that will help
you setup internet sharing.
TUCOWS has a big list of them for you to download and try out. Here are the
ones that I have tried out.
Wingate 3.0
Wingate comes in 3 versions, Home, Standard
and Pro. It comes with both a client and server component, making setup pretty
straight forward. However it does require you to manually change your network
settings. A nice feature that Wingate has is "dial on demand". This allows a
client computer to activate the modem on the host computer.
Sygate 3.0
Sygate is similar to Wingate. However it has
some better features. The most impressive being that it does all the changes to
the network for you, without you having to manually change your network setting.
If you know nothing about setting up and making changes to TCP/IP, then Sygate
is the program to use. Like Wingate, there is a client and server component.
Other features includes the ability to block
access to web site you don't want your child to see or to restrict access to
only pre-selected sites. This is something parents will appreciate I'm sure.
Internet Gate
If you have only 2 computers networked
together that you want to share internet access with, then you can't beat the
price of Internet Gate. It's free! If you want more than 2 computers on the net,
then it will cost you money. The program includes most of the feature of Wingate
and Sygate. It supports dial on demand and you can control what sites the client
can visit.
RideWay
Features include Dial-On-Demand, network
trouble-shooting tools, access restrictions, logging, and step-by-step
instructions. Rideway can also be used as a remote access tool for accessing
your company's internet connection from home. No need for a personal internet
account! :-)
Windows 98 SE
The SE in Windows 98 SE stands for Second
Edition. If you recently bought a new computer, chances are it came loaded with
Windows 98 SE. One of the new features of Windows 98 SE is Internet Connecting
Sharing or ICS.
Using ICS is really simple. You just go to
internet options of Internet Explorer 5 that comes with Windows 98 SE and hit
the "sharing" button that will be found in connections. An install wizard will
pop up and set the computer up for you. There are no limits to the number of
computer you can link to the net with ICS. The client computers don't have to
have Windows 98 SE intstalled to use the host. Only the host computer needs
Windows 98 SE.
Now for the bad news. You can't buy Windows
98 SE right now. It's only available with new computer purchases.
Next Page: Sharing Tips
