SHARING TIPS

The best way to share the internet is by using a fast connection like cable or ADSL. Cable or ADSL modems can be shared just as easily as a phone modem. I'm a @home cable user. It comes with 5 @home email address (even though I don't use any of them). Sharing an @home account can be very economical for a family, home office or a group of roommates. You can assign an email address to each of the users of the network (assuming you have 5 users).

All that is required to setup a cable network is an additional network card for the host computer to use as a gateway. In other words, the host computer will have one network card linked to the cable modem and the other network card linked to the hub. All the other client computers link to the hub and access the internet using the host computer's gateway.

Cable companies don't officially support internet sharing so don't expect any help from them. I had a good laugh when @home sent me an email telling me I could get additional IP addresses so I can hook up another computer to my cable modem for only $10 more per month per computer. I guess they never heard of Internet Connection Sharing. He he he :-)

If you are sharing a single phone line between 2 or more computers and your ISP gives you only one email account then you can setup additional emails from any of the free email places, like hotmail. All the client computers can access their mail using any web browser this way.

Beside being able to access the net at the same time, internet connection sharing sets up your computers so that it's ready to run any network games! This is because internet connection sharing uses TCP/IP, the same as network games like Quake 2 and Unreal. So if you've always wanted to play a game of Quake 2 on a LAN but never figure out how to set it up, just run your internet connection sharing software and you're ready to surf the net or frag the person on the computer next to you.

Anyone who brings their computer to my weekly LAN parties has access to the internet because once they're hook up to the LAN, they can access the net using the host computer. However, you better not come to my LAN parties just so you can get free internet access. :-)