Posted: 11/23/2000
Written by:
Moto & Mudzy
With the declining price of personal computers heading below the $1000 range, more and more families are having two or more computers in their homes. One of the problems this create is access to the internet. While having multiple computers are great, paying for multiple internet accounts is not so great. This is especially true if you're using a high speed internet access like DSL or cable.
There are many way around
this problem. One is to network the computers together and use an internet
sharing program like Wingate to share net access between the computers. However
this can be complicated for the first timer who has very little networking
knowledge. You can also purchase another IP address from your cable/DSL provider
but this will increase your monthly access cost. The final, and best way, to
share net access is by using a router like the Netgear RT314.
The Netgear RT314 is more than just a router. A stand alone router can not
let you share internet access among your computers. You would still need to plug
the router into your hub and then connect that to your computers. However, the
Netgear RT314 gets rid of the need for a hub because it has a four port 10/100
hub built in.
With the Netgear RT314, not only can you share net access with up to four computers, but all four computers can share files with each other. Instead of plugging the input from your cable modem to your computer, you plug that input to the Netgear RT314. Then you connect your computer to the Netgrear routers. Setup is easy and straight forward plus the router also acts as a firewall to help prevent hackers from breaking into your network.