Setting up a network (not Wireless)?

Question

I have Cat 5e cables, 3 computers and 1 network printer. What other things do I need to make a network (able to print to network printer, use the internet and play LAN games)?

Answer 1

The c heapest option is to buy a router with a built in modem, then connect all of your devuices using your network cable.

Configure your router and network printer following the guidlines from the router manufacturer and then run the network wizard.

Answer 2

You need either a router or a switch but not both.

Router requires less work moving from system to system and may offer more features for the price.  You can get a wireless router for the same price as a wired router so get a wireless one, even if you only use the wired ports.  You would enable DHCP on the router and set each computer or device to "automatically obtain IP via DHCP".

Switch is less work remotely, but requires each system have an IP address that is manually input.  You would also need to enable ICS on one of your computers and put a 2nd Network Interface Card into the computer that has ICS enabled.  ICS being enabled on your network will prevent most LAN games from working correctly.  ICS host will also suffer a 10-20% decrease in performance.  Essentially the ICS host system is your router.

You need a Network Interface Card or Wireless card for each computer/device.

Prices:

Netgear 5 port Gigabit Switch at Netgear's web site $45 for the plastic one, $55 for the metal one.

D-Link DIR-615 wireless draft N type router at Buydig.com $47 including tax and shipping in the U.S. has 4 10/100 ports.

D-Link DIR-655 wireless Gigabit Draft N type router at Costco or Sam's Club,  ~$90 has 4 Gigabit ports.

I see answers sometimes from people that shirk draft N products because of the future ratified N may not be fully compatible with the draft N of today.  

First of all, if you get all of your devices in Draft N today, they will always continue to work with one another from this day forward until they become totally inoperative.  Secondly, if the ratified IEEE 802.11N is not fully compatible with the current draft N it will definitely be backwards compatible, because the core precepts and operational specifications are ratified now already.  The major contentions are over how many antennae are going to be allowed and some of the other minor issues relating to how the routers will share the frequency bands with existing equipments.

Answer 3

You have to get a router. Simply just connect all the computers to it and you'll get a network =)

But you have to go to the control panel and go to Network Setup Wizard. That's what you need to do to create 'file sharing' and 'printer setup networking'

Good luck!

Answer 4

you want to connect your all 3 computers with LAN, please you connect all computers with Switch, "Setup Home or Small Office Network" configure your Network Setting (workgroup: MSHOME (Common in Every Computer)  & computer name & Other Details) with sharing files & Printers

You configure your Main Computer which having a internet connection mention IP as a

IP address : 192.168.0.1

S. Mask: 255.255.255.0

Sharing your Internet Connection & Setting as your usage;

Now you configure your Client Computer as

IP Address : 192.168.0.2 / 3 ..........254

S. Mask: 255.255.255.0,

D. Gateway: 192.168.0.1,

P.DNS: 192.168.0.1,

Al.DNS: 4.2.2.2

After this your Internet is start in every machine

Answer 5

You want a 4 port router with separate modem port

3 cat 5e cables long enough to reach from computers to Router

All O/S should be same as XP to Vista can be awkward to setup

When all connected boot all computers

Go to "  Control Panel " Network setup and follow instructions on each computer

MAKE NETWORK ALL the same

IE:

     Computer 1 Name Downstairs    Network Uncles

     Computer 2 Name Upstairs         Network Uncles

     Computer 3 Name Mine              Network  Uncles

Then you have to go to each computer and setup files or partitions to be shared