Some of you may remember me posting on this subject a little while ago, well I have another question. I asked the question would me and my roommates be able to hook up two cables modems in the same house at the same time. I saw some replies on here tell me no that would not be possible because only one computer or modem in the house would received our assigned IP address and to hook up two modems would require an additional monthly rate for the second IP address. Well I tried something out. I went and borrowed my sister's cable modem from her house and hooked up to my computer while one of my roomies had the other modem hooked up to their's. It came as a surprise to me that we were both able to get online at the same time and both modems worked at the same time. My question is, what exactly does this mean? Has our house been assigned more than one IP address by accident? Did our house receive two IP addresses when I hooked up the second modem and now we will be charged twice on the next bill? If both modems worked at the same time, can or does the cable company know this and will charge us extra? Any other possibilities? I'm sorry but I just cannot figure out how both are working and I was told by many people that it would not work.
I didn't think that you could do this either. I'm pretty sure that the cable company won't charge you extra. I just installed a network switch in my home this weekend. It's cheaper than getting another cable modem and I can connect up to 5 computers to the internet and also share files between my computers.
That would have been my suggestion too. You can get a 5 port switch for less than $50. Then just wire it to both computers.
Did you issue the winipcfg command (or ifconfig)? It would show you the actual IP address you are using. With Charter cable we get 3 addresses by default. In other words, with a simple HUB I can have 3 computers hooked up to the same cable modem and each has their own IP address. If I have to go to a 4th, I then need a router so that there is one IP address coming in and the router spits out 4 "internal" IP addresses to the 4 computers. Call your cable modem company and ask how many IPs you have.
That would be my question -- why in the world would you want to have two modems? Your speed is limited by the cable coming into the house (and to an extent, the neighborhood). There is zero speed advantage to having two cable modems, or one with a switch/router. A second modem is more expensive than a switch/router. I would go with a good router -- you could even get a wireless router, which would let you run any combination of 5 ish wired or wireless modems. You can get a Linksys one for around $100. A router would have a couple of advantages over a switch, in that it can do the logging in (minimal set up on each PC), and provides the safety of another firewall -- very important for an broadband connection.
The reason I would want two modems is because to hook up a router we would have to run wires from one room to another and wireless is not an option (price).
Wireless routers are only $100 and they have 4 port hubs built in. They are easy to install and configure also. Even if you dont use the wireless capabilities it is nice to have that flexibility for the future. I suggest Linksys as I have one, my mom has one, and I have installed them for other people also.
ive had problems with wireless routers. it was through a college type apartment complex. it ran on the same or close frequency as did my wireless home phone. when the phone rang or i checked the caller ID from the handset, i was immediatly kicked offline and it sometimes took a few mins to reconnect. EXTREMELY FUSTRATING! im staying with the cat5.
Here is the set up that I have had for years. Cable modem to an AirPort Base Station. With the ABS, I can connect up to 50 computers wirelessly (although I can't really see the need for this...) OR connect a switch to the LAN port and run a multitude of machines hardwired from the base station. Go wireless; and if you happen to have a phone that is the same frequency, get a new house phone. They are like 30 bucks. Apple hardware is relatively expensive and the ABS is just $199, the cards are like $49. PC versions should be much cheaper. I will never be able to give up being able to pick up my laptop and walk around the house with it and still surf. Bottom line, don't make things more complicated than they need to be with extra cable modems and such.
Well, damn Pun...I stand corrected. I recall stating flatout that it wouldnt work unless your cable company allowed you more than one IP addy. Obviously either your cable company allows for multiple IPs, or their equipment isnt configured to detect multiple machines connecting from one location(which I find unlikely)...or it is an oversight and may not work for long once they realize what is going on. Count yourself lucky that it works(especially if they are only charging for one IP). but I will reiterate that ,like others posted before, I feel that the best way to connect mulitple computers to the net is to use a router/switch and network your machines together.
I was also wondering, if somebody has my IP address number what kind of information can they get from that number, if any?
you mean personal info? probably not much...depends on how good they are.. for example, if I had your IP, and you didnt have any protection installed( ie..firewall) I could probable access your box, or at least find out what ports are open....
I bought a wireless router about 4 weeks ago for $20 on spoecial from Buy.com It was a D Link and got pretty good reviews. If you hunt around you will find a great deal. I discovered www.bensbargains.net from someone on this BBS and since then I have bought a Computer, Router, Digital Camera, LCD monitor, flash memory all at unbeleivable prices.
