Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Connecting 2 Computers to Ethernet

Jan 15, 2009 10:33AM PST

I have a Dell B110 1g ram 80 gigs HD have Embarq DSL was wanting to connect old Dell XPS D233 to my DSL.Would a Router be the best are can I connect using a Ethernet cable to the 56K telephone modem,is there a way to connect it.The space between the computers is less than 8 feet.Which would be the cheapest as I was looking to use the old Dell for surfing the internet,also can both computers be on line at the same time.Thanks for your time.Keith

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
This is a bit confusing for us,
Jan 15, 2009 1:31PM PST

well..at least for me. You got DSL so why the 56k modem? What are you trying to do or what do you want done?

- Collapse -
Re:Ethernet 2 Computers
Jan 15, 2009 2:03PM PST

I want to hook both computers to the Embarq DSL Modem Ethernet the Dell B110 is connected to the Embarq modem and I want to hook up the old XPS to the Embarq modem too.The Dell XPS has the 56K modem but no Ethernet so do I have to put a Ethernet card in the XPS ?And do I have to have a splitter to hook up both computers to the Embarq DSL Modem and can both computers be online at the same time?Thanks for your time.Keith

- Collapse -
OK, let's go this way . . .
Jan 15, 2009 9:46PM PST

All computers, be they desktop or laptop, must have a NIC (Network Interface card) to connect to broadband or a LAN (Local Area Network). A router creates a home LAN. Buy a router and connect it to the DSL modem. Buy a NIC (if one is not already present on the motherboard) for the computer that does not have one. Connect each PC to the router. It's very simple and the router will have directions for the setup. Remove the 56K modem to prevent conflicts.