Hooking a cable modem to our network

[random260]

We just got cable modem and I would like to hook it directly into our network so my PC does not have to be on for everyone to access the Internet. I have a 10/100 switch with a simple p2p network. Is it possible to hook the the modem directly to the hub with either (depending on what it takes) a standard or crossover cable, and tell the computers to access the Internet via the LAN? Or do I HAVE to have a proxy server or router? I would appreciate any help / hints.

Thanks

 

[rjs]

Your cable provider probably does allow (without an extra charge) for you to connect multiple computers. But you need to get something like a linksys broadband router to sit between the cable modem and your LAN.

 

[Lundah]

The easiest way to do this would be to add a router to your existing network. Something like a Linksys BEFSR11 would work well. All you need to do is connect the cable modem to the router, then use a crossover cable to connect the router to your existing switch. The BEFSR11 uses NAT and acts like a DHCP server for your network, so you may have to reconfigure the IP settings for the PC's on the network, but that's not too difficult, instructions on doing this come with the router. The only other thing you may need to do is clone the MAC address of the PC currently connected to the cable modem to the router, but again, the instructions that come with the router show you how to do this.

 

[benzito]

You should also check out the SMC Barricade Cable/DSL Broadband router (SMC7004VBR). This router has a built-in 4 port switch along w/ NAT, DNCP services, a Firewall and a nice web interface for administration purposes. I'm using one on my home network and it works great...the only thing I wish it had was a intregated print server / port. Oh and you should be able to buy one for 45 dollars US or so...

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/Reviews-16-ProdID-SMC7004VBR-1.php

 

[Gemkut]

You can use just the hub if you do not want to purchase a router however; for both systems to get connected at the same time you, will want to contact your ISP about purchasing an additional IP address. Your cable modem will need to be provisioned to pull multiple IP's. In the long run it would be cheaper to get a router, more money to purchase than a hub, but you won't have to shell out the additional monthly charges for the additional IP (usually starts at around $10 per IP).