Laptop automatically connect to cable/dsl?

[kdumas]

I'm going to do some traveling this week and wanted to know if my new laptop (Windows XP Home)would be able to connect if I simply use a friend's cable or dsl connection. Do I have to configure anything on my laptop or can I just plug their cable into my computer and it will automatically configure everything? I have an internal wireless card but I don't think they have a wireless router so I can't depend on that.

 

[ncotton]

Assuming that the router is a DHCP server, and your laptops Ethernet LAN NIC is set to Automatically detect. You may need to run cmd > type, without the quotes "Ipconfig /release Local*" > wait a minute > "ipconfig /renew *Local", to get the new address, but if you have booted with the cable in, you shouldn't have any need to do this.

If the modem doesn't act as a DHCP handler, you just need to set your Network Cards IP/Subnet to that like the modems address. Your friend should know that, probably on the bottom of it.

This is assuming that this is a hardware programmed connection modem, and that the connection is configured and established by the modem once (or when it is rebooted), and doesn't have to be "dialed up" from a machine, or that he has a machine on the network that takes care of this and has already dialed up.


I'm guessing if it is a modem with more than one network port, it is a modem router with DHCP handlling capabilities and device automatic connection. Just make sure your friend has the modem set to handle DHCP, or has a DHCP server on his network.

Hope this Helps.

Neil J Cotton
njc Information Systems
Systems Consultant