The Sum Total of my Computer Networking Experience
As far as computers and the Internet goes, I consider myself a rank amateur, so for me to give anyone advice seems ludicrous. But everyone has to start somewhere, and this blog is for the starters who may not understand all the geek speek. I always tell people that I don’t know much but I will share what I do know. Perhaps the below will help someone who has two computers at home and would like to get them to talk to each other and share the same printer. Here is my question about printers: Why don’t they have more than one connection so you can just plug them into two computers? Does anyone know?
How I Networked Two Computers with my DSL modem
With a Netopia DSL modem from Centurytel, I connected and networked two computers to share files, a printer and the DSL connection. I also connected a caller I.D. Box, a telephone, a tape recorder to record incoming calls, and an answering machine. This is how I connected the hardware, starting from the phone jack on the wall.
1. I plugged into the phone jack one of the DSL filters sent with the Netopia modem, which has two phone sockets. (One is labeled phone, and the other is labeled DSL. These filters are needed on every phone in the house to separate the Internet from the phone so you can be on line and talk on the phone at the same time.)
2. A short phone cord plugs into phone slot in the filter marked “DSL” and goes to the DSL slot in the Netopia modem.” This is what connects my phone and computer to the outside world..
3. The modem needs power, so it has an adapter that plugs into it and into an electric outlet.
4. A blue USB cord plugs into the back of the modem and then into computer number one into a USB 2.0 slot. The USB slot is a thinner slot than a phone or ethernet slot. A 2.0 slot transfers data faster than a 1.0 slot, so it is more desirable. This blue cord came with the Century Tel modem, but you can buy them separately.
5. An Ethernet cord from radio shack or else the yellow one that came with the modem, connects the two computers via their ethernet slots (which are called “ethernet adapters”) and they are installed and found in the back of the computers. They look like large telephone jacks. Just plug the two computers together.
The above connection will get your two computers connected and sharing both Internet, files and the printer. (after you configure them, with the Network Setup Wizard)
The printer is connected to the number one computer. The printer drivers have been installed on both computers but if they have not the Setup wizard will help with that option. If you get confused, there should be help screens that will tell you what to do. Example:
“If you would like to set up a home or small office network, click the Network Setup Wizard link and follow the instructions to turn on file sharing. Once file sharing is enabled, begin this procedure again.”
The Configuration:
I can’t remember all of what I did, and your hardware and systems will probably be different, but both of my computers have windows XP, and It took me a number of tries get it to work. But the Network connection wizard did most of it, I just had to try it several times until it began to do something and until I had the connections hooked up as described above. Somewhere in the process I managed trigger something which configured and activated the smart Netopia hardware, which is the DSL modem and which is probably the thing that allowed my computers to talk to each other after I connected the Ethernet cable from one to the other from the back. The only computer connected directly to the modem is the number one computer, so with this connected in this way, that computer has to be on for the second one to connect to the Internet.
At first I was trying to do it with a Linksys 4-port router and I could not get it to work. I just kept hooking things up different ways and experimenting with configurations until I discovered it was working, but then I realized the router was not even hooked up with anything and my modem was doing it all. I discovered that I did not need the 4-port router at all. I had bought the metal router at Walmart. Later I researched it and learned that metal linsky router is not a good one and most people who tried it could not get it to work.
I tested it by transferring files from a shared folder which suddenly appeared in my network places folder, and then I printed a document with the second printer.
Wonders never cease.
Direct connection for Computer number two:
I have another Ethernet cable that is plugged into the Netopia modem and when I unplug the cable in the back of computer number two, which is connected to computer number one, and plug computer number two directly into the modem, it can connect to the Internet directly, even when Computer number one is turned off because I configured it for an Internet connection through an Ethernet cable. Now if I had two Ethernet slots in computer number two, I could be on the Internet when computer number one is off, but with both cords connected, it might confuse the smart modem. I suppose it would depend on how smart the “smart Netopia modem” really is. I may never know. As is stands, I only have one Ethernet slot in each computer.
How I connected the phones and other stuff:
1.From the wall jack, the DSL filter with two connectors receives a phone splitter which is plugged into the slot marked “phone.” (The slot marked “DSL” is connected to the modem.)
2. From the splitter, one cord goes to the caller I.D. box, which also needs electric power, so it has to have an adaptor and it has to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
3. The other slot in the splitter goes through another filter and into my phone answering machine. The phone answering machine also needs electrical power so it is plugged into a wall outlet. It has another cord coming out of it that connects to my telephone.
4. The telephone has a extra data slot which goes to a device that plugs into a cassette recorder which is activated, when switched on, to begin recording when the phone receiver is picked up.
Filed under: Amature Network
