A couple of questions.

[MrBlip]

I don't know very much about networking other then that it consists of two computers connected to the internet. So here are my questions:

I'm about to get DSL (1.5mb/s maybe). Both of the computers in my house are right next to a phone jack, but the house is about 18 years old and so I'm not sure if they're to old to be used for DSL. Would they need to be replaced and/or would any lines outside of my house need to be replaced?

One of the computers (about 6 or 7 years old) doesn't have a lan/ethernet jack in it, so I'll need to get a card for this one. What kind of card would you suggest? It already has a 56k card in it.

My options for hooking both of these computers to the internet are get one router (or modem, I'm kind of confused on the difference) and wire it to one of the computers, then get another really long wire to go all the way across the house to the other one. I don't feel like doing this.
I could get two routers and wire them both up that way. Could this be possible? I know it would be a bit expensive.
The last way is to buy a wireless router and hook that up to one computer and get a card to goto the other one, by a card I guess? How much would this cost and what would you suggest for it.

In any of these situations the older computer would end up being the one connected to directly up to the router, seeing how it's my dads and all. My computer, which sits in my room across the house, has a lan jack built into the motherboard.

So how could all of this be done? About how much would it cost? And what parts would you guys suggest for doing this?

 

[benzimm86]

There is a difference between a router and a modem. The modem you usually get from your service provider since this is necessary for even one computer to connect. The phone line gets plugged into this modem. From the modem you use and ethernet cable and connect that to either a single computer or a router if you want more than one computer to access the internet. (I am not pos. on this but i believe with dsl, you can use a switch instead of a router, where as with cable internet, you must use a router.)

Your best bet is to get a wireless router. You would need to get a nic (network interface card) for the older computer, and a wireless card for the newer computer across the house in your room. I would not suggest connecting the older computer up through wireless, but rather a patch cable directly to the router, because of its age and slow speeds. The wireless might just bog it down even more.

As far was what nic to purchase, you could go the route of buying a super cheap card for $5 but since your system is older, it may not work as well. 3com makes good cards.

Im not sure what wireless cards to go with cause i have not really ever looked into them, but you can get, they almost look like a usb jump drive. You just plug it into your usb port and away you go.

 

[Law]

Just a suggestion, if you're going with a wireless router make sure you buy the same wireless card from the same manufacture. I could try to estimate how much it would cost for you. Lets see..

Wireless Router = about $40
Wireless card = I don't know..some where between $20
You'll need 2 patch cable. One for old computer and the other to connect the router to the modem (usually the wireless router provide this). Anyways patch cable are like $1 per feet something like that. Get them online with www.newegg.com or www.tigerdirect.com. It is usually cheaper.

 

[mikesgroovin]

I don't know very much about networking other then that it consists of two computers connected to the internet. So here are my questions:

I'm about to get DSL (1.5mb/s maybe). Both of the computers in my house are right next to a phone jack, but the house is about 18 years old and so I'm not sure if they're to old to be used for DSL. Would they need to be replaced and/or would any lines outside of my house need to be replaced?

One of the computers (about 6 or 7 years old) doesn't have a lan/ethernet jack in it, so I'll need to get a card for this one. What kind of card would you suggest? It already has a 56k card in it.

My options for hooking both of these computers to the internet are get one router (or modem, I'm kind of confused on the difference) and wire it to one of the computers, then get another really long wire to go all the way across the house to the other one. I don't feel like doing this.
I could get two routers and wire them both up that way. Could this be possible? I know it would be a bit expensive.
The last way is to buy a wireless router and hook that up to one computer and get a card to goto the other one, by a card I guess? How much would this cost and what would you suggest for it.

In any of these situations the older computer would end up being the one connected to directly up to the router, seeing how it's my dads and all. My computer, which sits in my room across the house, has a lan jack built into the motherboard.

So how could all of this be done? About how much would it cost? And what parts would you guys suggest for doing this?

Great feedback above....however, first I would make a simple 5 minute call to your service provider and find out if your dsl modem has internal routing capabilities. Better yet....post the make and model here. You make already have 1 part out of the way and just need a small switch.

 

[MrBlip]

Thank for the replies guys. I'll try that phone call soon.
I don't have any parts for this already.

Now as for the wireless hookup, does it go like this- from the phone jack to a modem, then to a wireless router to the computers? Can a cord also be plugged into the wireless router so I wont need two wireless recievers?

Also I've talked to my dad and we might hook up the router straight to mine instead of his. Would this be better?

And what would you guys suggest for a router and a card?

 

[Law]

1)It goes like this if you are using all wired connection, Phone jack to the DSL modem, then the DSL modem to the router, then both computer connect to the router by wired (straight-through cables or patch cable as they are commonly called). This setup I recommend, because it's very simple, you just plug it in and it'll work. These wired can reach up to 100m (about 328 feet) before it needs a repeater. They usually sell 10fts, 20, 25 and 50ft at the local stores.

2)Now if you are going to connect one of the computer to the other computer, you'll need a crossover cable and you'll need to configure ICS (internet connection sharing). I don't recommend this if your just getting started, it's much harder to do and you'll probably have some issue setting it up. This configuration is sort of like part 1 but instead of two computer connecting to the router, there is only one connected to the router, the other computer is connected to the computer that is connected to the router. IMO you don't need to do this if you have a router with several ports already, it's just messy.

If you are thinking about getting a wireless router, it's pretty much like part 1, but you'll need a wireless card for each computer that wants to connect to it wirelessly. Make sure you buy a wireless router with ports on them, just incase you want to use cable. Current wireless router do come with atleast 4 ports for up to 4 computers, plus a wireless connection you can share with both computer if you want. My suggest for the brand is Linksys or Netgear.