> > I'm about to order RoadRunner service and I'd like to be able to >> connect 3 >> computers, located throughout my house, to the one cable modem. Is this >> possible? > >Yes. > >> If so, does anyone know where I might find instructions on the >> best way to do this? >> > >Go to their website, and scroll around their help section. In my setup, >the cable modem goes to a Soho hub, 3 computers are connected to the >hub. Three computers is the maximum allowed. >Patrick
This implies that 3 is the limit of the number of computers you can have share a cable modem, and I don't think that was Patrick's intention -- because it is wrong. If you get a good router (say, a Macsense pro 130), you'll get a device which can do NAT (network address translation). One special port plugs into the cable modem (WAN port), and the other ports can either go directly to 10baseT ports on your macs, or to network extending devices (hubs, swtiches, etc). So technically, you can have up to 253 devices (computers, printers, etc) on one LAN in your home. These can be macs, pcs, unix boxes or a mixture -- all work well. The router named above also has a built-in firewall so you can protect yourself from unwanted intrusions -- which happen with unprotected systems, particularly of the Windows flavor. Airport devices give you the flexibility of not running cables through your house -- but they are susceptible to radio interference so it may or may not work well in your environment. We use RR with nine computers (7 macs, a win98 laptop and a sun solaris workstation) in our house, along with 3 printers -- it works just fine. RR goes down about 12 hours out of every month. That may seem like a lot, but it used to be much worse so I think RR is going in the right direction in terms of service. And usually, this is late at night so I suspect they at least try to do their maintenance in the off hours. We do this professionally, so if you get stumped, contact me privately and I can help. paul -- ---- Paul Vail [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- http://www.afterhoursconsulting.org/ After Hours Consulting: Macintosh Service, Support & Web Hosting: wouldn't it be great if Apple offered a rebate program: bring in an original Windows install CD for $100 bucks off a new Mac and a free copy of "Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook" (oreilly.com)? -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | PowerON Computer Services <http://www.poweron.com> REPLACEMENT PARTS in STOCK Drives, CD-ROMs, RAM, Mac OS SW, Power Supply <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
