Nope, if you don't have a broadband connection (cable, DSL, etc.) you don't need a hardware router. They are made to route a static connection. The router cannot dialup into your ISP, or plug in to a phone line for that matter.
The best solution is to get a Mac with a modem setup running IPNetRouter. Connect all your Macs together with a Ethernet hub or switch. Then all you have to do is give all your Macs an IP address and when the main Macs is dialed up, everything will run. I don't know of any hardware solutions that will dialup and route a phone connection. IPNetRouter comes with excellent documentation on how do what I just described. > Do I need a router AND a switch to network my 4 machines and use a > dial-up internet connection? I know I need to learn quite a bit about > TCP/IP to utilize these things, but I can't figure out the hardware > situation. I downloaded IPNetRouter, but I would prefer a hardware > solution, seemingly more solid and viable, before I pay for the > software. And if I've already posted something of this sort to this > list, apologies. I've been posting this in varying forms to several > lists. Sam /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign \ / No HTML/RTF in email X No Word docs in email / \ Boycott AOL 6! -- MacNetwork is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... XRouter Pro | Share your DSL or cable modem between multiple computers! Dr. Bott | Only $199 <http://www.drbott.com/prod/MIH130.html> Now shipping! Farallon Wireless SkyLINE PCI Card for Mac Desktops! <http://www.farallon.com/le/skyline/pci/index.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> MacNetwork list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/macnet.html> 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/macnetwork%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
