Member Avatar for clifford2031

Hi There,I am such a Novice it has taken me almost an Hour to find how to Post a New Thread.I want to connect 2 pcs to the Internet.
I dont understand most of the Technical Jargon.As Simple as Poss.Please.I have 1 Pc Connected Through Linksys Router:BEFSR41.
4 Ethernet Ports.I have also an Internet Phone on Port No.2.That leaves 2 Free Ports.Virgin Internet Broadband Modem.I have seen something about reconfiguring the router-far too technical for me.
Is there any other way to connect the Second PC?It took me ages to get the Internet Phone Working and I Fear that if I start Interfering with the Router I may lose the Phone.Pc 1:XP.Pc2 98.I really want to know if I can connect the Second PC Independently of the Router.I did try and connect Pc 2 to Router-Page Unavailable.I hope that I have given enough Info.Thank you in Advance-Any help would be Much Appreciated.Cph.(Irish).???
Wired Connections-Both in the Same Room.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 126 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by zeroth

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer: the usual, safest approach is to attach the second PC to an unused LAN jack on the existing home router and let the router handle the network settings. correctly raised the modem/public‑IP question, and 's point about looking at the router admin page and the DHCP client list is useful for verification. Leaving the internet phone plugged into its current port should not be affected by adding a device to another free LAN port.

A short troubleshooting checklist that covers the common failure modes:

  • Confirm the Ethernet cable and port are working by checking the link/activity LEDs on both the router and the PC NIC.
  • On the Windows XP machine use ipconfig /all (on older Windows use winipcfg) to confirm an IP/gateway were assigned. An automatic/temporary address shows the PC did not get a lease.
  • Swap the cable to a different free LAN jack and reboot the PC; sometimes a single port or cable is bad.
  • If the PC never receives an IP, reinstall or update the NIC driver and make sure TCP/IP is installed.

If bypassing the router is required, direct connection to the modem only works when the ISP supplies more than one public IP (or the modem/router supports multiple hosts); otherwise the router’s network address translation is what allows many devices on one line. An alternative when an extra public IP is not available is to enable Internet Connection Sharing on the XP machine and connect the older PC through it, bearing in mind the XP box must remain powered on to provide access.

Practical cautions: avoid changing router settings unless a backup of the configuration has been made; a simple change can disrupt the phone or Internet. For persistent problems, collect the PC network settings (IP, subnet mask, gateway, DNS) and the router’s DHCP client list before making changes — that information makes diagnosis straightforward.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for GrimJack

What is the type of internet connection?
What is the model of the modem (is it a modem/router with more than one port)?
What will you be using to connect the pc?

What form of internet connection do you have? If it is DSL and your internet modem has 2 connections then you can plug the 2nd pc into it but you will need to get a 2nd IP address from your ISP. If you use the router then you should let the router handle LAN addressing so set the pc to DHCP.

Member Avatar for clifford2031

What is the type of internet connection?
What is the model of the modem (is it a modem/router with more than one port)?
What will you be using to connect the pc?

What form of internet connection do you have? If it is DSL and your internet modem has 2 connections then you can plug the 2nd pc into it but you will need to get a 2nd IP address from your ISP. If you use the router then you should let the router handle LAN addressing so set the pc to DHCP.

Internet Conn. is DSL-Single Port Modem -Ethernet-Model No:E08C013.00 I wish to Connect with Ethernet-My other Pc is Ethernet Connected-As I asked Previously can I Connect without using The Router.I am A Learner so Please Bear with me.Thank You CPH.

Member Avatar for zeroth

CPH, to handle this yourself, you are probably going to have to go into the router's command page...it's not that hard to do, so:

Question: Did you set up the router and if not, who did?

You should be able to connect the second PC into a port in the router and it should work. On the router, which port is your ethernet cable from the modem connected to? If it says internet or WAN then that's correct and the other 4 ports are equal...ie. it doesn't matter which one you plug what into.

If you want to look at the router, bring up your browser and enter http//

That's the default address of any router...unless someone has changed it, you will then be asked for a user/password. The default is admin/admin.

Have a look, just don't update anything unless you're sure. You can see the IP addresses of anything assigned a dhcp address (for example) under the Status page/Local Network/DHCP Clients Table

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.