sharing an ADSL connection

I have a laptop (desknote actually) upstairs in my apartment, and my new flatmate wants to connect to Jetstream downstairs. What's my best, cheapest option? Wireless?

There is an unused phone line that we could both plug into if we could run ethernet through it - would that work? I'd still need a router though, my ADSL modem (DynaLinka RT220) only has one network port, and i'm using that. It does have a spare USB interface though... maybe I could run usb over that unused phone line...

either

a) get a hub for like... $50 and you're sorted or
b) get a wireless access point for bout $250

a pcmcia wireless card is $50 (infact you can buy bundles with the access point) and pci wireless card (for flatmate's computer) is about $50 too

make the flatmate buy the access point and card and you just buy a pcmcia one (if the laptop doenst have inbuilt wireless)

It's not really practical to run cables here, so it's either wireless or that phone cable. I don't think they'll want to pay $200 for an access point either... but i'll ask. I'm not paying for it though! Otherwise they'll end up using dial-up

usb through your phone line?? oooooooookaaaaaaay

Hey, a phone line is just wires... i'd make sure it's disconnected from the Telecom network, and use the cables to carry USB. I wonder if it's possible... actually I don't think there's enough conductors. Maybe i'd have more luck with ethernet over phone lines...

Although me playing with things like that is often a bad idea. I was changing the opamps in my headphone amplifier yesterday, put them in backwards and blew the damn opamps up! Luckily I had spares

You can get ethernet over mains power or you could buy a wireless accesspoint / adsl router.
Instead of just a normal rounter.

If youre not prepared to pay for an AP then you could just get the pci and pc cards and share the connection - of course this means you would have to have his comp on to access it.

For ethernet or usb you need 4 wires standard phone wires have 6 wires in them some have 8. If you are using 2 for the phone (most houses are wired with 2 wires instead of the old way which was 3) you *might* get away with it.

Save yourself the hassle tho and go with the wireless or just run a cable.

I'm basically looking for the cheapest way to do it. Running a cable isn't a good option, we'd have to drill, and I don't think the landlord would like it much. Wireless is probably the best option, but it'd cost $200 for an access point and 2*$60 for PC card network adaptors.

I don't think there's a cheap way to do it

btw we have two phone lines in the house, but only one of them is active. I'd use the inactive one for ethernet over phone lines... it's just a different type of connector really.

the house is wired with 2x 6 wire cables? (unlikely)

or you had 2 phones lines (2 wires per) over one 6 wire cable?

you need 4 wires minimum for ethernet

or you need to leave your flatmates comp on when you want to use the connection...

You're probably right, just one cable with 6 wires in it.

It's not really my problem, I have fast internet already, if they want it too it'll cost them $300 or so for a wireless access point and two WiFi cards. Maybe i'll look at trademe for second hand ones.

Hey how about bluetooth networking? 11mbps is fine, and the higher range bluetooth products should do it fine. The only thing that's annoying with that's the positioning of the USB ports on my laptop.

If it was straight through a wall it would be ok but you still have to have both computers on at the same time so youd be better off with adhoc wifi.

One thing to be aware of is,sharing bandwidth doesn't always work out fair.
I'm sharing my 128k with 2 other pc in the house, but if someone ( usually me is downloading something then, there is often no bandwidth left for anyone else.
I got an app called Net Limiter which is ok, but often doesn't seem to keep to the speed limit I set.
I usually do my downloading at nite when everyone is asleep.



Mains networking looks like a good idea to me, tho a tad expensive
http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.filereader?408b7ae103558ca6273fc0a87f99074a+EN/catalogs/CTG0001781

That mains networking is pretty expensive - I think a bluetooth network would be the cheapest way to do things. It means my PC has to be on, but it's on most of the time anyway. Otherwise a wireless access point.

The flatmate hasn't moved in yet, i'll tell her what the cost would be, she might just use a modem. She could always just bring her laptop upstairs and plug it into my ADSL modem if I wasn't using it anyway - and i'm wondering why I didn't think of that earlier!

BT can be a bit problematic. Id go with the ad hoc wifi unless you have thing walls/ floors and its going through at a near right angle.

There's one floor and maybe a wall in the way... would WiFi work through that? If it helps this place i'm living in was built a bit on the cheap, so they'd have put as little in the way as possible

dude RT220 is a good router, just buy a 4port hub for $50 plug that into the RT220. The buy a networking kit from DIckSmith(2 wall plates and about 20m of cat5 cable) for about $30 and just install it yourself
Find a stud, cut out some Gib, thread teh wire through, bang a wall plate on either side
Done

Unfortunately it's through a floor and about 7 meters away, so installing cabling would be quite difficult. I know it's a good router, I choose the damned thing!

Ah fuck it, if the flatmate wants internet access they can organise it themself.

haha now thats teh spirit
yea if you cant run wiring then wifi or bluetooth is the only way to go

why don't you just run a cable inside the house? does it have to look all fancy pants?

that would be the easiest. then they can just hook it up when they need to. doesn't look that ghetto with a cat5 running down the hall way.

It's a nice place, so it'd look terrible. It'd have to run down stairs, across a hallway, and across a room, so it's not an option.

hahaha cactus i have one of those, runs out my door through to the spare room, out the window and in through my step bro's window, a 25m cat5 cable
i really need to get one wired through to his room

dood I got you beat.... got 3 cat cables going from my computer room, 1 up the hallway to the lounge, 1 into the spare room & 1 into another bedroom,.. in hindsight I shoulda gone for a wireless set up.
also I got the phone ext lead going from my bedroom into the computer room.. I got them all strung up by the ceiling, so if ya don't look up everything is cool

just make sure your neighbours dont have any kind of WiFi PC Cards. Can you say free internet?

Do it properly attached to a wall, with those things u can stick to the wall, and then easily remove them.... ???
cant remember what they are called

probably a 50meter LAN cable

I bought one at Dick Smith so my sister could get Jet Stream as well in the other room and that was a 10 meter LAN cord

MGC did you read the thread?


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no then please dont comment till you have.

I'd look at wireless, means if you need to connect another comp you just need another card or USB adaptor. Real easy I've got an access point at home and it rules.

Check out Dick Smith, www.dse.co.nz under wireless (802.11b is cheapest) or also look up trademe.co.nz and look at wireless networking (there's some cheap stuff on here.

Good luck!

http://www.ascent.co.nz/mn-product-template.asp

soecifically:

laptop: http://www.ascent.co.nz/mn-product-spec.asp?pid=121367 $35(cheap and quite possibly nasty)


Desktop:
http://www.ascent.co.nz/mn-product-spec.asp?pid=121295 $65