Using router but keeping my LAN working

Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (More info?)

"Canus_Lupis" <old_fart@hotmail.com.au> wrote in
news:cnjic.7046$qq6.303@news-server.bigpond.net.au:

> I had cable broadband connected yesterday and I have a new router that
> I will use to share the connection with my 3 other computers. I do not
> need wireless as I can easily wire them all together.
> I have them already networked but to use the router I will use the "on
> board" network cards so I think I will have no problems there. I do
> still want the 4 computers networked and am unsure where to go from
> here.

> I think I would need 4 x PCI network cards to re connect my network so
> will I be able to run 2 network cards in each computer because as I
> see it, the router will use the on board cards and the network hub
> will use the PCI cards ?.

What kind of router do you have? If it's like most of the others on the
market, then most like it's a wired/wireless combination router with a
built in switch. A switch is a more powerful hub. The router may have a
four port switch and all four machines can be connected to it. Unless you
have more computers to connect to the router than there are ports to
connect to, then you can connect a hub to the uplink or a regular port
and increase how many computers can be control by the router by chaining
hubs together. The router can control 255 computers that way wired and
wireless together.

I think there is a limit as to how many wireless machines can be
controlled.

You can have wired and wireless cards in the machines. But it would be
best to disable one of the cards while using the other one by disabling
the card through the MS O/S for the NIC (Network Interface Card).

The hub may be out of the picture for now, unless you get a fifth
computer to be wired.

You better solution would be to leave one machine wired to the router (to
configure the router at all times because wireless can be touchy at
times) and make the rest wireless.

http://www.homenethelp.com/web/explain/about-NAT.asp
http://www.homenethelp.com/web/exp [...] itches.asp

Duane