hooking up 6 pcs to a broadband connection

[John Finn]

hey guys,

im thinking of opening a internet cafe where i live locally but im not much of a techno computer head, so can anyone tell me whats the best way of wiring 6 pcs to a broadband connection?


john


www.myspace.com/firegardenmusic

[JESTER700]

Well, the SIMPLEST way is just using an 8 port ethernet switch - about $20.

You could offer wireless as well, but then you lose some control over your connection.

[shredmaster]

yeah, get a linksys hub. you can also get them with wireless built - in. get the G version, not the B.....cuz G is faster. then pick yourself up some wireless cards. you will not lose control over your connection if you set it up with mac address filtering. this is all done in Internet Explorer via the hub's ip address. it's all in the directions. if you need help with it, ask. i have my network hidden from the outside world, so i'm not broadcasting and no one gets a free ride. firewall is on, high encryptian with password protection AND i only allow 3 ip's to be given out at any time. that is 2 for my workstations and 1 for my wife's wireless card i installed.

so you need to enter each wireless card's mac address in the mac address pool. if someone tries to connect to your network they won't be able to unless their mac address is listed / entered in the sytem by you. and if it is...they still need to know the password.

no one will be able to access your network without that authorization. you could give them the wireless card with a $40 depost which they will get back when they return the card. that is what i would do.

good luck.

[JESTER700]

True. If you set wireless up right, you should be fine. It can still be hacked, but it's rare - it's a lot of hassle and unless you're a bank or something...

I had trouble getting a couple of cards to see the network without SSID broadcast; not sure what I did wrong. But with MAC filtering and the fact that I live in the boonies, no worries.

I'm sure shred meant a SWITCH instead of a HUB. For internet only use, no big deal, but if you ever want to use the network to share files - the switch is faster. All-in-one wireless jobs with 3 or 4 ports are generally switches.

[jemsite]

sharing is easy. if it's a small building any non-commercial wifi access point can be usable and provide coverage.

your biggest obstacle will be hassle-free sharing (wirelessly i'd presume - around here wi-fi is everywhere) that ALSO automates logoff-times and restricts free access of your network.

ideally you'd have the person when connected automate to a homepage that lets them "login" (you'd give them a login when they pay) which has a script that automates/approves them and tracks the time or time remaining.

you should search around computer network sites for more info and you need to choose a business model (pay per minute/hour/2 hours, etc.). Good luck... glen