Connecting to the Internet

Can I connect two computers to the Internet with one dial-up?

Well, the first thing you need is a network card in each computer. Next, you will need some type of hub; personally, I use a router. Now you just need to connect both your computers to your hub using Ethernet cables (I would suggest Cat 5e Ethernet cables). One of your computers needs to be configured with your dial-up Internet connection. Your choice should be based on which computer can be left on almost all the time because your Internet connection for the second computer will be based on the first computer connecting to the Internet and then sharing that connection. This is called Internet Connection Sharing, and every Microsoft Windows operating system since Windows 98 has this option. Each operating system has a different way to turn it on, but most of the time you need to be in your Network connections window to do it. I would suggest that you refer to the documentation for your specific operating system to configure Internet Connection Sharing. Now, your second computer can connect to the Internet through your first computer, and yes, both of the computers can surf the Internet at the same time. Some people will argue that you can connect the two computers using a network crossover cable and they would be right, but a hub is easy to use and provides for future additions to your computer network.