On this page I will describe the 4 variants or options that one has when connecting a home or small office network to the Internet via an ADSL or Cable modem. Carefully read the pros and cons of each method and decide what's best for you.

In this page I will not go into PC configuration details.

Home Network Setup Option 1:
Everything hooked to a Hub or Switch

Pros

• Simple setup
• No server needed
• Configure each PC manually

Cons

• Maximum 4 PC's
• Fixed IP addresses for all 4 PC's
• Dial-in required per PC
• No Proxy
• Hub ports = the number of PC's + 1
• Only one PC at a time can be connected to the Internet

With this home network setup we connect all Ethernet cables (PC and ADSL) to a hub or switch. The hub or switch can be any model UTP based hub preferably with a uplink/MDI crossed connector. You will need the uplink connector t... Read more