I have used both linksys an netgear routers for sharing both cable an dsl connections to the network, both come with 4 port switches built into them. Both come wireless also. I have installed 4 of the netgear wireless routers for friends an clients an they work with no trouble. they act as dhcp servers an give the computers the internal ip. Can not go wrong with either of these two. Prices run from $79 an up depending on where you get them. hth jack malone network admin horizon industries www.horizonind.com At 11:37 AM 3/14/2003 -0600, Marcia wrote:

Dear All,

I am about to purchase the necessary hardware for adding my husband's computer to my working 2 computer lan network. As of now I am using just a crossover cable to my laptop. That is all going to change soon once I add my husband's computer to my home network. I am going to get a hub or hub/router plus I will need cable wire. I will need probably at least 100 feet of cable. I understand that cat 5 is the kind to get, but should it be shielded or not? It will be going through my attic and down a wall maybe next to some other wires. I am guessing that shielded might be the best. Any advice about cables will be appreciated. Thank you.

Also, as I mentioned in another email, I am focusing very seriously upon the SMC Barricade and I would love all the suggestions I can get about them as well as what model would be the best for my needs. My setup is one Linux Suse8 desktop configured as my server with Samba and internet sharing that is connected with crossover cable to my laptop that has Windows 2000. This is finally working well for file sharing and internet sharing but still not working on the printing part of it.

I will be adding my husband's computer which is in another room to this. His computer is a much older Pentium II with a nic and Windows 95. He wants to be able to use the internet, share my printer, and play a chess game with his son. I know that I must change my system to go through a hub or hub/router. The SMC Barricade sounds great for price and capabilities.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much.

Marcia

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On Fri, 14 Mar 2003, Marcia wrote:

I am about to purchase the necessary hardware for adding my husband's computer to my working 2 computer lan network. As of now I am using just a crossover cable to my laptop. That is all going to change soon once I add my husband's computer to my home network. I am going to get a hub or hub/router plus I will need cable wire. I will need probably at least 100 feet of cable. I understand that cat 5 is the kind to get, but should it be shielded or not? It will be going through my attic and down a wall maybe next to some other wires. I am guessing that shielded might be the best. Any advice about cables will be appreciated. Thank you.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but unshielded twisted pair (UTP) is probably your best choice. Most of today's 10/100baseT equipment has been designed to work very well with UTP or shielded twisted pair (STP). I have read, though I can't remember where, that STP does not perform as well as UTP--having something to do with the frequency response characteristics over longer distances. In any case, here's quote I did find that should be fairly convincing: Special data grade UTP commonly is used in the LAN (Local Area Network) space to connect terminals to hubs, switches and routers. Over very short distances (usually 100 meters or so), if installed correctly, Cat 5 (Category 5) UTP performs beautifully at 100 MHz or more, supporting bit rates of 100 Mbps or so. [...] STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) and ScTP (Screened Twisted Pair) are sometimes used where issues of crosstalk and EMI are considerable. STP involves a metal foil, or shield, that surrounds each pair in a cable, sometimes with another shield surrounding all the pairs in a multi-pair cable. ScTP replaces this all-encompassing foil with a metal screen. The shields and screens serve to block ambient interference by absorbing it and conducting it to ground. That means that the foils and screens have to be spliced just as carefully as the conductors, and that the connection to ground has to be rock-solid. STP and ScTP are a lot more expensive, and a lot more troublesome to install. http://www.commweb.com/article/COM20020514S0004 I just installed a new cat 5e run at my church that uses nearly 290 feet of cable, including two patch panels. The link works perfectly. You should have no trouble with less than 100 feet you mentioned. Jim