Member Avatar for tropicalkisses0

Hi,
I'm a student who likes to tinker with my computer. I'm at a different location that has DSL on a desktop computer. I'd like to use it on my laptop. Would an LAN card do this? How do I go about installing it or whatever I need to do?

I was thinking that I get the card, plug it in to my USB or something like that and I'm not sure where the other end goes and then plug the phone line in as normal? Or do I need a router? We already have one hooked up.. Can you tell I'm confused? :rolleyes:

Thanks!!,
Megan

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Member Avatar for nizzy1115

If you want to have both computers hooked up at the same time then you need a router. Otherwise you can just unplug the ethernet cable out of the desktop computer and put it into your laptop (providing you have an ethernet port in your laptop.)

Member Avatar for tropicalkisses0

If you want to have both computers hooked up at the same time then you need a router. Otherwise you can just unplug the ethernet cable out of the desktop computer and put it into your laptop (providing you have an ethernet port in your laptop.)

Okay, so if I got a router, saying that the other router is hooked up and has a ethernet cable plugged into the desktop & the phone, how do I hook up a new router to the laptop? Would I need another ethernet cable or would it just pick up a signal automatically? I want the easiest thing LOL! :)

Member Avatar for nizzy1115

Ok, first things first, there are several different kinds of routers. But, for your dsl setup, most companies give you what is called a dsl modem. This basic setup would look something like this:

You phone jack in the wall has a phone cable running to the dsl modem. Out of the modem comes an ethernet cable. You probably have that ethernet cable plugged into your main computer.

If you want to share internet between more than one user, you will need to purchase a router. Now there are wired and wireless routers. Wired routers only work if there is a cable attached to it and all of the computers. However, a wireless router can send a signal to your laptop, and if your laptop has a wireless card in it already, it will be able to pick up the signal.

If you decide to purchase a router, lets say a wired router for simplicities sake, you your setup would look something like this:

Phone jack in the wall has a phone cable attached to it connecting to the dsl modem. Out of the dsl modem comes an ethernet cable which attaches to the uplink port of the router. Out of the router comes two ethernet cables, one for the existing computer, and one for your laptop to plug into (providing you have an ethernet port on your laptop). Now, you will need to configure your router per specification of your dsl provider, (they are all a little different), so you may have to contact them for this. The same basic steps would be followed if you purchased a wireless router for the setup, exept there would be a few additional steps required to connect to it on your laptop.

Member Avatar for tropicalkisses0

Alright, thanks. I guess it would be too much trouble to purchase a wireless router and card, say off ebay or such. I'm not too sure how to do that. I was just wanting something that would pick up a signal from another room in the house to my laptop from the desktop. =(
Thanks for your help!!

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