I had my 2 computers set up with a LAN and working fine. Now I have DSL and they are not connected. What I want to do is be able to share the DSL connection and be able to share printer, files etc. Each puter has a nic card, the DSL came with a Speed Stream Router. My DSL provider said all I need is a cat 5 cable hooked into both nic cards for it to work. Questions - is this correct? How do I connect to the nic cards? Do I have to configue the software again? Is there anything else I need to do or know about? Thanks in advance.

If the router has a built in hub, you can just run the cable from each computer to the router. Otherwise you will need a hub. 1. DSL to router WAN port. 2. Router LAN port to hub UPLINK port. 3. Computer nic to hub.

How can I tell if the router has a built in hub? Right now on the back it has the telephone line going in, then it has 4 places to plug into, under where it says ethernet. In the first space there is a cream colored cable that has E138922, then a little symbol, then AWM 2835, then 26 AUG and CSA LL8129 with a clear piece with a red stripe on it that encircles the cable just befoe it plugs into the router. In the second space, there is a blue cable with a red tip plugged in. There are 2 unused spaces. Sorry, I do not know the terminology for these things. I was reading some articles on the web about networking and they sounded like a foreign language to me. So if anyone can help, please use basic newbie language. :) Thanks again.

It looks like that router has the hub built in. If you have one computer connected to it (blue one), just connect the other computer cable next to it.

Further exploration shows that the blue cable is connected to the older computer (not the one connected to the DSL). The cream colored cable is connected to the new computer. So are you saying that I need to get another blue cable for the newer computer and connect into the hub? Is the blue cable the cat 5 cable? (I didn't set up the LAN originally, I had someone do it and he brought the cable.) If so, which space on the router would it go in - the 3rd or the 4th, or does it matter? And then where on the newer computer does it go? Thank you!! I might get this figured out yet. Also - about the cable: If I go to buy another blue one (I looked at them in the store earlier) which one should I get? There were several different ones, different lengths of course, also different colors and different thicknesses. There was a Belkin Cat 5E for ethernet. Would that be it? And does the thickness make a difference? And there was no one available in the store to ask :( Comp USA. Thanks again.

Yes, you need another blue (cat5) cable. Shouldn't matter if you plug into 3 or 4. The thickness is close to standard as long as it's cat5 you should be ok.

Thank you!!! Once I get the other cable and get it connected then I will deal with the configuration. Probably will be posting again :)