How to connect two computers to a broadband modem

By Mitz
Free computer Education

If you have a broadband modem or one that is supplied from your internet service provider you can most probably have two computers connected to it without needing a router. If you look at the picture of my modem below, it has a USB (blue) and a ETHERNET (yellow) port.

My service provider, Telstra Australia, supplied this modem to me. It came with an installation disc, which you should use to connect to the modem through the USB.

Now if you do not have a router, but have a similar modem, you can connect two computers off the one broadband modem and thus both accessing the internet.

One can connect through the USB port and the other through the Ethernet.

A USB cable and and Ethernet cable come with the modem, however to connect the second computer you may need to buy a longer Ethernet cable. Get a blue cable.. NOT yellow or red. The blue one is a CROSSOVER cable, the others will be PATCH cables. They have the same connections on them but do entirely different jobs. (this colour coding applies in Australia, I don’t know about other countries.)

To connect a computer to a broadband modem through USB, it is recommended that you use the installation cd. It will ask you to choose how you want to connect and you select USB. Make sure you know your user name and password for your internet service provider.

To connect the second computer to the same modem but through the Ethernet, just plug it in…It usually works straight away. If it does not, use the installation cd, but choose to connect with Ethernet.

Notes:

• If you do not have an installation cd, phone your internet service provider and they will send one to you.
• If you run into any problems, phone your internet service provider and they will help. You are allowed to have more than one computer connected to the internet.