I've got a cable broadband connection at my apt, but I'll be moving into a house with my girlfriend and her two teenage daughters (Yikes!) in a few months. Their local cable outlet has yet to wire their town for digital cable/braodband, so I'm left with DSL as my only broadband option (the house is less than a mile from the CO, so it's not too bad). There will be three computers connecting (the two kid's and my current rig). Two of them have Ethernet ports built in, one does not. All three computers have access to a phone line. The questions:
1. Is it possible to set up each computer with its own DSL modem and have all three using the connection at the same time, or does a multiple computer connection *have* to use a network/sharing solution? I'd rather hook each up directly rather than deal with the security/setup hassles of a wireless network.
2. If having each computer connected directly is possible, is there an advantage to using this solution vs. the network/sharing setup? If there is a significant performance boost by sharing the connection vs. direct, it might be worth the hassle of networking.
3. In looking into hardware, I've seen a lot of "wireless router/DSL" items. Are these routers with a built-in DSL modem, or do you need a separate modem to hook into the router unless the hardware specifically indicates that it is a modem/router?
4. Currently Verizon offers 3MB/sec and 1.5MB/sec DSL options. Would they require specific DSL modem specs to use the full speed? Are there older DSL modems that would be incapable of providing a full speed connection?
5. Anyone have any idea what kind of RL performance I will see on a 3MB DSL line 5000 feet from the CO? I set up a DSL connection (single computer solution) for my uncle, who is about 10000 feet from the same CO, and benchmarked it against his dial up AOL connection. Speed rating went from 4K to 24K. The same benchmark on my cable connection reads 2000K, so I'm a little concerned that I'll be taking a huge performance hit vs. what I'm used to with OptimumOnline.
Any tips/suggestions would be welcome!
1. Is it possible to set up each computer with its own DSL modem and have all three using the connection at the same time, or does a multiple computer connection *have* to use a network/sharing solution? I'd rather hook each up directly rather than deal with the security/setup hassles of a wireless network.
2. If having each computer connected directly is possible, is there an advantage to using this solution vs. the network/sharing setup? If there is a significant performance boost by sharing the connection vs. direct, it might be worth the hassle of networking.
3. In looking into hardware, I've seen a lot of "wireless router/DSL" items. Are these routers with a built-in DSL modem, or do you need a separate modem to hook into the router unless the hardware specifically indicates that it is a modem/router?
4. Currently Verizon offers 3MB/sec and 1.5MB/sec DSL options. Would they require specific DSL modem specs to use the full speed? Are there older DSL modems that would be incapable of providing a full speed connection?
5. Anyone have any idea what kind of RL performance I will see on a 3MB DSL line 5000 feet from the CO? I set up a DSL connection (single computer solution) for my uncle, who is about 10000 feet from the same CO, and benchmarked it against his dial up AOL connection. Speed rating went from 4K to 24K. The same benchmark on my cable connection reads 2000K, so I'm a little concerned that I'll be taking a huge performance hit vs. what I'm used to with OptimumOnline.
Any tips/suggestions would be welcome!