How Do I Share An Internet Connection?

How Do I Share An Internet Connection?So you finally got a high speed Internet connection and you can let that old modem gather dust. But you've got more than one computer, so how do you hook things up so that all of them can share the same connection?
There are two basic ways to share an Internet connection:
• Use the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature that is part of Windows XP. • Use a router (gateway) between your computers and the cable or DSL modem.
Expert Zone columnist Sharon Crawford does an excellent job of describing how to use Internet Connection Sharing in her earlier column, Internet Connection Sharing. I'll describe how to add a router to your network.
Routers, often called gateways, are a way to both isolate and connect one segment of your network from another. In the home environment, they provide a way to separate your home network from the Internet, while at the same time providing a connection point. To your cable company or DSL provider, they make your internal network appear to be a single device, so you don't need to pay extra for additional computers connected to them. Figure 1 shows what your network might look like with a router installed and a couple of computers networked.