Q: How many computers you can hook to a DSL or cable connection and still maintain a fairly good speed?
Best Answer: You can connect as many computers as you want.
The "box" you refer to is the high-speed modem. That's the device that is directly connected to your ISP, and is the ONLY device directly connected.
This modem is called your "gateway" to the internet.
When you connect a single computer to the internet, you use an ethernet cable to connect your computer to the modem, which has a single ethernet port.
However, if you have more than one computer, you can plug what's called a "hub" to the modem instead, and then plug your computers into the hub.
Most hubs have 4 ports, but you can get them with 6 or 10, and even more if you look around.
If you have more computers than you have ports, you can plug another hub into the first hub. This is called "daisy chaining".
Suppose you had 5 computers. and let's also suppose you happen to have two 4-port hubs.
You would plug a hub into the gateway. This gives you 4 ports to the connection.
Now you would plug 3 computers into the hub.
In the 4th port, you would plug another hub.
Now you can connect the other 2 computers to this second hub.
If you get more computers, this process can be repeated.
This is the simplest workable method.
There CAN be problems if all the computers are being used at the same time using this method. These particular problems can be solved using a router, but that gets a little more complex.
I've connected 3 computers at a time using a single 4-port hub with no problems.
Re:Thanks everyone for the help
Re:Reasonable is a relative term. Assume the max number of users are all downloading MP's off WinMX, divide your real world bandwidth by your user account and you decide if that is reasonable right? A single 1.5 Mb aDSL connection should yield roughly 150+ KB/s downstream, plus or minus 20K depending on your provider and distance to the CO, divide that by your user count, assuming your close enough to the CO to actually get the full pipe. Conservatively you'd still be getting 20+K per user even with 7 users online at once. Still a heck of alot better than a single user dialup account.
Re:The users are going to be your average college student. I'm sure there will be music downloading and alot of surfing but other than that I can't see anything else be done on a regular basis.
So a DSL should be able to handle 6-10 computers that are surfing the web and downloading music on a regular basis and be able to maintain a reasonable speed?
Re:If you'll only have 3-4 computers on the network you'll be fine doing almost anything.
Re:depends entirely on what your doing with the systems… I mean if every system is just average office users, then 500 or more is very reasonable… but if all the machines hanging off of it are web servers with 50000+ hits per hour, then dont count on running too many of them
prety much you have to profile the speed needed with how many users and how much of the bandwidth you expect the users to use.
Re:Well my dialup provides me with 50Kb/sec. Bandwidth. My Cable provides me with 3Mb/sec.
So, in theory I can have 60 people provided with the intensity of dialup on my Cable.
Of course in reality is will not be close to this number. However I tried 10 computers simulating regular surfing, and it was very good.
Re:A little bit of everything. Probably not much gaming.
I am a college student and some friends and I live in a bottom of a house. We have four computers and we thought we could cut some cost if we shared a DSL connection with the apartment upstairs. I am not fur sure how many computers they have but probably not more than 3-4. But I want to make sure that we all of a fairly fast connection.
Re:what would the computers be doing? browsing the web? downloading music? gaming?
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