How do I set up a Router/Netgear Powerline Ethernet Network?

[gabrielh]

I'm about to purchase a laptop and will be looking to set up a home network in order to use it with the internet I have set up with my desktop. I'm looking to do this via Netgear Powerline Ethernet. I'm completely new to this type of thing, so I'm hoping someone knowledgeable here could see if I'm on the right track.

I'm currently connected to the internet on a DSL connection. I have a DSL modem (Westell 6100 if that's relevant) with a phone cord for my internet access running to it from the wall, as well as an ethernet cable running from the modem to my computer. I'm under the understanding I must purchase a router. Is this correct?

If so, once I have the router and Netgear Powerline adapter set, should the setup go something like this?:

1. Turn off power to my DSL modem.

2. Remove the ethernet cable from the modem.

3. Plug the ethernet cable I removed from the modem into one of the ports on the router, leaving the other end in my computer.

4. Plug a second ethernet cable into my DSL modem and then into my router.

Would this sound like the proper way to set up a router?

Now for the Netgear itself:

1. Plug one of the adapters into the wall.

2. Connect an ethernet cable from the adapter to the router.

3. Plug in the second adapter into the wall in the room where my laptop is.

4. Connect another ethernet cable from the adapter to the laptop.

Does this make sense?

Any help or advice is appreciated. If you have any suggestions for a good, cheap router I'd be interested. Wired or wireless.

 

[Pattonias]

Are you only interested in setting up a ethernet network or would you like wireless access also?

If you are only interested in setting up a ethernet network, you could save some money by buying a small http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switch" and and using that for your network instead.

 

[Pattonias]

Also, if you do get a router, in order to avoid a conflict with your router and modem you may have to set the router to a static IP. I had a problem with this as my DSL "modem" would more accurately be described as a DSL ethernet router. The wireless router I attached the network had the same IP address as the modem so it wouldn't allow access to the internet for the computers attached wirelessly. Once I set the static IP, it allowed internet access since there was no longer a conflict. I think I also had to set it to "passthrough mode" or "bridge mode" as it was not connected directly to the internet.
The router was only allowing wireless access to the network. The DSL "modem" was handling the internet connection.

This is why I would suggest using a switch if you are going to only be using a ethernet network. A router connected to the DSL modem would not be performing its primary function.

 

[gabrielh]

Thanks, turns out a switch will work just fine for my needs. I appreciate the help.

 

[rcgldr]

Link below to article, compare option #1 (replace "hub" with "switch" to allow independent speeds on each ethernet cable), versus option #3 (router). In order to use a switch (or hub) with multiple computers, you have to order multiple ip service from your ISP. Each computer ends up getting its own external ip address with this setup.

For cable service, such as Cox Cable, you get semi-static ip's (they change once every 3 to 6 months), and there's a charge of $7 / month for each additional ip after the first. The cable modem supports 16 ip's, but last time I checked Cox limits this to 3 external ips (each ip can be a computer or a router connected to multiple computers). If you disconnect the cable from the cable modem before power up, then the cable modem will function as a local router, assigning local ip's to each computer (10.xx.xx.xx) creating a LAN. When the cable is connected at power up, each computer will get it's own external ip address assigned, so essentially you have a WAN on your ethernet network, and I'm not sure if home networking handles this well.

For ATT's Uverse DSL service, the default is one dynamic ip. To get multiple ip's you have to order 8 ip service, which has an overhead of 3 ip's so you end up with 5 ip's. I'm not sure if this setup faces the home networking over what is essentially a WAN that the cable setup does. I'm assuming you could disconnect the dsl modem from the phone line and it would act as LAN router, same as a cable modem, but I'm not sure. There is a significant price difference as shown here (the numbers are speed versus monthly rate, in US dollars):

speed    dynamic ip     8 static ip

 3 mbps          35              77 
 6 mbps          40              87
12 mbps          45              97
18 mbps          55             107
24 mbps          75             127

The alternative is to use option #3 with a router, which will create a LAN for all the computers connected to the router's "internal" ports. The routers "external" port is connected to the cable or dsl modem and it's ip will be assigned by the cable or dsl modem. The router will change the port information in the ethernet packets from each computer, and all computers will share the same external ip on the internet.

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/hmnetwk1.html