OK Computer people, how do I do this?

[mom-from-missouri]

I just called our phone/internet company.

Were I live, this is the only phone company. I have no choice.

I also have little choice on my internet. There is no wireless offered in my area. I tried the satalite, but they wanted over $300 to connect it, and around $124 a month in my area. I live too far out to have DSL. It is either dial up or nothing.

So, we have dialup for $9.95 to $14 (after tax) a month.

I want to be able to connect and use more than one computer at a time. We homeschool and it would help. For example the girls are taking a free online typing class. It ties up the computer for 3 hours a day.

Today the phone company told me I can buy an "external dial up modem" and connect it to "a switch" and then connect in as many computers as I want to the switch and it would allow 2 or 3 girls to be on line at a time without raising my monthly bill.

Any comments or suggestions?? The phone company does not sell these modems or switches, so he told me to get one off the internet or at an electronics store.

Any recommendations? HELP.

[sweeps]

Hardware solution

Software solution

[Russell]

Yep, Sweep's Software solution link will allow you to share an internet connection from within Windows XP so no need to buy anything external. However, a modem is slow as is so don't expect multiple people to surf the web simultaneously.

Do you not have cable TV in the area, because you can get Internet access through cable as well.

[kebark]

3 folks on dial up is gonna be a nightmare, perhaps see if the typing people can send you the stuff on a cd?

[Broken Arrow]

Sweeps nailed it, short and sweet.

Software solution is kind of limited to how many additional ethernet cards have you installed in order to channel the bandwidth back out to other computers. But at least it's "free" with no additional hardware except a network cable.... Basically, this is not the best way to go....

Otherwise, you'll need to pay money for at least some kind router, and wireless may be ideal.

Like the others have said though, it's one thing to get your computers networked, but it's another to have multiple computers try to access the net simultaneously. The speed may be so painfully slow that it you might be think something broke....