DIY ISP

by MICHAEL CITROME

Student living arrangements are all about sharing-the rent, a bathroom, the electricity bill. The economic reason for splitting Internet access is clear. Rather than spending $35 or more per month each for an Internet connection, everyone can have high-speed Internet on their own computer. There are no rules against it, and a little bit of equipment from your local computer store is all you need to get up and running.

The first thing you’ll need is an account with a high-speed Internet Service Provider. Vidéotron and Bell Sympatico are the most popular. To use Sympatico all you need is a phone line, but Vidéotron requires a Cable TV connection that they’ll install for free. Once you have your modem and account, it’s time to get everyone in the apartment hooked up.

Next, you’ll have to choose between wired or wireless. Wired networking is cheap, but you’ll have to snake cable throughout your quarters. Wireless is more expensive, but convenient if you use a laptop or don’t want to deal with wires. Both wired and wireless networking use a device called a Cable/DSL Router or Internet Gateway, which is like a cable splitter for computers. The Gateway plugs into the modem and into all of the computers on your network. It works by itself, so it doesn’t need to be in the same room as any of the computers. Best of all, a Gateway pays for itself in less than a year on the money you save by splitting.

Wired Gateways start out at about $128 for basic models from D-Link and Linksys, which are some of the best. You’ll also need LAN cables to connect your computers to the Gateway, which computer stores stock in various lengths. But make sure all of your computers have Ethernet ports. Most Windows PCs and all Macintosh computers manufactured after 1997 are equipped. To get on the Internet just connect the LAN cable from a port on the Gateway to your computer’s Ethernet port and follow the setup instructions.

Wireless works the same way as wired networks, except you’ll need to equip yourself with a wireless Gateway and access points. Wireless Gateways start at about $299, and access points, which connect individual computers to the network, sell for about $115. You can get access points as PC cards for laptops or as USB devices for just about any computer. No matter which brand of Gateway or access point you buy, all wireless equipment use the same standard, called 802.11b, also known as Airport on Macintosh machines. Many new computers come bundled with wireless access points, or have them available as an inexpensive option, so check with your retailer.

Some Gateways also come with a handy feature called a print server, which lets the gateway itself control a printer, which is then available to everyone on the network. Since your printer can now be kept in the living room, no roommate will be knocking at your door at 5 a.m. frantically trying to print their paper-unless they’re out of paper.

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Digital on the cheap : How to get a computer into your life without losing your shirt

DIY ISP : Save money by sharing your Internet

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