I have discussed previously in this book how IP addressing and DHCP servers operate. If you are interested in some of the technologies behind this, back up and have a read. For now, let’s just get down to business and get you sharing an internet connection.

The first thing you might need to do is configure your router. The good thing here is that many routers will automatically configure themselves to work with most cable services. More times than not, when I have set up a simple network, all of my computers can simply get online as soon as I plug them into the router. However, if you are using DSL or if your cable modem provider requires username/password authentication, you will need to perform a little router configuration. Also, if your ISP is providing you with a static (fixed) IP addresses, you will need to configure your router to use this.