We have 4 computers, all within 16 feet of each other. We would like to connect them together. We are on dialup. Two are XP and two are Vista.
My knee-jerk reaction was to tell you no, that there was no easy way to configure a network using a dial up connection, but then I dug a little deeper and came up with a couple of possibilities that might work for you. While your computers are fairly close, hubs and Ethernet cables are a pain. Despite the proximity, you may be better off with a wireless rather than wired network.
Dial Up Router
Most manufacturers (in fact all, I think these days) don’t make a dial up router, and those that did, made them primarily as a back-up in case their primary connection went down temporarily. I did find one wireless access point for dialup called the WiFlyer. In its day (about five years ago), it was the most expensive, but the most reliable, option. The manufacturer isn’t making new models anymore, but you can pick them up from other sources. As I write this, there was one on sale through eBay for $110.
Ad Hoc Networking
You can also use something called ad hoc networking in which one main computer is connected to the Internet through a modem, and the other computers basically “feed” off of that computer, much like walkie-talkies communicate. There is a Microsoft article from 2006 that details how to do this. In this setup, the computer that is connected directly to the Internet must always be on in order for the other computers to connect. If that machine goes down, none of the other users can access the Internet.
Wireless Setup
The down side of either method is that a dial-up connection is slow as molasses on a good day - having more than one computer sharing a dial up connection will slow that speed down to molasses in the Antarctic. If at all possible, I’d recommend that you get either a DSL or cable Internet connection so that you can set up a true wireless network. In this day and age, the best way to go is to use a wireless network to connect all four computers to one router which will then connect to the Internet. While it sounds daunting, it is actually one of the simpler things to set up once you have all of the right equipment. Let’s do a little Networking 101 so you can better understand the process.
The Internet connection comes into the house over the telephone line or cable. In a wireless setup, it will then run to a modem which converts the digital signal back and forth from the cable or phone line to the computer. The wireless router will then plug into the modem and send signals to the desktops and/or laptops (most routers come with a maximum of four - if you need more than four, you can get a network hub which will let you add more machines rather than get a second router) so they can work wirelessly. Most newer machines come with wireless capabilities built-in - older models can use a wireless adapter.
In short, yes it is possible to share Internet connections over a dial-up network, but it won’t be easy or convenient to use. I realize that in some locations there is no choice, and you must use dial up, but if you do have a choice, using DSL or cable and a wireless network will make your Internet life much easier.
