[dockpipe]

The actual set up is this:
5 Cable boxes
and 5 mac g4's (one with os9)

what's the best router to go with that's compatible with macs (linksys won't support and netgear is kind of weird)

will the speed be affected?

it's basically one cable being split into 5 cable boxes, a cable modem, and then a 5 port router if there's such a thing.

so which are the best to go with... netgear or siemens?

please help... it would be greatly appreciated.

thank you.

dp.

[Langdon]

Originally posted by dockpipe:
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The number of cable boxes is meaningless. Only the number of cable modems matter. And it sounds like you have one.
So now you have to figure out the distance from where the cable modem is to where the other macs are. If you are willing to run ethernet cables in the house you can get any router and just split the connection from that router.

If you do not want to run ethernet cablse you can get a wireless router/basestation and put in airport cards in the G4s.

Your download speed is capped by your ISP so yes the more computers that are running at one time and using the internet will slow down your speed at any given computer. That will have nothing to do with your router. It is like the water main coming into your house: only so much water is coming in and if you turn on every faucet the amount coming out will be lower than if you had only one faucet on. If you are only using one or two computers at that moment then you prob will not notice a speed decrease.

As far as I know all popular brands of routers work with Macs. I hate Linksys but that is just my opinion. I would get a netgear router as I have never used a Siemens.

[dockpipe]

Originally posted by Langdon:


If you do not want to run ethernet cablse you can get a wireless router/basestation and put in airport cards in the G4s.

hmmm.... well, how is that done? you mean you can put airport cards in g4 towers as well as the laptops?
where do those go? the pci slots? or is it some sort of firewire or usb contraptionoid?

can you please explain to me how i'd go about doing this and if so would it be superior to a "wired" network?
thanks!

[ghporter]

I don't understand what you're looking for. If you have 5 cable modems, and 5 computers, you just plug one computer into each cable modem.

If you want 5 computers to share one connection through one cable modem, that's doable too-there are 8-port cable/DSL routers on the market. You could also get a very easily available (and pretty inexpensive) 4-port cable/DSL router and connect an inexpensive swtich to it to provide enough ethernet ports.

[Langdon]

How did you buy 5 G4 computers and not be aware that they are equipped with airport card slots? Why don't you tell us what computers you have. I saw no mention of laptops in your first post and that would be something to consider when making a network choice.


But yes all your computers can have airport put in.
In a G4 tower they look like this



In a G4 powerbook they look like this
http://www2a.biglobe.ne.jp/~takuya/images/air3.jpg

If you do not what to use airport cards you can go a third party wireless option. ONE model of Linksys 802.11g card (WAP54G) works in a G4 tower's PCI slot so long as you are running OS X.1 or newer. And some model wireless PC cards work in OS 9 or X.


But since you can do airport cards I would go that route instead. It will make the process easier. Read this as a primer. its a little old but the basics are there.
http://www.macintouch.com/airport.html

Wireless is not really superior to wired networks, they are just more convenient. So long as you are not transferring gigabytes of information from computer to computer on a daily basis I would go wireless. You do not need to buy an Airport basestation though, just get a wireless router and that will be more that adequate.