Connecting More Than One Computer to Road Runner with a Minihub
Note: This is an UNSUPPORTED configuration! Neither Road Runner nor USM can assist with the setup or troubleshooting of a home network. We provide the following only as a helpful tool for the do-it-yourselfer. With that said, it's not very difficult, so read on….
The standard Road Runner configuration connects your PC with a cable modem via a Category 5 (Cat-5) Ethernet cable. To allow more than one computer to use your Road Runner connection, you must use a device called a "minihub." The minihub serves to make the Road Runner signal available to all of your PC's. You may attach as many PC's as your minihub will accomodate—minihubs typically come in 4, 8, and 12-port flavors—but Road Runner will only allow service to four active PC's at any one time.
To set up your home network, refer to the diagram below. Not all minihubs are alike…so you may also need to refer to the documentation that came with your minihub if you have any questions.
A few notes on uplinks:
- The "uplink" is the primary signal into the minihub from your cable modem. This is the connection that is being made available to all of the attached PC's.
- Some minihubs have a port designated "uplink." If such a port is present, connect it directly to your cable modem using a standard Ethernet cable. If your minihub also has a switch with an "uplink" setting, set the switch for uplink.
- Some minihubs have a port designated "uplink" as well as an adjacent port, and these two ports are connected (marked) with a line labeled "OR." This means that you may use the uplink port to connect to your cable modem, or you may use the adjacent port to connect to a PC, but you may not use both ports simultaneously. (This is the setup of the diagram below.)
- Still other hubs have no port designated as an uplink. In this case, any of the available ports may be used, but the port you use as an uplink needs to be connected to your cable modem with a "crossover" Ethernet cable. Such hubs are less common today.
Diagram of a typical home network
10/23/2000 Andy Smith-Petersen
