A hub or switch is a multi-port device which connects multiple hosts
together to form a network segment or subnet.  A router is a special kind of
host that acts as a (specific kind of) gateway between network segments.  A
dial-up connection is a special case of a "point-to-point" network segment.
  In the SOHO market, an "n-port router" (n is often 4) is a router with an
n-port switch built into the same package.

  Since a point-to-point network segment has only two hosts, it can only be
used to join networks together if both of those hosts are gateways.  These
could be suitably equipped routers; routers with a serial/modem port are
available although most common SOHO routers are not of this type.

  A host running ICS is another kind of gateway which could connect via a
NIC to a hub or switch for the LAN side, and to the Internet via a second
NIC or a dialup connection.

  SO:  A hub cannot, by itself, do this job since it is not a gateway.  A
router is a gateway, and if it has a dial-up connector then it can be used
to share that connection.

David Gillett


On 16 Feb 2005 at 1:49, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> I have a question concerning hubs/routers-can they be used to share a dialup
> connection?A coworker asked this and I'm unsure what to tell him (He doesn't
> want to get DSL,which is what is available in his home)
>
> Dan Zimmerman <[log in to unmask]>

            Do you want to signoff PCBUILD or just change to
                    Digest mode - visit our web site:
                   http://freepctech.com/pcbuild.shtml