At 02:33 AM 9/7/00 -0400, you wrote:
>My local computer store tells me that I can buy a coupler and add another
>crossover cable to it.  Will this work?

No, it will not work the way they have explained.  Do not use another
crossover cable from the coupler to the computer.  Use a regular
"straight-through" cable and it will work just fine.  If you use two
crossover cables on the same line you are really just making it a
straight-through cable again and it won't work from computer to computer
without a hub or switch.

>Has anyone had experience with connecting two of these cables
>together?  If I do this, will I have any networking problems or will I
>lose speed with my internet connection?

I have used a coupler between two computers and have never noticed a loss
of speed or reliability.  If conditions were ideal, however, I would
recommend using one solid cable.  You can buy 25', 50' and 100' CAT5 cable
at many stores already pre-made for you.

You may suffer a little on speed if you are running a 100Mbit network since
I have yet to find a CAT5 rated coupler.

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