[G4] Need Recommendations for Router, CD R/W Drive & Floppy Drive

[Steve O'Neill]

Sharon Confer wrote:

> Question #1: I have a G4 that I use all the time and a Toshiba laptop
> that I use once in a while.  When I want to get online with the PC, I
> have to unplug the DSL cable from my G4 and then plug the cable into the
> PC.  I want to switch from one computer to the other without having to
> unplug/plug-in the cable all the time.  From reading the messages on
> this list, I think I need a router to do what I want to do.  The only
> problem is that I don't know what I need in a router, and I don't know
> what brand is a good brand, so I need recommendations for routers, if
> possible.


The bottom line is: about any Compusa DSL router will do; it'll have 
more features than you need right now.  You should have been using a 
firewall; it'll have one also.  Get one with at least two LAN ports 
(Mac+Toshiba), most have four or five.  Look for web-based configuration 
(I think they all have that anyway), that'll be compatible with any 
browser therefore either computer.  Better make sure its LAN side is 
100baseT, because now you'll have a network, too, and that'll be handy. 
  The funny thing is, both the Mac and the PC will get to the internet 
just fine, but they won't talk to each other very well.

For example, I bought a NetGear for home and a LinkSys for work, both do 
web config.  But I bought the NetGear for home because this particular 
model had a web-surfing tracking function ("web-safe") that follows my 
teenager's tracks (he knows about it).

(Router terms: LAN = your internal network; WAN = the big wide world)