Home Networking A Computer And A PS2

Q: I have a PS2 and some of the games have online play. I read that I could just plug an Ethernet cable from my PS2 to my high speed modem, and voila! So I bought a 30 ft. Ethernet cable (cause my modem is in the next room from my PS2) and when I went to my modem (model # 60678EU, and it doesn’t have a brand name printed on it anywhere, got it from charter communications I think), the only port for an Ethernet cable is occupied by the Ethernet cable that is running to my other computer. To make this work, will I have to buy different stuff? Or can I get around what I’ve currently got?

A: There are actually 4 solutions you can use to solve this problem. One does not involve some new hardware where the other 3 do though. I will list them in the order of how easy they are.

The easiest and most annoying solution would be to not use the PS2 and the PC at the same time. Just unplug the PC and plug in the PS2 when you want to use it. This will probably require powering down the modem each time as well.

The most reasonable solution is to buy a switch/hub. We highly suggest a Linksys , D-Link, or NetGear. A switch/hub is a networking device that allows you to convert the one port on your modem to 4 or more ports. Most Cable and DSL modems have their own DHCP service in them, so if your modem is new this should work just fine for you. A DHCP service is a service that will give the devices you connect to the network an IP address, which allows them to talk to each other much like phone numbers.

I spent some time browsing the web looking for information on your particular modem, the Ambit 60678EU, and it does have a DHCP service built in that supports 32 computers. So this means you just need to buy a hub, bring it home, unplug everything, hook the Ethernet cable from your modem to your hub, and then connect your PC and your PS2 to the hub. Then you should be in business! I would suggest getting a switch/hub that has a cross over port because I have a feeling you would need it to connect to your modem.

I personally get confused about that all the time. In short if you plug your modem into your switch/hub and the computers do not get to the Internet then you will need a cross over cable. The easiest thing to do is just get a hub that has an optional cross over port. There is usually a button that handles this or in some cases it is just automatic.

The next option, if your modem did not support DHCP would be similar to the above except you would go out and get a router. The router does the DHCP for you and looks very similar to a switch/hub and can even be used as a switch/hub if you disable the router portion in the settings.

The setup would be similar in that you would hook the modem via the Ethernet cable to the routers WAN port. Then you would connect your PC and PS2 to the LAN ports and you would be ready to go.

The last option is for people who like to make things a little bit more difficult. It would also require you leave your PC on all the time when you want to use the PS2.

You would need to install an extra ‘network interface card’ (NIC) on your computer, if your computer already has an extra NIC (Ethernet port) then there is no need for this installation.

The Internet connection sharing is a fairly technical task and it needs conscientious efforts from your side to follow the steps mentioned below:

1. To perform sharing, first of all switch off all the attached hardware devices i.e. PS2, modem and computer,
2. In case you are operating with an external USB modem then assure that it is connected to your pc.
3. Now you need to join the PS2 Network adapter and the free Ethernet port on your computer with a ‘cross-over’ Ethernet cable.
4. Next join the spare computer Ethernet port and your broadband modem with the ’straight-through’ cable. Now switch on your modem and pc.

After making the above connections, Windows allow you to setup the required Internet sharing between your PS2 and pc and subsequently check out the connectivity of your pc. Now turn your PS2 on and breeze in the network access disc. Simply carry out the on-screen setup steps and enjoy the thrill of your PS2. Please note that for PS2 to be online, your pc should be on and connected to the web.