Tuned MP5 said:
Right now I have a cable connection to my PC. Once I get a Mac, I was thinking of splitting the cable connection. From the cable modem via router with one Ethernet connection to the PC and one to the Mac. Is this possible?
Does that sound clear?
A couple of notes that may be important:
1) Do make sure you get a router (most of the consumer-level ones will be 4-port) and not simply a hub.
Why? Your ISP probably only gives you 1 IP address (either through DHCP or static) and so you couldn't get an IP address for both computers. Of course, many ISPs will gladly charge you through the nose for the extra address.
2) When configuring your hub, you may have to do one of two things to make it appear to be your PC that was originally connected to your cable modem. This would be MAC (not to be confused with Mac) address cloning or client name.
Why? Sometimes when setting up clients on broadband, the PC will be given a client ID that is used to verify access to the ISP's router. If you throw your own router between your PC and your ISP, your ISP may think there is something wrong and not give you an IP address. This may also be done via MAC address, which is a unique ID for your computer's NIC (network interface card). Most routers can do both of these with no problem.
You may not have to do either of these, but if you install the router and don't get an address, then check these two things first.
Some routers to consider would be those from
Linksys,
D-Link, and
Netgear .