so im buying a laptop and will our connection that we have now make it slow?

[mary]

ok so our computer now is an oldish dell. kinda slow and well...old. 2002.
anywho we are looking into getting a new laptop. and our old dell run on a att [bellsouth] DSL connection. ( i know. it takes me like an extra 3 minutes until im on yahoo answers when i log on...i have to connect which adds like a whole minute. and well anyway) so if we go a laptop, without having to buy another internet [is that how it works?] could we buy a router? and considering our connection on our old computer is slow....and the whole dang on computer is slow, does that mean if we hook up a laptop to the same connection that the laptop will be slow? or is that just the dell computer? cause i like how the fancy laptop run REALLY and have cool features. but this thought came to mind when i was looking at some today.

so ill reword my question. when you have a slow computer hooked up to a connection, will adding another computer also make the new computer slow? is it the connection thats slow do you think? or the computer because its just old? will one of those routers work? where i dont have to pay an extra 30$ every month but only 30$ for the thing for internet?

thank if anyone answers.


BellSouth | Bellsouth Customer Service | at&t repair | at&t billing | at&t  customer service | at&t  credit

[mjg]

an older computer could certainly limit your connection speed because its dependent on the computers hardware. your older computer will not affect  your new laptops speed at all. they are independent. if you add another computer to your network, you will be sharing the connection between the two computers. you will need a router to \"split\" your connection. this allows both computers to be on the internet at the same time. that will be around 30 bucks. you don\'t need to change or add to your current internet connection package. hopefully that helps!


BellSouth | Bellsouth Customer Service | at&t repair | at&t billing | at&t  customer service | at&t  credit

[Dimo_J]

Just get a wireless router (amazon has a lot of choices).  Connect the router between your modem and your desktop; modem to the WAN port, desktop to a LAN port.  Your Desktop should pull a DHCP address from the router and connect.  Log into the router\'s setup webpage (default gateway address in the router\'s book)

Since it is AT&T you will set the router up with your AT&T login and password (the one that you have to keep doing on the old computer.)   Tell it always on.

This will actually speed up your old desktop, as you will no longer need to do the AT&T logon thing.

New laptops all come with built in wireless.  Use the desktop to enable the wireless on the router and give it a security key.  Give it a cute name.... FBI Safe House, CatHouse, whatever....

Turn on your laptop, enable the wireless.  It will say, \"Hey, looky there, I see an access point.  You want maybe I should connect?\"  (or something like that.)  Tell it \"sure, why not!\"  There may be others around, make sure you pick yours (which is why the cute name.)  It\'ll say, \"Hey, the rats went and put a lock on that!  You have a key?\"  Tell it the key you put into the router.  From then on the laptop will remember the router and connect to the internet anytime it is within range of it.

Tell you what....  Since you are such good people I\'ll even toss in WiFi access at McDonalds, Starbucks, UPS, Barnes and Nobles, and a few other places.  Just use your laptop and when challenged log in with your AT&T username@bellsouth.net (or whatever it is) and your password and you can surf for Free!!

Once you got the Laptop running you\'ll really see what a dog the desktop is.   Fortunately it will not slow down the laptop in the least.


BellSouth | Bellsouth Customer Service | at&t repair | at&t billing | at&t  customer service | at&t  credit