sharing Internet via "splitter" coming out of Westell 6100?

[dauntlessrv]

This is a very simple question: My girlfriend's ancient IBM Thinkpad will not make a wireless connection and needs to be plugged directly into the Westell 6100 Modem to get Internet. I have a laptop that will get wireless signal. Routers used to have a combination of plug-in spots on them plus put out a wireless signal. But when I went to Costco the other day and looked, it seems like today's routers no longer have the plug-in sockets and are purely wireless.

As a simple solution, is there some kind of a splitter I can use to split the signal coming out of the Westell 6100 and we would both simply plug in when we are home in my tiny apartment?

Thanks for putting up with my simple little question.

Best, Dauntless.

[dslr595148]

Ok.

#1 On the computer that can access the net using wireless:

a) Go to https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

b) Below the text that says The text below might uniquely identify you on the Internet is an IP Address.

c) For security/privacy reasons, do not tell us what it is.

d) Record what it is.

#2 On the other computer when you can access the net, do the same thing.

#3 Both computers are coming from the same public IP?

#4 On the computer that can access the net using wireless, check the Default Gateway on it.

For example, if on Windows XP

a) Go to Start -> Run.

b) Type in cmd and press enter.

c) In the new window, called the command prompt, type in ipconfig /all and press enter.

#5 On the other computer when you can access the net, do the same thing.

#6 Only if both computers are coming from the same public IP, both computers have the same Default Gateway?

#7 If both computers are coming from the same public IP and do not have the same Default Gateway, please report back that fact.

[smith6612]

Just about every router I've seen today comes with Ethernet ports built-in. What you might have seen were Access Points, and I find those far and few on shelves today. Anyways, any cheap wireless router you get should have Ethernet as it's a given these days, so you should be able to pick one up, plug it in and it will run. Ideally, bridging the DSL modem is suggested and is a little more complex than simply plugging it in and securing the wireless, but tends to give less problems down the road. If you don't wish to have Wireless, you can simply attach an unmanaged Ethernet switch to the 6100 as it is in fact a router as well despite only having one Ethernet port.