usb based hub

i tried to set up a small lan for 4 computers(all laptops) using a usb based hub to share a internet connection.but though the hub is detected there is no connectivity.
furthermore when i tried to connect 2 comps using the usb cable there is no detection.do i need a software to enable the lan using a usb based hub..
pls reply soon

hi,
your problem is that the laptops are not getting an IP address. have you checked if any of your laptops have an IP address?
here's a solution: what ever be your internet connection i.e. via cable or via adsl, use a corresponding router to recieve the main connection from your ISP. now connect the router to your usb hub, if the router suppports a usb connection, if it does not then use an ethernet cable. then connect all your laptops to that hub. check the picture:


see how the connections are made?
but i would prefer using a switch instead of the hub to avoid collisions. so the same network topology remains, but instead of the hub, replace it with a switch in it's place. this would also enhance performance

I was thinking of putting in a router for my incoming telewest cable for the home network. Do ISPs detect routers at the other end and get all fussy about it or do they not mind ? (It's fun to chase down all the DNS servers hitting my home network but gets a little annoying sometimes)

Also, Arani, what software did you use to knock up that picture? Looks very usefull.

hi starfire,
there shouldn't be any problem because the primary IP address assigned by your ISP would be for the router, and the router would manage all the rest of the nodes on a private LAN structure. had you hooked up a single pc to your internet connection that pc would have had the same IP address. its just that you are hooking up a router. ISP normally don't prefer multiple networks from a single connection. they prefer one connection - one computer principle. its is because a whole LAN using a single internet connection as their gateway would put pressure on their resources. that is their belief. sometimes they even stipulate this principle on their contract which just might be a part of the fine print. but if you feel that there would not be much stress on the internet connection in terms of traffic, then go ahead. but i would be a bit economical with the truth everytime i would call up the ISP with connection problems incase i have any.
the picture is a screenshot from packet tracer 3.2, quite handy if you are doing some cisco stuff or even general network structure testing.