Philip:
You first will need to network your computers together.
My recommendation for that would be -- if the budget allows --
to get 802.11b wireless adapters (USB when possible) for each
remote computer. (These typically run about $60@ sometimes less).
This gets the computers talking to each other. If you can string Cat5
network cable from each computer to the one with the modem you can
save that money and get a faster machine-to-machine connection besides,
but since you can't get a phone line to these systems (which is just as
easy) I'm presuming that isn't an option.
The other side of the question is how to share the modem once the computers
are networked. You have two choices there. One is to use the Internet Connection
Sharing feature built in to Win2K. This allows the other machines to use and
share the modem connection on the sharing computer. The other way is to get a
separate "modem router" box with a built-in modem.
The ICS solution being software-based is the least expensive, but requires that
you keep the sharing machine logged in, and is prone to assorted odd problems
that can drive you nuts over time.
Using a dial modem box is more expensive (you need the dial router and
if using wireless a separate wireless network access point), but it will be
far more satisfactory in my experience.
The biggest problem you have there is that nobody is in the low-end modem
routers market any more, even though there is an evident need for them by
the 40% or so of the population that still can't get decent broadband, (and IDSL
is way overpriced.) However you can usually pick up a Netgear unit on e-bay
or other liquidation sites for about $80 or so.
Another way to go about this is to get a couple of RF-phone-line sharing
devices (you must get a model that is designed for data, not voice-only). I assume these
are still available. These devices are usually inexpensive and have a range of 50ft or so,
but are prone to interference that can lower the data rate, and only allow one
computer at a time to use the modem (it is essentially a wireless extension of
the phone line.) The advantage of a network is that everyone can
share the connection at the same time (as grisly as that can be with a dial
modem connection), and can also communicate machine-to-machine for
file and printer sharing.
Steve Duff, MCSE
Ergodic Systems, Inc.
