Privacy on the net

[*TeKKeD*]

I have 3 computers on a home network, and i currently need to have them all connected to the internet, but i want to be undetectable by my ISP as to how many computers i have connected to the internet, i think the best way to achive this is using a router, but what other precausions could i take to have myself appear completely invisible to my ISP?

Thanks

[BipolarBill]

The only way to be invisible to your ISP it to disconnect.

The router is your best choice. All your ISP can see is the modem address. As a matter of fact, your ISP can only see the host IP when you're sharing through one PC too.

If you think that you're going to hide high traffic to a server on your LAN, forget it. All traffic shows as going through the modem. If traffic is too high, they will know anyway.

[*TeKKeD*]

Well i'm getting a 256kbps line at home, and i want to share the cost with a friend, and of course this would make it cheaper for me to pay the bills, and gives my friend the freedom to surf at a high speed, of course he's the browsing and email kind, and he wouldn't download anything more than 20Megs of stuff within a week, i figure they would not be able to detect high bandwidth usage, especially since i'm all day at work, and my friend is using the line at that time, when i'm at home, he's at home, where he has an internet connection to another provider....

would a small 4 port d-link router do the trick??? i would think so...or does anyone have a small and cheap kind of router they would perfer???

Thanks

[BipolarBill]

The ISP can't see the PCs behind the router. Even if they could, they couldn't tell who owns them. They don't care.

All routers are cheap these days. Get yourself a D-Link or Linksys 4-port router.

[cat5e]

This is the way it looks: http://www.ezlan.net/~network/router.jpg

One IP out side few privates IPs inside.

Can your ISP know that you share?

Yes if they run a special analysis on your surfing patterns.

Do they care?

In the USA most of them do not care as long as you do not do other Bad things.

[*TeKKeD*]

my isp is giving me three ip address (part of their subnet) but of course i could ask for a real ip's but that would cost me more, heheh that sucks i know, so i need to give another ip to a friend, so i guess i;m getting a router just for that one extra friend i guess....

[BipolarBill]

Please listen:

1. Your ISP has no way of knowing WHO is using the IP or who owns the PC. All they see is the IP an MAC address.

2. They don't care anyway - as long as you stay within the bandwidth alloted.

3. You cannot exceed the bandwidth alloted anyway, so forget that I mentioned that.

You are thinking waaaay too much. You don't need a router if you have multiple IPs assigned. Just hook it up and go.

[*TeKKeD*]

Ok, ok i get it! it's just that i get three ip address pre-determined from my isp, and those are the one's they want me to use on my three computers to connect to the net, of course i need another ip to get the 4th computer up and connected to the net, but without being detectable by my isp, i know that i'll need to get an switch for the other comps, so how to do you connect the other computer, what ip do you assign it?

[BipolarBill]

Just put a router on one IP and connect the two PCs. The ISP can only see the router - not what's behind it.