How to connect two laptops so 2 people can access the internet at the same time?

[bartholomew]

How would you connect 2 laptops so that two users can access the internet. I have internet access with wannadoo and was not provided with two USB cables

[twiglet4frog]

wireless, u need a router that the one cable plugs into and then sends a wireless signal to the laptops when u buy them both a wireless network card

[fo3nix]

you could manage with a switch, but may as well get a router (slightly different).

find out what sort internet you have (ADSL or cable, basically). then, does your modem have an output that looks like a larger telephone socket? you then plug an RJ-45 or "ethernet" cable into it, then into your router. the two laptops can then connected from the router.

you may find that your modem that was supplied by the ISP only gives usb output, and may find it hard to find a decent router accepting usb input. here, you'll need to buy a router with built-in modem.

if you want to go the extra hog, you can get a wireless router which does the same things as explained above, but also transmit your internet connection wirelessly. thus, you could access the internet from your laptops wirelessly (assuming your laptops have the required WiFi cards)

[Rhort]

If both of the laptops are fairly new, Bartholomew, then they should have network cards in them already, so you should be able to get away with just buying a CAT-5 (RJ-45) crossover cable and patching them together like that (such a cable costs less than a fiver for a ten metre one, including postage).

If the internet settings are left as default on the machine that's not connected to the modem, and the internet connection on the machine that IS connected to the modem is "shared" (which is done under the network connection settings in Control Panel), then that should be all you need to do to get it running -- five minute job ;)