How to Hook Up Two DSL Modems in One House

by Steven Hill , Demand Media

You may want a second DSL connection for several different reasons.

Amos Morgan/Photodisc/Getty Images

You can have more than one DSL modem in one location. You might want another Internet connection for a number of reasons. For example, if you share the house with roommates, you may want a connection to yourself, or they might want one. If you have a home office, you may want a second connection dedicated to that task. Whatever your reasons for wanting a second DSL-based connection, setup of this second connection is only slightly more difficult than the first one.

Step 1

Contact your telephone provider. Request the installation of a second phone line in your house. You will also have to set up a new phone number for this new line with your telephone provider before you can use it for DSL service. If you already have two or more independent phone lines, then you can skip this step.

Step 2

Contact your ISP, or a different ISP if that's what you want, and set up a new DSL Internet account using your second phone number. If you want to avoid additional charges, subscribe to a plan that includes a DSL modem.

Step 3

Place your second DSL modem so that the telephone wire can reach from it to a telephone jack for your new or second phone line. Plug the modem's power cable into the modem and a wall socket. Plug the telephone wire into the back of the DSL modem. Plug the other end into a jack for the new or second phone line. You may need to wait for the modem to get a signal from the ISP.

Step 4

Plug an Ethernet cable into the back of the DSL modem. Plug the other end of that cable into the Ethernet port on the computer using the new connection, or into the "WAN" port on a router. Depending on your ISP, you may need to run a setup disc to complete your Internet access through the new modem. Keep your account information on hand if this is the case.

Tips & Warnings

  • Consider installing DSL line filters on all telephone jacks not being directly used by your modems. This can help to reduce interference on the line from other devices, like telephones and fax machines.

References

  • Bell Canada Internet: Computer Hardware Setup

About the Author

Steven Hill began writing professionally in 2006. He has written many academic essays and is also an author of fiction, with short stories published in various e-magazines, including Sonar4 and Sinister Tales. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Photo Credits

  • Amos Morgan/Photodisc/Getty Images