First off you will need to make sure that each computer has a 100base-TX or 10base-T networking card already installed. It doesn't really matter if you have different card brands or different card types (10base-T or 100base-TX), as they should all work together, the only drawback being that your network will default to the slowest card's networking speed. For example, if computer with a 10base-T card tries to talk to a computer with a 100base-TX card, they will only be able to talk to each other at 10mbps. The only time that 100base-TX network speeds are nice are if you do large data transfers such as digital movies or any other large multimedia. Otherwise, 10base-T cards and hubs are probably fine and will save you some money, you may be able to find 100base-TX cards for about the same price if you search hard enough

A networking hub, switch, or router with a built-in hub is also needed. The hub is simply a place to connect all of the computers on your network. However, if it is only two computers and you plan on not increasing the number of systems, you can buy a patch cable and directly connect the two systems. Though, The drawback to using the patch cable and no hub is you're still stuck trying to share your broadband internet connection. If you plan on setting up your broadband Internet access for use with multiple computers it's a good idea to use a router to split the access up to more than one computer. Most routers can be found for just over $100 from some well known networking companies such as Netgear (RT314 used in this review), D-link, and Linksys.

A typical Ethernet network requires either a hub or a switch. Both of these devices contain a separate connector for each computer that will be installed on the network. The main difference between a switch and hub is throughput. A hub will divide throughput between the total number of ports it contains for each port that is in use, so a 100base-TX hub with four ports will have 25 mbps throughput for each port in use. A switch, while more expensive, allows each port to run at full speed.

If you are going to set up your network for use with a single broadband internet connection, you will need to make sure that your DSL or Cable provider supplied you with an external modem. Most external broadband modems attach to your computer via a networking card, and therefore can be connected to a router. If you do have an internal modem, you can set up the computer that contains the modem to act as the router, though this is not recommended solution. An example would be to have your phone jack connect to your broadband modem (aka broadband router) which would then be connected to a hub/switch/router via an RJ45 (twisted pair) cable. From there you can connect your internet to any machines that connect to that hub/switch/router.