Can we create a connection to the internet ourselves without having to use a cellular 3g/4g subscription / wifi subscription?
In: Technology
There are several different questions you could be asking. I’ll try to answer all of them.
– *Can I connect to the Internet without paying somebody a monthly fee?*
No.
– *Can I connect to the Internet without using a radio?*
Yes, but you’ll still have to pay an ISP every month.
If you don’t want to use a 3g / 4g / 5g cellular connection, you can get Internet from a cable or DSL provider in most places. You still have to pay for this subscription.
If you don’t want to use Wifi, you can connect your device to your router with an [Ethernet cable](https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16812119992?Item=N82E16812119992) instead.
Most desktop PC’s and many laptops have built-in Ethernet connectors. You’ll need an Ethernet adapter for your phone, tablet, etc.
– *Can my friends and I create our own network?*
Yes.
You don’t have to pay anyone a monthly subscription to connect computers together. (You still have to pay for parts and electricity, of course.)
You can connect multiple computers together using Ethernet cables to connect them to a switch or router. You may need to make some simple changes to the OS or router’s networking settings.
You can even get rid of the cables if you use a Wifi router.
The catch is that the computers have to be physically connected with Ethernet cables, or within a few dozen feet of a Wifi router.
So for example, if you wanted to visit your friend’s website, you’d need to have your friend physically bring a computer over to your house. Your friend would need to run their webserver software on that computer. You could visit the website running on the computer in your house.
There’s a lot of different server software these days. So you can create a network with websites, chat, downloads, and so on. All running on computers in your house.
There would be no possibility of connecting to Reddit, Google, Facebook, and so on. Because those websites are running on computers you’re not connected to, outside your house.
If you wanted to connect your network to computers in different houses, you’d have to physically connect a wire between the houses. This might be feasible to do with your next-door neighbor if you’re willing to spend a couple days digging a ditch, putting the cable in it, and figuring out how to safely drill a hole in the wall to get the cable inside each house.
If you’re talking about multiple friends in different locations, you’d have to get a bunch of government permits and pay millions of dollars to run a miles-long cable through a bunch of different properties you don’t own.
Latest Answers