"Paul Hughes" wrote in message
...

" My exchange is due to be ADSL enabled, and I am confused."


Your "Ethernet: 10/100 for networking & ADSL broadband router" is a fancy
name for a Network Interface Card (NIC), which is used to connect your PC to
others over a network, or to connect to an ADSL router.

You may well be getting a free USB modem from your ADSL ISP as part of the
sign-up package, as this is the standard way of connecting to an ADSL ISP.
However, it only connects up one PC to your ADSL connection, so any other
PC's in your house will need to be networked together with a Hub or Switch,
NIC's, and RJ45 cable all round, and you will need to enable Internet
Connection Sharing (ICS) on the "gateway" PC (the one connected to the ADSL
connection). This PC will need to be running for other PC's to access the
ADSL connection, and ICS is only available on Windows 98 Second Edition and
above.

A broadband router will solve all these problems in one, giving individual
PC's exclusive access to your ADSL connection, and most act as hubs /
switches to network the PC's together as well.

If you are getting a USB modem and you only have one PC, then it is best to
try it out for a while before upgrading to a router. All USB devices cause
a slight drain on the CPU, so if you have a low-spec machine then a router
may be a better option in the long run. I started off with ADSL on a
low-spec machine with a USB modem, and every once in a while my system would
drop the ADSL connection if I was playing some hardcore 3D games online
where the CPU was stretched to its' limits.