Hosting a LAN Party Without Network? - Hardware & Software

Hey Facepunch, I'm hosting a lan party at my school and they won't let us use the network. Which is ashame because it is really nice. 1. Is it possible to just use a router and connect everyone without the use of wifi? 2. What games do you play at a lan party? I'm keeping it simple with Star Craft I and II for those who have it, Minecraft, and League of Legends. 3. If possible, how would you gain access to the network? 4. Are there any other solutions to making or hosting a network? Sorry for jumping into these things without doing very much research. You folks are the experts.

Once all the PC's are connected to a switch or router, it's technically a LAN (Local Area Network). You won't get any outside internet access though and some games require it for LAN, I know SC2 is one of them (bastards).

It should be possible with just a router. The lack of internet connection would suck though.

[QUOTE=SomeGuest;28840675]Once all the PC's are connected to a switch or router, it's technically a LAN (Local Area Network). You won't get any outside internet access though and some games require it for LAN, I know SC2 is one of them (bastards).[/QUOTE] Ah I forgot about that. So using an android hotspot would probably be a tease.

[QUOTE=blacksam;28840758]Ah I forgot about that. So using an android hotspot would probably be a tease.[/QUOTE] And run up your bill like no other.

-L4d.!!! -Swat 4. -Age of empires. -Quake -Alien Swarm (Free game co-op) And making a network with just a router works like a charm.

[QUOTE=QuikKill;28840936]And run up your bill like no other.[/QUOTE] Unlimited, have you heard of it? How many guys are you going to have coming in to the party?

[QUOTE=nikomo;28841795]Unlimited, have you heard of it? How many guys are you going to have coming in to the party?[/QUOTE] Unlimited is usually like 1-2 gb.

[QUOTE=nikomo;28841795]Unlimited, have you heard of it? How many guys are you going to have coming in to the party?[/QUOTE] Well it isn't just a lan party, but I'm guessing maybe 8 for pc. Which router wise isn't going to be healthy for my wallet. We're hooking up a wii and a 360 to projectors and play some other games too. [editline]27th March 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=taipan;28842011]Unlimited is usually like 1-2 gb.[/QUOTE] Yeah and AT&T isn't so generous with over use of my data plan.

Get a standard gigabit Ethernet switch, then use one of the attached PCs to assign DHCP. Bam, instant cheap network. (DON'T GET A ROUTER, GET A SWITCH)

[QUOTE=blacksam;28842854]Well it isn't just a lan party, but I'm guessing maybe 8 for pc. Which router wise isn't going to be healthy for my wallet. We're hooking up a wii and a 360 to projectors and play some other games too.[/QUOTE] A cheap router and a cheap 8-port switch. Should do it. [QUOTE=taipan;28842011]Unlimited is usually like 1-2 gb.[/QUOTE] I have unlimited. Actually unlimited. Not my fault your providers suck.

Are the PCs all in one room?

I'm fairly certain League of Legends won't work without an active internet connection, same with Starcraft 2. Games with LAN support should be fine; you can either bring a router and wire/wireless connect from all machines to it, or do an ad-hoc wireless network.

[QUOTE=nikomo;28843108]I have unlimited. Actually unlimited. Not my fault your providers suck.[/QUOTE] Go hook it up, download and upload a linux distro for a few days. I bet they'll cap it after a while.

I am going to make a How To network thread.... routers =! switches

[QUOTE=QuikKill;28845138]Go hook it up, download and upload a linux distro for a few days. I bet they'll cap it after a while.[/QUOTE] I did. I wanted to test download speeds so I left it downloading some Linux distros with a Pentium 4 machine I have. Filled up the hard drive and still nothing. There's really not a lot of countries that cap bandwidth. The major ones are UK, US and I've heard Canada. I live in Finland.

[QUOTE=dbk21894;28843097]Get a standard gigabit Ethernet switch, then use one of the attached PCs to assign DHCP. Bam, instant cheap network. (DON'T GET A ROUTER, GET A SWITCH)[/QUOTE] Right, this solves the problem of getting a computer onto a network. But it doesn't give you Internet access. You will still need a router for that.

[QUOTE=hexpunK;28845891]Right, this solves the problem of getting a computer onto a network. But it doesn't give you Internet access. You will still need a router for that.[/QUOTE] It's a LAN party, OP hasn't mentioned anything about connecting to the internet.

[QUOTE=taipan;28842011]Unlimited is usually like 1-2 gb.[/QUOTE] Not if you are with Sprint. :smug:

I "hosted" a mini-LAN party at school. We got an empty classroom (medical assisting) and I used my phone's wireless tethering to act as a router. 6 laptops connected and we played L4D2 with pings of around 15. I love my phone :love:

Most routers support only 4 connections. At least my cheap old router did. 4 was the maximum, we had to take turns when to browse and when to play on LAN last summer when I hosted an LAN party in our basement. [editline]28th March 2011[/editline] Yeah, it was a shitty router. "Netwjork"

Get a switch, set up DHCP. You should be set from there. My networking class uses a Cisco switch with DHCP from the newest computer to host the server and then we play CS 1.6 a lot on them. We have like multitudes of servers/routers/switches/bridges/hubs though, so I don't know how much they'll cost or whatever.

[QUOTE=ilolled;28847384]I "hosted" a mini-LAN party at school. We got an empty classroom (medical assisting) and I used my phone's wireless tethering to act as a router. 6 laptops connected and we played L4D2 with pings of around 15. I love my phone :love:[/QUOTE] What phone?

i've always had more success using a switch at LANs than actually using the network.

[QUOTE=nikomo;28845788]I did. I wanted to test download speeds so I left it downloading some Linux distros with a Pentium 4 machine I have. Filled up the hard drive and still nothing. There's really not a lot of countries that cap bandwidth. The major ones are UK, US and I've heard Canada. I live in Finland.[/QUOTE] Like I said, most cap bandwith. Not all. I myself have chosen one that has no bandwith cap here in the Netherlands (MTV mobile) all others (exept for hi) have a 1-2 gb cap on their "unlimited"plan.

[QUOTE=Dr. Deeps;28849036]Get a switch, set up DHCP. You should be set from there. My networking class uses a Cisco switch with DHCP from the newest computer to host the server and then we play CS 1.6 a lot on them. We have like multitudes of servers/routers/switches/bridges/hubs though, so I don't know how much they'll cost or whatever.[/QUOTE] Switch and dhcp... you got me on the downs...I have no clue. :downs: Could you explain?

[QUOTE=blacksam;28857648]Switch and dhcp... you got me on the downs...I have no clue. :downs: Could you explain?[/QUOTE] [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/24-port_3Com_switch.JPG[/img] It's basically a central hub you can connect a shit-ton of ethernet cables to. As for DHCP it stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Basically when you connect to a switch, you need to set up IP addresses and shit. DHCP takes care of all of that for you. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Host_Configuration_Protocol[/url]

Ok so let's say we've got something like this [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156001&cm_re=dhcp-_-33-156-001-_-Product[/url] Wire everyone into a simple game with ethernet that doesn't require internet connection. Is it just that easy? [editline]28th March 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=chewgo;28843185]Are the PCs all in one room?[/QUOTE] Yes [editline]28th March 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Euphoracle;28844401]do an ad-hoc wireless network.[/QUOTE] How messy is doing an ad-hoc?

[QUOTE=LiquiD;28847590]Most routers support only 4 connections. At least my cheap old router did. 4 was the maximum, we had to take turns when to browse and when to play on LAN last summer when I hosted an LAN party in our basement. [editline]28th March 2011[/editline] Yeah, it was a shitty router. "Netwjork"[/QUOTE] Pretty sure you could take a switch, plug it into one of the ports on the router, and you just extended the capacity. Pretty sure.

[QUOTE=Shadaez;28846003]It's a LAN party, OP hasn't mentioned anything about connecting to the internet.[/QUOTE] And what about games that require Steam or some form on online validation? using that Android hotspot is not going to be cheap. [QUOTE=Brt5470;28861811]Pretty sure you could take a switch, plug it into one of the ports on the router, and you just extended the capacity. Pretty sure.[/QUOTE] Yup.