Can I hook up two computers that both have Ethernet adapters without using a hub, switch, or router?
Yes. You’ll need to use a special cable called a “crossover” cable, however, or the two systems won’t be able to communicate. The “crossover” cable looks like a normal UTP Ethernet cable, but it’s wired differently, swapping the Receive and Transmit Ethernet signal pairs. Be sure to Enable File and Printer sharing in both systems’ Network Control panels and we suggest using the NetBEUI protocol to get you up and running quickly.
