Right now, the situation is:

My (Slack) computer isn't online.
My gf's Win XP computer is on ADSL via a Speedtouch USB modem.

What I WANT to get to is:
My computer is switched on & online 24/7
My gf can connect when she needs to.

So, my options seem to be:
1 - Download the Sourceforge stuff and get the modem running on my machine, with my gf connecting via my computer.

2 - Ebay the modem & buy a single-port router, connect my machine to the router and my gf's machine to mine

3 - Sell the modem & buy a multi-port router, connect both our machines to the router.

Option #1 would involve no new hardware, but ADSL via USB seems ugly..

#2 seems the cheapest router-wise, but it would use up my computer resources

#3 seems like the best solution, but multi-port routers appear to be rather more expensive.

So, should I go with the free option, or would the benefits of the other options outweigh the costs?

Any advice appreciated.

Multi-port routers are pretty cheap. I use an Origo from ebuyer. It is less than £40 - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=48449
It's a great piece of kit, easy to set up and just works. I used to have a speedtouch and there is no comparison in ease of use, plus lower latency when browsing etc. The fact that you can also do file transfers between machines is a big plus (not to mention hardware firewalling).

Excellent - thanks for that link, I hadn't seen that one.

I'll get one on order & ebay the speedtouch..