Modems and routers

blorg

That doesn't have an ADSL modem in it; you would have to get a separate Ethernet ADSL modem. You would be better off getting one with a built-in Ethernet modem (which although they have recently put in a category Komplett don’t sell for some strange reason) – try www.elara.ie. They are much more expensive than what you have there, but a separate Ethernet ADSL modem would add around €100 to that cost by itself.

The_Scary_Man

Will I not get an ethernet modem with the eircom line install pack?

blorg

No, standard is a USB modem, which won't work (AFAIK) with the XBox.

The_Scary_Man

Cheers Blorg.

Ripwave

Originally posted by blorg
No, standard is a USB modem, which won't work (AFAIK) with the XBox.

That's a load of cobblers, Blorg.

eircom starter includes a Netopia Cayman, which has both a USB and Ethernet port, and it's actually possible to plug your PC into the USB port, and the XBox into the ethernet port, and use them both at the same time.

(This information is posted a couple of times a week in this board. I hardly ever bother to read the "sticky" threads, and I don't think many other people do either, or this would have been corrected earlier. I've PMed scary_man, hopefully he'll get it before he wastes his money.

blorg

My apologies, I thought the modem was USB only like most of the other RADSL offerings.

NeoSlicerZ

Guys, there wouldn't be by any chance a adsl modem/router that has both wireless and ethernet?

blorg

There are several. I have a Netgear DG824M which I bought from www.elara.ie and am very happy with. D-Link also make a popular model. These are both 802.11b. I don't think anyone is making an integrated 802.11g model yet (I may be corrected) but that is overkill for internet sharing in any case.

GEO147

I have NTL broadband which comes with a cable/DSL modem which works fine with one XBOX to go on-line. The problem begins when I try to split the signal to another XBOX. I thought that since the modem is cable in and ethernet out which plugs straight into the back of the XBOX all I needed was a good router and as such went out and bought a DLINK604+ which set me back € 235.00.

But because I have no PC at home to configure the router this was a total waste of time and money as I just keep getting a DNS error message on both XBOXs.

What I need is some advice on what to do in this situation. I think a simpler solution is what is needed but I dont know what that solution is. If anyone knows what equiptment is needed I would appreciate their advice as the only other solution to the problem is to get another line from NTL which they would be more than happy to supply to the tune of an extra € 40.00 per month.

So to recap: one NTL b/b line, two XBOXES (with live subscriptions),but no PC how the hell do you do it?????

Thanks in advance to anyone with the solution or any good advice.

Cheers.

blorg

I think you'll need to find a friend with a PC. You only need access to the PC to configure these things once, you can then unplug them, bring them home, leave them alone and use it with your two XBOXes happily ever after. I think that D-Link has a web-based configuration interface so you don't even have to install any software on the PC you are configuring it from.

AFAIK that router has a DHCP sever, and the XBOXes will take their IP/gateway/DNS information from that - so you just need to get the router working OK with a PC and then it should also work OK with the XBOXes.

Ripwave

Originally posted by GEO147
IBut because I have no PC at home to configure the router this was a total waste of time and money as I just keep getting a DNS error message on both XBOXs. /B]

Have you considered either borrowing a laptop, or even bringing the router around to a friends house (or into work) and using their PC to configure the router?

It'll be easier if you borrow a PC or laptop (is there no broser available for the XBox?), so that you'll be able to check what you did wrong if it doesn't work.

I don't know of any home routers that aren't configured through a web browser. (Some of them also support a telnet interface, but the support and documentation is usually non-existent).

GEO147

Thanks for your reply's guys.

I did bring the router into work and gave it to the IT guy to have a look at and he gave it back to me saying it should work but it didnt. I could try what you guys have suggested but im not sure as to how it should be configured.

Does it not need a PC to be hooked up to it all the time?

Could the fact that it is a complex router be causing problems ie. firewalls and the like.?

Is there not a more simplistic way to split the line.?

I wish I was an IT technician!


Cheers.

blorg

You should be set up like this:

Cable connection --> Cable Modem
Cable Modem --> Router (WAN PORT)
Router (LAN PORT) --> XBOX 1
Router (LAN PORT) --> XBOX 2

Unfortunately it is difficult to diagnose problems if you don't have a PC there to play with the configuration and see what the router is doing (borrowing a laptop would be your best bet as Ripwave suggests). It's also generally more complex if your router is in a seperate box to the cable modem - the key problem is that you don't know *where* the failure is occuring (e.g. in what box or interface). If you can access the router through a browser, it should have diagnostics that let you test whether the router itself is correctly connected to the internet (if so then the problem is further down the line, in the connection to the XBOXes, if not, you know what you have to fix).

You don't need a PC hooked up all the time, only to get it going. Once it is going it will look after itself. For example, I can get on the internet with my PDA through my router fine, even if all the computers are off.

GEO147

The router that i got is an ADSL which I subsequently found out I didnt have, but it should still do the job should'nt it.

Would I be better off changing it for a cable/DSL modem/router all in one if such a thing exists?

Does it really matter whether the cables used are straight/crossover.

And finally even if I did get the whole thing running smooth do you think it would suffer from a bad case of lag if the two consoles were running on-line at once.?

Thanks for all your help on this matter.

Ripwave

Originally posted by GEO147
The router that i got is an ADSL which I subsequently found out I didnt have, but it should still do the job should'nt it.

Oops - you have a 604+. I got that mixed up with the 614+ when I read your note.

The 604+ won't work for you on a cable connection - the WAN port is a DSL "modem", so you can't plug your cable modem into it.

Would I be better off changing it for a cable/DSL modem/router all in one if such a thing exists?

No, you already have a cable modem presenting an ethernet connection - you just want a bog standard "broadband router". They're often referred to as Cable/DSL routers. The DLink DI-614+ would be pretty much the equivalent of the 604+ that you already have, except that it doesn't have a build in modem, so it will plug into any ethernet connection, whether from a cable, dsl or wireless BB provider.

Does it really matter whether the cables used are straight/crossover.

If you need straight through cables, you can't use cross-over. if you need cross-over cables, you can't use straight through. (The cable's between your X-Box and the router will always be straight through. The router will come with whichever cable is appropriate for connecting to your broadband "modem", though it will usually be a straight through).

And finally even if I did get the whole thing running smooth do you think it would suffer from a bad case of lag if the two consoles were running on-line at once.?

No. You could probably stick 5 or 10 XBoxes on your connection.

GEO147

Thanks a lot Ripwave you have been a great help.

So what you are telling me is that im having problems because im plugging a modem into a modem and that the 614+ would definately work as it has none.?

Would I still need to configure it through a PC or would the Automatic detection thingy work properly with that unit.?

And your saying no slow down even though these games are so advanced and they are speech enabled and the graphics are so good.?

ps.
If this works out I owe you a pint.

Cheers.

blorg

As Ripwave says, you can't use it at all if it is a DSL modem - send it back, or otherwise you should be able to sell it easily enough on boards. Komplett have broadband routers from around €40 AFAIK (I'm presuming you would have no use for wireless if you just have two XBOXes).

GEO147

I bought that 604+ in Peats and they said they have a D-LINK300G which would do the job. Does this have the auto setup that the 604+ had does anyone know.

blorg

AFAIK the 300G is an ADSL modem, so no, it won't do what you need! If Peats told you that the 604+ would work with your NTL cable connection, make them take it back and refund you, as it won't work.

You can get what you need much cheaper from www.komplett.ie, www.elara.ie or www.marx-computers.com. Komplett have broadband routers starting at €40, with a SMC Barricade (good brand) under €60.

Marx have a broadband router for €60 also, although I haven't heard of the brand. Advantage of Marx is that they are a physical shop in Dublin and might provide support; I've never actually bought anything (other than CDs) from them myself however.

GEO147

Thanks Blorg, both you and Ripwave are gentlemen.

MyPerfectCousin

I currently have the Esat business service, because it was available where I live before anything else. Also, I was led to believe I could not have more than one computer on one of the residential services. I thought this was because of the USB modem, or maybe because of the dynamic (rather than fixed) IP address.

Now I see that the Eircom residential service comes with a modem that can do either USB or Ethernet connection. This means that I could use the Ethernet connection to plug into my wireless router, right? But will using two PCs at once still not work, because of the dynamic IP address? (or, would both computers share the same dynamic IP address since it is the router and not a computer that is assigned it?)

I may be changing jobs soon meaning that my DSL won't be expensed anymore, so I'll need to get a cheaper service regardless. Can you have wireless and more than one computer on IOL's service or Netsource?

thanks

blorg

Originally posted by MyPerfectCousin
Now I see that the Eircom residential service comes with a modem that can do either USB or Ethernet connection. This means that I could use the Ethernet connection to plug into my wireless router, right? But will using two PCs at once still not work, because of the dynamic IP address? (or, would both computers share the same dynamic IP address since it is the router and not a computer that is assigned it?)

You can use more than one computer on just about any of the services. It might be technically contrary to your terms of service, but there is (generally) nothing the ISP can do to tell or stop it. Generally they don't mind in any case, they just don't want the hassle of supporting it. Before I got broadband, I was sharing a 56k modem connection wirelessly.

The dynamic IP has nothing to do with it; a router will take the external IP and do NAT to the machines on your internal network; they all get their own private IP addresses seperate to the public one on the router. You can also share with a USB modem - just set up Internet Connection Sharing (presuming you are on Windows) on the computer the USB modem is plugged into. A router is a better solution, but this works well if you are on 2000 or XP, less so on 98 or ME.

I have two/three computers and a PDA working happily on my Netsource connection, through a Netgear wireless router.

MyPerfectCousin

Thanks Blorg.

My concern is that I'll want to switch to Eircom, IOL or Netsource when my Esat BT contract finishes next month, but I'll want to keep using my existing wireless router for connection sharing. It sounds like this will be possible.

thanks again.

ChessHacker

SMC Barricade 7401BRA-UK (ADSL modem/router)

€130 from CMS Peripherals.

Self-install with eircom. Very easy. Web interface.
It has a ethernet and USB connector (which is handy when lightning fries your PC's built-in LAN port!).

Firmware upgraded from SMC Europe

Jokah

Belkin USB 2.0 - ADSL Modem.

€85 from a local computer shop. Excellent device, very small and neat.

Can't find a link for it.

Ripwave

Originally posted by Jokah
Belkin USB 2.0 - ADSL Modem.

€85 from a local computer shop. Excellent device, very small and neat.

Can't find a link for it.

I don't think this is the link you want!

Jokah

Interesting Link.

Thankfully, my modem is not wireless, and not a router....

I pity the poor sods though who did buy the modem mentioned in the article.

All spammers should be flogged....:D

Ryaner

Linksys 54MB 802.11g (WAP54G)
Elara have it for around 130 I think. It has 4lan ports, wireless g, broadband router and firewall. Linksys do good stuff I'm quite surprised it hasnt appeared up here.

NeoSlicerZ

Anyone have a Netgear 834?

I need some help configuring
I have all the settings i.e username/password in but how do i get it to connect to the internet?

WalkOn

Try this.

http://www.linksys.com/press/press.asp?prid=138&cyear=2003

Software and Silicon Designed and made in ireland :-)