NTL Broadband

Wookie

I just ordered 'Always-On 600' and have been told it will be installed this Wed.

Does anybody know what equipment is used as standard? USB-Cable Modem or Standard Cable modem?

The reason I ask is that I believe it is preferable to have Standard Cable modem if you want to use your PC & Xbox. As in… Cable Modem -> Router -> Hub...

I am keen to hear first hand what the norm is as opposed to getting the standard line from an NTL rep on the phone.

Thanks

Wookie

Ripwave

Originally posted by Wookie
I just ordered 'Always-On 600' and have been told it will be installed this Wed.

Does anybody know what equipment is used as standard? USB-Cable Modem or Standard Cable modem?

Standard? Do you mean Ethernet? USB is as much a standard as Ethernet.

I don't have NTL, but I know someone who got it this time last year, and the modem supplied has bother ethernet and USB connections. I'd be surprised if they'd changed the customer equipment.

mrblack

Ripwave is correct. I got NTL BB 600 in August and the engineer set it up as USB but he also left the ethernet cable behind as well. The cable modem can use both types of connection but my pc does not have an ethernet connection and since the speed is fine I have no reason to change -apart from curiosity.

mrblack

Wookie

Thanks for the reply’s lads.

I mean ‘ethernet’ (don’t know where I was getting the ‘standard’ from)... I knew I didn't have it quite right but sure you figured it out all the same, cheers

The idea is that I would like to split the broadband connection into two for use by a PC and an Xbox. From my limited knowledge I figured that it would have been a bit tricky to do this if the connection terminated on a USB connector only.

Anyway looks like I’ll be sorted

Wookie

MickFarr

They installed it on my ethernet card instead of the USB port he said it is better that way. Don't ask me why! I got the NTL 600 installed in August and have had no problems. Downloaded 8GB last week !!

Ripwave

Originally posted by MickFarr
They installed it on my ethernet card instead of the USB port he said it is better that way. Don't ask me why! I got the NTL 600 installed in August and have had no problems. Downloaded 8GB last week !!

All else being equal, ethernet is "better". But 95% of PCs under 4 years old have USB, (because you can use it for connecting printers, cameras, scanners, MP3 players, PDAs etc), whereas most don't have ethernet. Ethernet is much more flexible for actual networking, but USB is more flexible for "connecting stuff to my PC". So if you have both ethernet and USB in your PC, and you have an ethernet and USB "modem", then you might as well connect with ethernet (there are no extra hassles or costs in doing so). But if you don't have an ethernet port, and don't expect to do anything except connect that one single PC, then you might as well go with USB - it's not worth the €15 and 10 minutes work that it would cost to install an ethernet card. (Until you try to plug your new camera in, and find that your broadband and your printer are using up your two available USB ports

dlofnep

Originally posted by Wookie

I mean ‘ethernet’ (don’t know where I was getting the ‘standard’ from)... I knew I didn't have it quite right but sure you figured it out all the same, cheers
The idea is that I would like to split the broadband connection into two for use by a PC and an Xbox. From my limited knowledge I figured that it would have been a bit tricky to do this if the connection terminated on a USB connector only.

Incorrect, you could simply use a crossover cable to connect pc <--> xbox and enabled ICS. But yes, there are less problems with ethernet connected modems. USB can have power issues, conflicts, power management issues ect..

Ripwave

Originally posted by dlofnep
Incorrect, you could simply use a crossover cable to connect pc <--> xbox and enabled ICS.

No, he's not incorrect. ICS is tricky, especially when it doesn't work (which isn't an unheard of occurence).

Ripwave

Originally posted by Wookie
The idea is that I would like to split the broadband connection into two for use by a PC and an Xbox. From my limited knowledge I figured that it would have been a bit tricky to do this if the connection terminated on a USB connector only.

The DSL routers that have both USB and Ethernet ports usually allow you to use both of them at the same time. I don't know if this is true of the Cable modems NTL supply.

Civilian_Target

I have NTL 1000. It comes with an ambit120 modem.

I suggest you use ethernet connections if you can, they're more stable, more versatile, faster and you can login to the modem and run diagnostic checks using them.

You can use USB as well, but NTL only support it under Win2k/XP, and it screws about with your network settings in windows so if you have ethernet use it first, and then connect the Xbox into your PC if you can (I don't know anything about Xboxes TBH).

Not all network cards are equal, but a cheap realtek one, which you can pick up for a fiver will work perfectly if you don't have one already.

And finally, the modem won't work if you plug in both USB and ethernet simultaneously, and you have to restart it to change from one to the other.

Ripwave

Originally posted by Civilian_Target
And finally, the modem won't work if you plug in both USB and ethernet simultaneously, and you have to restart it to change from one to the other.

In which case your best bet is a "broadband router" like the Dlink DI-604 (€47.89 from Elara).

A simple hub/switch won't do. You can use ICS as mentioned above, but the router also provides basic firewall functionality, so it's a much better solution all round.

dlofnep

Originally posted by Ripwave
No, he's not incorrect. ICS is tricky, especially when it doesn't work (which isn't an unheard of occurence).

No, you are incorrect. ICS is not tricky. This is not a shoot and hope situation. I've setup xbox live over ICS on numerous occasions under numerous circumstances. If you care to elaborate as to why ICS + xbox live causes problems, then I will be more than happy to debate with you.

Wookie

Thanks for all the info, replys etc...

Got installed today and it is fab.

Broadband router is due to arrive tomorrow. Although the modem does have both ethernet and USB connections (you never know I may have to fall back on ICS dlofnep ).

So now to set it all up... I will report back and let you know how I get on.

Once again thanks for the info.

Wookie

dlofnep

Go for it Wookie, if you are using ICS as a means of sharing, then use a crossover cable to connect pc --> xbox. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me.

mrblack

Hey Civilian-Target,

You have NTL 1000? Is that a new offering by Ntl ? Where are you based?

Wookie

This is probably a dopey question but... how do I monitor my usage?

I am running windows 98SE and as mentioned before I am using NTL-600

MickFarr

I use DU Meter. Have a look at the screen shots on their webpage. It has a tabpage showing you your Daily, weekly and monthly Up/Down loads. I find it is the best.

There is a 30day free trial so you should check it out. If you do like it, it only cost $19.95

There homepage is http://www.dumeter.com/

Wookie

I noted there was a similer thread to this one asking how to share an NTL broadband connection here so I decided to post up how I got on.


I went off to Komplett.ie and ordered an SMC7004VBR broadband cable router.

I connected up my laptop and Xbox to the network ports on the router and the cable modem to the WLAN port.

And hay presto everything worked straight off, I did not have to configure anything!

I did however run the router config wizard afterwards to make sure everything was setup correctly. It was this that caused me a small problem.

The admin password on the router was meant to be blank but it wouldn't work...

The supplied hardcopy doc said it was blank
The supplied PDF doc said it was admin
The smc website said it was smc-admin (in the end this one worked, and yes I did change it)


So that is it... Don't forget to by some Ethernet cable which I got from B&Q (1 small cable for between your router and modem, 2 larger cables for connecting your Xbox and PC) to connect everything up.



MickFarr - Got DUMeter, cheers

Sparx

Thanks for that Wookie - I was hoping someone would post some relevant info

I've ordered my connection, and it's due to be done on Saturday week (17th), so we'll see how things go.

Thanks again,

Sparx

MickFarr

No problem Wookie

Glad you got it all working. Happy surfing!!

Ripwave

Originally posted by Wookie
So that is it... Don't forget to by some Ethernet cable which I got from B&Q (1 small cable for between your router and modem, 2 larger cables for connecting your Xbox and PC) to connect everything up.

Did the router not come with at least one ethernet cable? The Modem should also have had one with it too.

Wookie

You are right it did. I was just making it clear that you are going to need three cables

The idea being that you can play your Xbox with one hand and surf the internet with the other , or at least have them connected at the same time