advice please....

fergal1

hi,
i've just got esat business dsl with a static ip and want to network it to 3 pcs. i'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to networking.....

could/would someone be so kind in recommending me a router to go with my esat supplied modem (ericsson hm230dp)
i've been scouring boards.ie but all thats doing is making me more confused on what i need!
i read in one post that it is not possible to hook up my modem to a router and the solution was to get a combo router/modem that supports PPPoA, but then i read that someone else was having a config prob with this and he couldm't find a solution on the board.
i also read that PPPoA is taken care of in the modem and all that i need is a router that supports PPTP to talk to the router.

i would be most grateful for a solution, my budget is €80-100
best regards
fergal

ps i've also seen in router configs the need for a username/pass, i never got one from esat, do i need these if i hook up a router?

Ripwave

Originally posted by fergal1
i've just got esat business dsl with a static ip and want to network it to 3 pcs. i'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to networking.....

could/would someone be so kind in recommending me a router to go with my esat supplied modem (ericsson hm230dp)
i read in one post that it is not possible to hook up my modem to a router

What you've got is already a well specified router. You don't need any additional hardware to do what you need to do, according to the data sheet here.

ps i've also seen in router configs the need for a username/pass, i never got one from esat, do i need these if i hook up a router?

How are you hooked up now? I presume you have 1 PC hooked up and using the connection?

fergal1

thanks for the quick response Ripwave, but

What you've got is already a well specified router.

this was also mentioned in another post somewhere on the board and reading from that, you are correct, but esat in their infinite wisdom have locked me out from accessing the web based configuration, therefore i cannot setup the firewall or NAT.

but reading the specs in the link that you supplied would make me think of what i said in my original post might be true:

that PPPoA is taken care of in the modem and all that i need is a router that supports PPTP to talk to the router

but once again i'm no expert!

am i back to square one?

Ripwave

Originally posted by fergal1
this was also mentioned in another post somewhere on the board and reading from that, you are correct, but esat in their infinite wisdom have locked me out from accessing the web based configuration, therefore i cannot setup the firewall or NAT.

What IP address does your machine use at the moment? Does your PC use a "public" IP address, or is it using a "private" address (typically 192.168.something).

but reading the specs in the link that you supplied would make me think of what i said in my original post might be true: "that PPPoA is taken care of in the modem and all that i need is a router that supports PPTP to talk to the router"

We don't use PPPoA here, we use PPPoE (as far as I know ESAT business uses PPPoE too). But that's why I asked the question about how you're connecting today. Who's doing the PPPoE login now? The router, or are you running some client on your PC now?

fergal1

What IP address does your machine use at the moment?

its a private static ip 193.120.***.***
ii'm nearly certain its PPPoA
someone else had/has the same question as me
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105071
thats where i originally got PPPoA from.
i also sent pm's to a couple of the lads in that thread, and am waiting on replys.

i rang esat earlier with my predicament, i asked why the router functionality was locked away in the modem and he said thats the way they came configuered to esat....
i'm not running any client,
the guy also told me that no authentication is done, the PPPoA session will automatically pick up the (static) IP address each time i log in.

lastly he said any router should/would do...... am i to believe him?

thanks again for taking an interest,
fergal

Ripwave

Originally posted by fergal1
its a private static ip 193.120.***.***
i'm not running any client,
the guy also told me that no authentication is done, the PPPoA session will automatically pick up the (static) IP address each time i log in.

lastly he said any router should/would do...... am i to believe him?

Yes. If you're not running any client software on your PC, then something like the DLink DI-604, the Linksys BEFSR41 or the Netgear RP614 all for €50-€60 should do the job. Just configure them so that they don't use PPPoanything, as the Ericsson is already doing that.

(The RipWave mode from IBB is configured in much the same way. I'm using a venerable DI-804 with it, with the PPPoE disabled).

fergal1

might be helpful for someone...

got the netgear 614 for €63 from elara and it works a treat, no problem setting it up.
all it needed was ip address, gateway and dns servers.

BKtje

Right nice one Fergal, ill be doing this ina month or so
cheers for info