way OT: using a wireless router with PPOE (password-earthlink) Broadband?

[ryan roopnarine]

i thought i'd ask this before i start driving to orlando, that way perhaps someone would have chimed in in the interim. bought my mother a wireless router for christmas. the high-speed internet she uses is provided by earthlink, which requires a password/earthlink clinet login before the computer is "connected" to the internet, even though it is connected to the cable modem via ethernet cable. the modem is a crappy scientific atlanta webstar unit with a built in VOIP device, as her long distance is provided via cable modem, as well. Her significant other says, that until the cable modem was upgraded to the webstar a few months ago, he was able to connect to the internet as though the computer was hooked up to a regular ethernet connection, but now he has to use his work vpn client to get on the internet on his work laptop (the desktop connects only using the earthlink client). i've tried all of the "disconnect modem, reset, reset router &c. &c. combinations" i can think of, but nothing works. the router says that the internet connection is not there, even when i tell ( the router) what the login name and password are in advance, and even when i have the router clone the MAC address on the ethernet card in the computer. right now, when the router is between the computer and cable modem, the earthlink connection software says "unable to find realtek PCI ethernet card". any thoughts? i have an older cable modem that (i think ) would fix the problem, but it doesn't have the VOIP capability, so it doesn't really solve anything.

thanks
please post if you need something clarified.

[Derek A.]

A couple of things.

A. Can you access a control panel for the modem ? sometimes you can plug the username/password directly into it.

b. what kind of router are you using ?

c. In most cases earthling is dsl - not cable modem - so I don't think your old hardware will work.

Check here: www.dslreports.com - lots of good info.

D.-

[emw525E34]

Ryan,

You need to connect the wireless router BEHIND the cable modem (that has functional VOIP)!. It has 2 ports, one to the cable conector, the other to the PC. The PC end is ethernet RJ45 connector. Plus this end to the wireless router's INTERNET port. The 4 other LAN ports RJ45 can to connected to your home PCs.
Now configure the router for DHCP on WAN side (ie Internet port pointing to the Cable mode) and also DHCP towards the LAN side with 4 RJ45 connections for your PC. You will have to put the username/password in the WAN side config. Then reset everything. Oh, the IP address on the LAN side should start with 192.168.1.2. You can use 192.168.x.1 where x is 2 or more. I used 2 to make my PCs 192.168.2.2 - 192.168.2.5. Let us know how it goes. There is only a couple of ways to config this to work. This method is the simplest. Good Luck.

PS: Tell us he brand and model of the router so I can look up the exact configs for it, if you need more help. I am a PC modder, so if you give me enough info, I can certainly get this to work.

[bahnstormer]

yah my linksys wireless supports ppoe log in on my verizon dsl modem
so all teh modem sees is the router and the router actually stays logged in 24x7

[ryan roopnarine]

im not sure if it is actually PPOE, it just requires a password.

derek...about earthlink being DSL. locally, the time-warner cable company offers three cable connection packages, Roadrunner via cable, earthlink via cable, and aol high speed via cable. im certain it is cable, webstar is a sucky cable modem.

router is a little cheapie consumer grade belkin wireless, model number is f5d7230-4.

the modem is a scientific atlanta webstar, im not seeing anything in the documentation or otherwise about me directly accessing the settings on the modem, or seeing a control panel installed anywhere in the main control panel on this computer.

emw, im pretty sure that the computer and modem and router are connected in the correct order, as i can access the router settings by going to 192.168.2.1, which, when the PC/router connection is ok (not necessarily the router/internet connection), is the manual configuration page/intranet for the router, where you change settings directly. i didn't think abou the dhcp on the lan side, im certain i configured it for dhcp on the wan side, and perhaps that is where the sticky widget is.

ill take a looksee and see if there are any buttons that i might need to push in the manual configuration of the router. in the interim, please keep your thoughts coming in.

[ryan roopnarine]

problem solved!

i simply hooked the modem to the router to the PC (computer is unable to make connection)

then told the earthlink client that i was connecting through a network (before, i could only connect to the internet on this PC by telling the client I was on a cable modem, even though the "connection" between the two is by ethernet wire).

ran the router "ez-setup" software so that it could see the connection I wanted to have established

and BAM!, i don't need to use the earthlink client anymore, Mom's SO doesn't need to use his vpn software to browse from his laptop anymore, and everything's fine. he still needs to have his company make a new connection for him using the wireless card's MAC, but that's another story that's easily worked around at this point.

thanks for listening.