On 25/09/06, Chong Yu Meng <chongym@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Dotan, I know I'm coming into this thread rather late, and I may have missed some of the earlier posts, but here are my 2 cents: Some cable/xDSL modems do not possess a GUI or means by which you can interact with it. I have a pretty old Motorola cable modem that is like that. It just grabs an IP address from the ISP and I can't control it in any way, except to unplug the power and re-plug it back. Instead of wrestling with the IP address and the modem, you may want to consider another alternative: look around for a combination router/modem that will handle the connection details for you and provide a GUI which you can use to configure your network. There are quite a few models from NetGear, Linksys and D-Link. Of course, you would probably need to do a little homework before buying by asking subscribers to the same service what models they purchased or what they are successfully using.
I'd like to get by without buying hardware. I live on a student grant, and in any case, the equiptment is very expensive (and not widely available for purchase, with the exeption of a router) in Israel.
Besides avoiding the hassles of configuration, there are 2 other reasons why I think this approach is better: 1. With cable/xDSL connections, you will want to keep the connection "always on", if you are not subscribed to a plan that limits you by time or bandwidth. Using a computer as a router will tend to heat up the room and introduce noise (if you have noisy fans). If it is always on, and if you are in a small room, it can get quite uncomfortable very quickly.
I've only one computer. So I've no real need for a router, if I can connect to the 'net without one.
2. Some devices provide features for wireless networking. Until I actually installed it, I did not realize how useful it would be -- not having to lay cables all over the place, the freedom to move about as I wished, etc.
The machine is a desktop one, so I've no need for wireless. This is good to keep in mind, though.
I am currently using a rather old NetGear MR814 which provides a GUI and 802.11b access, and which connects to my also-old Motorola cable modem. Well, anyway, that's just my 2 cents. Oh, and welcome back !;)
Thank you. Always good to be home! Dotan Cohen
