Upgrade from Basic NTL Broadband to Router Based Wireless Set-up

I have the basic NTL broadband set-up from a Pace STB via a crossover cable
and USB adapter. This works great on any PC, just connect via USB and the
internet is there without any special configuration. I would now like to
upgrade to a router based wireless home network. Over three years ago when I
first had broadband I would connect the crossover cable directly to the PC.
This worked OK for Windows 95 PCs but only reluctantly for NT based PCs.
That's why I switched to the USB adapter. Now if I try to connect with the
network cable directly into my current PCs (XP Pro) no connection is
available. I do have an old NTL CD with troubleshooting tools but I am
reluctant to use these as they are pretty old and assumed to be obsolete.

I see most (or all) routers are connected via a network cable. My question
is:- If I buy one of these routers and plug in my crossover cable with the
router detect the broadband connection when the PC cannot ?

Probably I am missing a trick or two somewhere.

Any advice would be welcome.

Martin.

"Martin" <martinsmith@softhome.net> wrote in message
news:Ma3bf.4479$Gy5.2547@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
>I have the basic NTL broadband set-up from a Pace STB via a crossover cable
> and USB adapter. This works great on any PC, just connect via USB and the
> internet is there without any special configuration. I would now like to
> upgrade to a router based wireless home network. Over three years ago when
> I
> first had broadband I would connect the crossover cable directly to the
> PC.
> This worked OK for Windows 95 PCs but only reluctantly for NT based PCs.
> That's why I switched to the USB adapter. Now if I try to connect with the
> network cable directly into my current PCs (XP Pro) no connection is
> available. I do have an old NTL CD with troubleshooting tools but I am
> reluctant to use these as they are pretty old and assumed to be obsolete.
>
> I see most (or all) routers are connected via a network cable. My question
> is:- If I buy one of these routers and plug in my crossover cable with the
> router detect the broadband connection when the PC cannot ?
>
> Probably I am missing a trick or two somewhere.
>
> Any advice would be welcome.
>
> Martin.

STB to router via straight cable, no?

My SACM uses straight cable, and I thought if my STB was enabled, I would
use straight for that too... And I use a WRT54G Linksys router.

"Martin" <martinsmith@softhome.net> wrote in
news:Ma3bf.4479$Gy5.2547@newsfe3-win.ntli.net:

> I have the basic NTL broadband set-up from a Pace STB via a crossover
> cable and USB adapter. This works great on any PC, just connect via
> USB and the internet is there without any special configuration. I
> would now like to upgrade to a router based wireless home network.
> Over three years ago when I first had broadband I would connect the
> crossover cable directly to the PC. This worked OK for Windows 95 PCs
> but only reluctantly for NT based PCs. That's why I switched to the
> USB adapter. Now if I try to connect with the network cable directly
> into my current PCs (XP Pro) no connection is available. I do have an
> old NTL CD with troubleshooting tools but I am reluctant to use these
> as they are pretty old and assumed to be obsolete.
>
> I see most (or all) routers are connected via a network cable. My
> question is:- If I buy one of these routers and plug in my crossover
> cable with the router detect the broadband connection when the PC
> cannot ?

You don't use a null/crossover cable in a router situation. You use a
regular cable using the RJ45 connection type and plug into one of the LAN
ports on the router and the other end into the RJ45 socket in the wire
NIC in the computer. If there is a RJ45 connection on the modem, then you
use a regular RJ45 connection type cable from the modem to the WAN port
on the router.

The router is the gateway device for the WAN/Internet and LAN/(machines
connected to the router) and the router provides the plumbing to allow
the machines to share resources with each other on the LAN whether it be
wire to wire, wire to wireless, wireless to wire or wireless to wireless
for a router that provides that capability and wireless routers provide
the wire and wireless connection abilities.

If you have USB connection type machines, then you should dump it for
RJ45 cable type connection to the router.

http://www.homenethelp.com/web/explain/about-NAT.asp
http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/wire...aa112203_2.htm

Duane :)