[Followups set to uk.telecom.broadband]

In uk.telecom Paul Hayes <nomailforme@polog40.org.uk> wrote:[color=blue]
> You've always been able to connect a router up to NTL for as long as I
> can remember. The MAC of the router is then registered to the service
> and you connect PCs and other network equipment behind that. It will
> not work with a hub or a switch only, you have to have a router to route
> traffic for multiple devices, you can connect switches behind the router
> if you want more ports. I've changed routers a few times (although not
> in quite a while) and it was just a case of registering the new routers
> MAC with the NTL login page that came up. A pretty big forum for what
> is now Virgin Media is here:[/color]

What the OP wants to do should be possible: use a hub or switch to extend an
ethernet cable. But they can only attach to one machine to it, ie:

Cable modem ----------- hub/switch ----------- PC/router --- PC 1
+------ PC 2

A hub won't care about MAC addresses, a switch will take of them by just
forwarding frames from one side to the other. What they can't do is:

Cable modem ------------ hub/switch ------ PC1
+---------- PC2

because that'll present two MAC addresses ot the cable modem. NTL used to
offer an option where you could do this for an extra fiver (advertised as
being for connecting games consoles) but give it up because everyone has
routers these days.

If the hub/switch is in a convenient place, the more efficient method is to
use the switch that's integrated into a router:

cable modem ------------ router ----- PC 1
+=-------- PC 2

Theo