UKVoIPTalk.com

"News Reader" <no@email.invalid> wrote in message
news:f2ip4l$sgl$1@inews.gazeta.pl...[color=blue]
>
> Hi,
>
>
> I have some questions about (former) NTL / Virgin Media cable broadband
> services.
>
> I understand that they now only supply a single ethernet port cable modem
> (i.e. / e.g. no more USB via a STB [not that that is strictly or at all
> relevant for my query / queries here as no STB would be likely to be in
> place - i.e. cable broadband only service [no TV, etc.]). Their modems /
> service used to bind itself to the first MAC it met - is this still the
> case? Would, and I read more recently that resetting the MAC is no longer
> such an issue, it be possible ignoring anything to do with MACs anyhow, to
> route the modem ethernet connection through a hub or switch before it
> meets its "one PC"? I.e. for cabling reasons (not any long enough cat5
> cables so would need to have one from cable modem to hub / switch and then
> one out of that to the target PC).
>
> Where is the best place / where are the best places for cable (more the
> broadband side) discussions? Their used to be many forums for cable
> broadband, cable modems, ntl cable chat generally.
>
> Any input greatly appreciated and gratefully received.
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
>
>
> News Reader
>
>
>[/color]


Hi,


Well I think in conclusion - what I proposed would work (although couplers
may be more sensible and cheaper) as an interim solution - with the
obviously vastly superior solution of a router being the best path to take
as and when ready.

Thanks for all your help.


Best wishes,




News Reader

"Mark McIntyre" <markmcintyre@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:3las439vb5ustquh2971it2s29d01hosqk@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 18 May 2007 00:40:17 +0100, in uk.telecom.broadband , "News
> Reader" <no@email.invalid> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >I have some questions about (former) NTL / Virgin Media cable broadband
> >services.
> >
> >I understand that they now only supply a single ethernet port cable modem
> >(i.e. / e.g. no more USB via a STB[/color]
>
> I think they're trying to phase out the STB with modem model, as most
> STBs won't handle 20Mbps.
>[color=green]
> >Their modems /
> >service used to bind itself to the first MAC it met - is this still the
> >case?[/color]
>
> Not been the case for several years. If you reboot the modem, it binds
> to the first mac it finds after the reboot, up to (I think ) a max of
> three different MACs in a 24-hour period.
> .[color=green]
> >route the modem ethernet connection through a hub or switch before it[/color][/color]
meets[color=blue][color=green]
> >its "one PC"?[/color]
>
> Sure, but pointless - you can't connect anything else to the hub.[/color]

yes you can - anything that doesnt send packets.....

i used a sniffer a couple of years back to find out what was really going
down the wire during a problem.

amazing just how much background traffic was there - all of which is
probably going to get counted against the throttling threshold, now that VM
throttle all users with traffic above a limit between 4pm and midnight.[color=blue]
> .[color=green]
> >I.e. for cabling reasons (not any long enough cat5 cables[/color]
>
> You need some cat5 couplers. Cost about a quid each from maplin.
>
> --
> Mark McIntyre[/color]
--
Regards

[email]stephen_hope@xyzworld.com[/email] - replace xyz with ntl

On Sat, 19 May 2007 14:22:58 GMT, in uk.telecom.broadband , "stephen"
<stephen_hope@xyzworld.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>"Mark McIntyre" <markmcintyre@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>news:3las439vb5ustquh2971it2s29d01hosqk@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On Fri, 18 May 2007 00:40:17 +0100, in uk.telecom.broadband , "News
>> Reader" <no@email.invalid> wrote:
>> .[color=darkred]
>> >route the modem ethernet connection through a hub or switch before it[/color][/color]
>meets its "one PC"?[color=green]
>>
>> Sure, but pointless - you can't connect anything else to the hub.[/color]
>
>yes you can - anything that doesnt send packets.....[/color]

good point - you can't put anything /active/ there.
--
Mark McIntyre

> Hi,[color=blue]
>
>
> Well I think in conclusion - what I proposed would work (although couplers
> may be more sensible and cheaper) as an interim solution - with the
> obviously vastly superior solution of a router being the best path to take
> as and when ready.[/color]


actually

you sound like a virgin virgin (or at least a broadband virgin) and I would
also be tempted to say that a router offers you a lot of protection as it'll
block many ports by default (so it closes problems that your os might have
open)..

Anyhow, good luck..

"mr deo" <rstlne@atatwhereherewheretherehuyeh.com> wrote in message
news:8oI3i.215$CE.174@newsfe5-win.ntli.net...[color=blue][color=green]
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>> Well I think in conclusion - what I proposed would work (although
>> couplers
>> may be more sensible and cheaper) as an interim solution - with the
>> obviously vastly superior solution of a router being the best path to
>> take
>> as and when ready.[/color]
>
>
> actually
>
> you sound like a virgin virgin (or at least a broadband virgin) and I
> would
> also be tempted to say that a router offers you a lot of protection as
> it'll
> block many ports by default (so it closes problems that your os might have
> open)..
>
> Anyhow, good luck..
>
>[/color]


Hi,


Thanks.

I don't know if you saw one my other posts... (I am reasonably competent
with IT / electronics - but yes would be new to cable broadband)... the
realy thing for me is about preservation of investment by having a purchase
that can be used for both ADSL and cable routing (I know some ADSL routers
allow the internal modem to be disabled and one of its [what are typically
4 port] switch ports to be used as the WAN interface and so be used with an
ethernet cable modem (such as Virgin supply) whilst still being able to work
subsequently with ADSL if switching away from Virgin.

Copy of a different post...


===

Hi,


I have a couple of questions about Virgin Media cable broadband (ex-NTL
area).

Specifically, I understand they now only supply new users with standalone
ethernet cable modems (no problem here as never intended to use USB) (also
would be broadband only / without a STB anyhow).

However, as well as wondering about the MAC binding issue (I understand this
is less of an or no issue now - power cycle modem, etc.), I was hoping
someone would clarify if the following scenario would work. In the absence
of sufficient length of cat5 could I insert a hub or switch in the middle of
a run of cable from the cable modem to the pc? I.e. cable modem --> hub or
switch --> the one pc that will use the cable modem?

My instinct / thought is that the answer is probably not - perhaps a bridge
would be needed. But any input appreciated. (I wonder a little bit because
if the cable modem is not routing how can it necessarily determine the
remote machine as being further on down the road through a hub or switch
rather than being directly connected into a computers ethernet port - but I
guess maybe it comes down to the "routing" [as in switch routing tables /
maps {not NAT type router stuff}] / "relaying" function of the hub /
switch).


Best wishes,




xyz

P.s. I understand this is pretty much the best Virgin Media / cable / cable
broadband site / forum / resource. Is that right, are their others worth
knowing about? Thanks.

===


And another post...


Hi,


Thanks for the inputs.

Consensus seems to be that it should work. I do have an old hub around and I
hope and envision to be able to use that creatively to swap between
"attached" PC. I.e. unplug one PC when wishing to use the other with the
connection (both don't need to be connected at once). I think this should
work - doesn't sound like their would be any MAC issues and with most modern
OS's it seems easy enough to set an override MAC address that would match
the other / original PC if necessary.

I think it would arguably be substantially suboptimal!

Focusing on the router alternatives, one interesting dimension, is that I
understand some ADSL routers will permit usage as a generic router through
options to disable the internal ADSL modem and enable one of the inbuilt
(commonly 4 port) switch ports to act as an ethernet WAN interface (for the
internet input side to the router for it to feed out via the remaining
switch ports).

This is quite an attractive option as preserving any router investment
through future interoperability with ADSL services as well as with an NTL
ethernet cable modem.

In particular, their is one rather interesting device I have seen on eBay,
which is a combined ADSL2, NAT router, VoIP ATA and wireless AP for £20.
However, I need to identify if this family of products supports these (I
believe / understand) more rare features of being able to disable the
internal ADSL modem and opt to use one of the ethernet switch ports as a WAN
interface.

Thanks again for the inputs and any further input or thoughts always
appreciated and welcomed. I take it that with the current generation of
Virgin Media cable broadband services (and modems) MAC bonding is not an
issue (or at least not "really" an issue - i.e. can be easily reset, etc.).


Best wishes,



xyz

===



Thanks again for (all) your input.


Best wishes,




News Reader