Facts: I bought a D-Link router
I have mediacom cable internet
I have an HP laptop
The service I use has the TV cable from the wall go into a box made by RCA that reads “digital broadband”
The box is connected to the wireless router by an ethernet cord.
Currently my laptop is connected to the wireless router directly by ethernet cord.
I am thinking of returning the wireless router since it won’t really be used.
My computer will no longer recognize the internet if I connect directly to the box with an ethernet cord, the way I used to.
Issues: 1 Why can’t I connect to the internet this way anymore?
2 How can I make my computer recoginize the internet like it used to without the wireless router?
What’s your OS? If it’s anything less than XP chances are the OS will not be able to self configure, and you’ll need to call your ISP to walk you through the correct network connection settings to load in.
BTW most wireless routers have hardware firewalls built in, which are nice for general protection against a host of opportunistic malwares even if you never use the wireless feature.
With my cable company I am only allowed one authorized device connected to the cable modem. When switching hardware I have to run their software to change the device. For example, my original setup had the ethernet running directly from the modem to my PC. I bought a router and connected it between the two, and until I ran their software to authorize the router I couldn’t get an internet connection. If I return to my original setup, i’d have to re-authorize my original PC.
Try calling your cable company if you don’t have their software.
I have three wireless keyboards (2 microsofts, 1 logitech) and four wireless mice (2 microsofts, 2 logitechs) scattered aboot the room, have had trouble connecting or reconnecting with them all. About sick of so-called “wireless” technology. Usually end up plugging in my ten dollar wired keyboard and mouse in desperation.
This information is correct. Cable companies record the MAC address of the device connected to your cable modem, and restrict any other devices. You should call your cable company and tell them the MAC address of the ethernet interface you’ll be connecting to your modem.
You can find this 12-digit hex address by opening the command prompt (start->run->cmd), and typing in “ipconfig /all”. Look for the “Physical address”.
For the record, the best way to connect a router to a cable modem is to “spoof” your computer’s MAC address (almost all routers have this feature). That way, you can swap routers around all you want without having to call your cable company.
Wow. It worked. I guess that sometimes the most logical way is the best…
I was just impatient to begin with and I would unplug the modem then plug it right back in. lesson learned and patience really is a virtue. Thank you to everyone!
Now the hijack: Why 3 minutes? Why doesn’t the modem reset itself completely after power is turned off?
As was mentioned, most ISPs will limit the number of IPs assigned per modem to 1 or 2, each IP address being assigned to a specific network card (or MAC address). Once it’s been assigned to your router, your laptop or PC or XBox or whatever you want to plug in won’t be able to get one until the ISP realizes the old assignment is no longer valid.
I don’t know if this information is kept in the cable modem or at the ISP someplace, but 30 seconds w/o electricity normally flushes that info. Back when I did cable modem tech support, we were told 3 minutes, which accounts for slow refreshes, different cable modem models, customers with a fast sense of time, etc.
