Weirddave and I each have a computer and as such would like to hook them both up to the DSL at the same time. We had this set up at our last place before our move earlier this month.
When Dave tried to hook it up here, it was a no go. He hooked everything up correctly - exactly the same as we had at the other place, but it didn’t work.
There is no link light on the hub from the modem to the hub. Computer to hub is fine, but modem to hub is not connecting. He has tried it in every socket and he never gets a solid line light on the hub.
As there are so many IT people around here, we thought maybe someone could shed a bit of light on it for us. The person who set it up for us, Tark, is out of ideas and is too far away to just nip in and work on it for us.
Does the DSL ISP require authentication using PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet)? Your hub might be sending incorrect login information to the DSL modem, or not sending any at all, if your previous DSL provider did not require authentication.
My experience is with broadband cable not DSL but I think the lash ups are similar. Typically for a hub with a broadband input to work it has to be a combo router + hub (or switch) not just a hub and needs to have an input specifically labeled “WAN” (wide area network) input. This “WAN” input is what you plug the network cable coming from the cable/DSL modem into. The other inputs usually labeled 1-2-3-4 etc. are for the networked PCs that will share the broadband connection.
If you had cable and are now using DSL you need to make sure you have a router/hub that will work with DSL. If it was DSL both then and now you should not have any problem re compatibility.
Often powering down the router/hub and the cable modem by removing the power plug then waiting 1 minutes then powering up the DSL modem > then the router hub will get them to behave.
If you could tell us the brand and model numbers of the DSL modme and the router/hib it might be helpful in giving you precise hookup info.
Is it the same cable? (Crossover vs. straight-thru)
Is it the same modem type? (Perhaps (unlikely), it’s configured for USB?)
FYI, this is a specific problem between your hub and the modem. So long as what I’m plugging into my hub is powered up and using the proper cable, the light will light up, doesn’t matter what.
It’s the same DSL provider as before, the same modem, the same hub. I did buy new cables in case the old ones had been dammaged in the move, but neither the new or old ones work.
Does the hub have a “PC” light? Is it on? What does the modem display anyhow?
My cable modem has a “PC” light if it’s connected to something, I imagine if you’ve got one it isn’t on either.
Does a direct connection from modem to computer work, perchance? I can’t imagine it would, but it’d be easy to do. If you end up needing to call your provider, they’ll want you to do this anyhow.
You sure you’re using the exact same cable? If the modem requires a crossover, then it has to be that, or what you describe will happen. Other than that, I really don’t have any ideas right now. :-/
Does the hub have a “PC” light? Is it on? What does the modem display anyhow?
My cable modem has a “PC” light if it’s connected to something, I imagine if you’ve got one it isn’t on either.
Does a direct connection from modem to computer work, perchance? I can’t imagine it would, but it’d be easy to do. If you end up needing to call your provider, they’ll want you to do this anyhow.
You sure you’re using the exact same cable? If the modem requires a crossover, then it has to be that, or what you describe will happen. Other than that, I really don’t have any ideas right now. :-/
What type of computers & operating systems are these?
I know some cable ISPs only let you use them with ONE computer, thus only giving you one address, but I don’t your DSL provider so I don’t know if this is happening too.
My vote is on a bad (broken) or wrong (straight vs crossover) cable. Or, a hardware failure of the modem or hub/router.
If you’re running the DSL modem to a hub, that generally needs a crossover cable. Which port you use on the hub doesn’t matter - unless one of them has a switch next to it to select the kind of cable. These typically are labeled with “=” and “x” But, hubs aren’t a good way to go to begin with.
The better way is to use a router - the Linksys BEFSR41 is a good one. For one of these, you’d use a straight-through LAN cable from the modem to the router’s WAN port.
If you have the proper cable, you should have a green “link” light on each end. This is a hardware issue - PPPoE or whatever software settings shouldn’t affect this.
To identify straight vs crossover LAN cables, hold the ends side by side with the gold contacts up. Straight cables have the same progression of colors left to right at each end - typically two orange, a green, two blue, a green and two brown. Crossover cables will have a different arrangement of colors at each end.