Virgin Wireless Setup Help

[deeloughran]

My girlfriend has an old virgin setup in her flat and i couldn't get it setup wirelessly. She has two laptops but no desktops. The old modem has only one ethernet port and a coaxial cable must be inserted into the modem. I've linked a netgear router to the ethernet port and you are then able to connect to the laptop (but no internet link available).
Have i done something wrong?
Do i need a new modem from Virgin?
Do they supply modem / routers like Sky do? But i would need a coaxial slot at the back of the modem...

Thanks!

[nickster]

Virgin do supply routers on their cable packages - L size and above. The ethernet cable from the modem plugs into the router they supply, it isn't integrated like some ADSL ones.

[ShALLaX]

Make sure the router is set to use DHCP and make sure its own DHCP server is enabled. After that make sure your desktops and laptops are set to acquire their IP address via DHCP. It should, in theory, then work (for good measure, reboot your desktop and laptop so that they get a new IP - or just disable/re-enable the network interfaces).

It sounds like you're mostly there, but your default gateway may not be set correctly.

[deeloughran]

Sorry for only getting back to this now but only tried it again tonight as the house was getting done up.

All the DHCP settings are fine, both the laptops are connected to the router and each laptop can see the other. The problem is that neither recieve an internet signal with the modem's 'send' and 'recieve' lights both off. Once you take the router out and place an ethernet lead into the modem the lights come back on.

Any ideas?

[strike-down]

Try disabling the routers DHCP and just use the modems DHCP (Only if the modem has one built in) as the two DHCPs could be conflicting with each other. Have done it myself with a talktalk modem and a belkin router

EDIT: You will need to remember your settings on the router, as if it is like my belkin, you will lose access to the routers configuration page. And will need to have the reset button pushed in to restore the dhcp and gain access to the config page again (if it doesnt work)

[Splash]

Is this a cable or ADSL router? You need the former, which will have an ethernet uplink port for you to connect the modem to.

[strike-down]

Is this a cable or ADSL router? You need the former, which will have an ethernet uplink port for you to connect the modem to.

Even if it is an ADSL router, it can still be used as a cable router, so it shouldnt make a difference afaik.

[Grey M@a]

Even if it is an ADSL router, it can still be used as a cable router, so it shouldnt make a difference afaik.

Wrong on so many levels. An ADSL router will not take a cable modem at all. I would get a cable router first off and that will sort most the problems

Basically leave all cables in the Virgin modem and then take the other end of the RJ45 and stick it in a cable router. Once you have done this, turn the modem off and leave it for a few seconds and power it back on. When all lights are active turn the router on. Go through the routers setup for the security and the likes and set the router to run automatic DHCP and then tell the router how many clients it can have (this will dish out the ip's to the number of clients you stated)

Sit back and wait for the router to sort itself out and away you go.

[Splash]

Even if it is an ADSL router, it can still be used as a cable router, so it shouldnt make a difference afaik.

No, no it can't. It can be used as a *switch* which is what they're doing at the moment. How do you propose that an ADSL router would route packets outside of the subnet when nothing is connected to it's WAN port?

[strike-down]

EDIT: By cable router, i mean using it as a network switch, unless im mistaken isnt this all a cable router does? (besides the DHCP functionality)

[Splash]

No, it routes packets between the LAN and the WAN.

[strike-down]

No, it routes packets between the LAN and the WAN.

ok, thats my mistake then. But since the modem is linked to the laptop through an ethernet interface, the modem should have a built in DHCP server and will route WAN packets to the LAN?
So since the modem can do this, if the adsl routers dhcp is disabled and becomes a wireless access point, then surely it should work as the cable modem will be doing the routing? Did for me

[jamin]

If ssend and recieve lights are off on the modem, then it is not finding a valid transport stream. SO cannot rstablish a link to Virgin.

You mention the house being done up so check the coax cable hasnt been disconnected and is reasonably tight at both ends. Also that is hasnt been damaged and is contiuous from the back of the modem to the last point where it leaves your property, it will go through a couple of connection points that you shouldnt tamper with. But a visual inspection may turn up a cable that has been cut or damaged during your renovations

Connect a PC directly to the ethernet port on the modem and set it to get an ip via dhcp, then open IE and type 192.168.100.1 into the address bar. This will bring up the modems dignostic pages. Have a look through and see if it mentions any failures or errors in the log. CHeck the signal level.

Failing that give Virgin a call and book an engineer mate

[GoNz0]

his 2nd post says the modem works ok direct to a latop so we can rule that out, but good idea on checking the modem logs