Coaxial cabled router

[utdmleach]

Hi, my brother wishes to get a wirless router in his new flat but the only connection availible to the net is through a Coaxial cable. I don't recall having seen any such connection on netgear's etc and was wondering if you could reccomend me one (if there are any). He has a phone line which could recieve an ADSL contract but he's signed up to the apartments ISP through this cable and can't cancel :s

[Stompy]

To use cable with a router you need a standard router that doesn't have a built in modem, and a seperate cable modem with ethernet port.

[ultim8um]

Commonly referred to as a Broadband router (but check anything purporting to be a broadband router for a built in ADSL modem!!!). It should have a single ethernet port (RJ45) on the WAN side instead of an RJ11 (for ADSL equipped routers). Also the cable modems are usually supplied by the network e.g. Telewest / NTL etc

[gary_rip]

You must use the model supplied by the ISP. This would then plug into the router via a cat5e network cable. You can use and ADSL router but you would need to disable the modem, this can be more hastle than its worth! If its new and you have an ADSL one then i would take it back ASAP!

[ukengineer]

You require a Cable/DSL router, NOT an ADSL router.

[tfboy]

As ukengineer said, get a normal cable/dsl router with no adsl modem inside it.

Something like a Linksys WRT54G / WRT54GS. They're a lot cheaper than adsl modem routers (cos you're not paying for the modem).

The cable company (NTL, Telewest...) will provide the cable modem themselves. You'll have to use it because the MAC address of the box they provide determine what level of service you get. Unlike ADSL, you don't "dial up and authenticate" to get connected - it's always on.

[peterb]

Unlike ADSL, you don't "dial up and authenticate" to get connected - it's always on.

ADSL is always on! There is no 'dial up'! (Although some USB modems use the term dial up to indicate making a connection after it has been powered up)

[nichomach]

You must use the model supplied by the ISP. This would then plug into the router via a cat5e network cable. You can use and ADSL router but you would need to disable the modem, this can be more hastle than its worth! If its new and you have an ADSL one then i would take it back ASAP!

This advice is incorrect in the following regards:

1) Most ADSL routers (that is to say routers containing a built-in ADSL modem) WILL NOT HAVE an external ethernet interface, only the interface for ADSL and their internal ethernet ports. Such a router CANNOT be used with a cable connection.

2) You do NOT have to use a router supplied by the ISP. I've been on cable for years, and I've used routers from SMC, D-Link, 3Com and Belkin with no problems. You WILL need the ISP's cable modem, which should provide an ethernet connection for plugging into the WAN ethernet interface on a cable/DSL style router (i.e. one with an external ethernet interface which could plug into either a cable or ADSL ethernet modem).

I'll provide some suitable candidates in a few minutes.

edit:
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3YRS

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=2CS8

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=2HZ6

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=2CM7

Your ISP (either NTL or Telewest) should have supplied a cable modem as part of the subscription for internet access.

[ukengineer]

ADSL is always on! There is no 'dial up'! (Although some USB modems use the term dial up to indicate making a connection after it has been powered up)

only if you set it in the router settings to be perm on, otherwise, it silently dials up for you.

[dave87]

only if you set it in the router settings to be perm on, otherwise, it silently dials up for you.

Nope, most modem routers will be 'always on' as otherwise I wouldn't be able to remote desktop to my home PC

[ukengineer]

Dlink, belkin and Netgear all default to dial on demand, setup enough of these to know this thanks.

[Tobeman]

I setup a god awful Linksys ADSL router the other week that was dial-on-demand by default I've had a great experience with my WRT54GS and never want to change it, this ADSL model left a lot to be desired though.

[schmunk]

Dlink, belkin and Netgear all default to dial on demand, setup enough of these to know this thanks.

That's certainly not true for my Netgear router, in fact I'm not sure it's even an option. Thanks.

[dave87]

That's certainly not true for my Netgear router, in fact I'm not sure it's even an option. Thanks.

Same as schmunk - the only option that vaguely has a time limit on it is the automatic logout for the admin page. Nothing else in there vaguely the same (and I've set up quite a few, ranging across Netgear, Belkin, BT, Actiontec - have used Linksys aswell, but that was a Router rather than modem/router)

The only other thing I can think of that would relate to dial on demand is if the modem is disconnected at the time, it will dial when a request is made for a webpage (more like an automatic reconnect than dial on demand)

[tfboy]

Chaps, when I said dial up and authenticate, I put it in quote marks, as I meant it loosly.

With adsl, you have a username and password. You initiate (hence the bad use of the word "dial up") a connection to the authentication server which then lets you on. The physical adsl link is always up and running, but you're not necessarily "logically" connected.

Buy a brand new adsl modem that uses USB. Plug it in, install the drivers and you're done, but you still won't be able to surf the net until you've provided your account details. You'll get a normal dial-up networking box, provide username and details. Of course, you can put any telephone number in as it doesn't dial using dtmf. That's what PPPoA gives you

Put in other terms, if you cancel an ADSL contract, you don't have an engineer go to the racks and "disable" the ADSL functionality. The ADSL modem will still synchronise, but you won't have any IP packets going along.

That is the distinction I wanted to make with cable where the "dial up and authentication" happens automatically with the broadband-supplied cable modem. You don't have to put in any settings, your PC gets an IP address over DHCP and you're up and running.

That's all I was trying to point out.

[dave87]

Tfboy - I understood what you meant by 'dial-up' and it is true with USB ADSL modems that it has a similar process

Merely what I was taking objection to was the suggestion that the same happens with standalone modem/routers, which (usually) remain connected permanently - don't worry - it wasn't directed at you