(OT) Building a network

mottlee · #1 September 2nd, 2004, 07:03 PM

OK, I am so so with computers, I was given a D-Link broadband router, I now have cable I want to hook up my daughters laptop to the system and she has a wireless conn built in.
The cable modem was hooked to my system Via USB not the cat5 do I need to get something else to make this work?
I have spen 3 hrs trying to get it to run and I have uninstalled the D-Link software now. any help will not be thown out

Fyron · #2 September 2nd, 2004, 07:20 PM

Yes, you will need cat 5 cables. The cable modem will need to be hooked into the uplink port on the d-link router. Is it a wireless router? If not, each computer will need to be connected to the router via cat 5 cables. If so, all computers lacking wireless network cards will need to be hooked in via cat 5 cable.

You will need to configure the wireless router to accept the notebook computer over the wireless network. It is quite possible that the router has MAC address filtering enabled, which prevents any wireless network device from connecting to it unless it has been explicitly authorized. I don't know about d-link routers, but with netgear, you can go to a web browser on a PC connected to the network and type in the address 192.168.0.1 to interface with the router configuration. You will need to know the login id and password. Did you get a manual with the router? If not, you might want to search Online on the D-Like web site for one.

mottlee · #3 September 3rd, 2004, 12:29 AM

OK I think I have some searching to do, software I have is for a laptop card and a plug in for a computer not for the router it's self

as it is now comes from modem with a USB cable to my system the router has a Cat5 input (listed as WAN) not USB

Fyron · #4 September 3rd, 2004, 12:38 AM

You probably don't need any software for the router. Just a web browser _should_ work, but again, I have never used D-Link...

Does the modem have a cat 5 port on it? If so, you just need to remove the USB cable and hook it up with cat 5 to the router in the WAN port. Then plug another cat 5 cable in to your computer, from a port on the router. You will need a network card for the computer, if you do not already have one. MotherBoards made in the Last 3 years or so generally have a network card built in to them. Your desktop computer plugged in with cat 5 should configure itself to network through the router if you are using windows 2000 or XP. Might need to reboot, but that should be all. If you are running windows 98 or ME, it gets trickier.

mottlee · #5 September 3rd, 2004, 12:57 PM

OK I un-pluged the modem, router removed the USB installed the Cat5, pluged them in and nothing....I pluged the modem power into the router..me thinks I fried it now

Fyron · #6 September 3rd, 2004, 03:03 PM

What are the voltage, current and power Ratings listed for the router, its plug, the modem, and its plug?

rdouglass · #7 September 3rd, 2004, 04:41 PM

Well, if you didn't fry the hardware, the easiest way to setup a D-Link is to power on the equipment in the proper order. Hook up all equipment powered off using the ethernet cables as suggested. (They don't actually have to be cat5 but you'll get your best performance with good cat5 cables.)

1. Power on cable modem first and be sure it's status lights are normal (don't use USB connection).

2. Power on D_Link router and ensure WAN activity LED's.

3. Power on PC. Check router for LAN activity LED's. Open a browser to http://192.168.0.1 to view and change the router web interface. (At least with factory defaults anyways). If you can hit the management interface, LAN side of router is OK.

4. For wireless, be sure to change the SSID and use WEP right away.

These options usually work 'out-of-the-box' from D_Link when used with a standard dynamic-IP cable modem. DSL modems are a little different in the sense you'll have to config your PPPoE stuff. However, the default settings are wide-open for wireless hence my advice above.

I use D-Link a lot and have had quite good luck with them for the money.

Hope it helps.

Gandalf Parker · #8 September 3rd, 2004, 03:18 PM

Do you have any old computers in the closet? Lots of fun there. Seperate firewalls, honeypots, or a game server? You can even replace your ISP. Seriously. It takes alot less computer to serve things to the net than it takes to create them. What is too crappy to be a desktop or game machine is often 3 times as much as you need for a server. 10 times as much if you go with Linux. 50 times as much if you go Unix.