Changing ISP's, can I reuse former ISP modem/router?
adarryl
No Man Stands So Tall As When He Stoops To Help a Child. Icrontian
Right now, I am on SDSL with an ISP that required me to purchase an SDSL modem/router (8 port). (In other words, I own the thing now) It is a Netopia R7100-C. However, to get better speeds, I am now changing to a new ISP who is leasing me a Linx 1 port ADSL modem per their contract. In the past, when I went with a single port DSL modem, I had to also use a router (4 port) to connect my other PC's. Well, now my other PC's are 7 in number plus a laptop. (Don't ask why I have 8 pc's when only two of us live here). Anyway, it is clear the new ISP's ADSL modem can't accommodate 8 PC's without a router. Can I reconfigure my former ISP's 8 port SDSL modem/router to work with my new ISP's ADSL service? (There is no CD software installation required, btw) If I can't do this, what would you recommend in order to use the new 1-port ADSL modem with our 8 PC's? Please be specific if you have other hardware recommendations; I am kind of out of my element here trying to get 8 PC's on-line when I only have one port with the new modem. Also, if I can reuse the 8-port SDSL modem, will it matter if it is connected to an ADSL service? THANKS for the help!!
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Use your new ISP's modem. Get yourself a decent router, most of the consumer ones come with a built in 4 port switch. The buy an 8 or 12 port switch. They usually cost around $50 if I remember correctly. I'm sure you can get a good one cheaper.
Here is how your network will go: Modem --> Router --> Switch
And all you have to do is plug the switch into one of the router's switch's ports. If you get an 8 port switch you'll have 10 usable ports in all.
Lemme tell you a little bit about routers and switches. a basic commercial router will have two ports, three maybe. WAN, LAN and maybe DMZ. The routers you buy in stores are just scaled down versions with a 4 port switch integrated into it. In the enterprise setting you would have your router hooked up to your switch and they are independent pieces of hardware.
So what you can do is daisy chain a switch onto your router and it will work much in the same way. So it takes one port to interlink the two, so you loose one off of the router, and one off of the switch. That leaves 3 and 7, or 10 in all that are available for use.
The router itself is just a device that takes care of sending data between two networks. In this case it is your network and the internet (Your ISP's) Routers usually handle DHCP and NAT, which gives you quite a bit of protection and acts as a hardware firewall.
Still not sure if an SDSL router is compatible with ADSL but would like to know.
and you're welcome for the info. I don't make it out of the pub very much (I think I'm a little bit crazy) I've told myself I was gonna venture out and actually help some people every once in a while. Stop by the pub and watch me make a fool of myself sometime.
Also for your router you should just beable to use pppoe.
Interesting. I think I will put a switch and my router together as suggested by ABF, but I will have to do some serious research on my Netopia modem to see if it meets those specs, GrayFox! Thanks for the info!