HELP: Sharing NTL Broadband provided via Set-top Box

Heya,

I've been asked by someone to network together thier PC's so they can
share thier NTL broadband connection. Howver thier connection is via
thier NTL cable tv box. Is this going to be possible or are they going
to need thier own ethernet cable modem?

Hardeep.

Hardeep Rakhra said this...

> Heya,
>
> I've been asked by someone to network together thier PC's so they can
> share thier NTL broadband connection. Howver thier connection is via
> thier NTL cable tv box. Is this going to be possible or are they going
> to need thier own ethernet cable modem?
>
The simplest and most reliable option IMHO is to use a router. The signal
from the set-top box will go to the router and the signal will split there
to the different pc's. The settop box is in effect a cable modem already.
I use a Linksys BEFSR41 which has been 100% reliable and will feed up to 4
pc's.


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.../basicset.html


--
º~ dªv¡d ~º

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:01:53 +0000, Hardeep Rakhra wrote:

> Heya,
>
> I've been asked by someone to network together thier PC's so they can
> share thier NTL broadband connection. Howver thier connection is via
> thier NTL cable tv box. Is this going to be possible or are they going
> to need thier own ethernet cable modem?
>
> Hardeep.

Hi

The sharing is fairly simple depending on whether they're using a USB
connection or Ethernet, I'm not an NTL user BTW. It doesn't really matter
whether they use USB or Ethernet as the process is the same, they can
either use ICS with one PC acting as the host and it needs to be switched
on all the time, have a look at www.practicallynetworked.com or
www.homenethelp.com - both sites have good tutorials for ICS and LAN setup.

My recommended option would be to use a router but that requires the user
to have an Ethernet connection. For some details of setup visit the NTL or
Routers forums at www.cm-forums.co.uk

HTH

Regards

Bill

Groove wrote:

>
> The simplest and most reliable option IMHO is to use a router. The signal
> from the set-top box will go to the router and the signal will split there
> to the different pc's. The settop box is in effect a cable modem already.
> I use a Linksys BEFSR41 which has been 100% reliable and will feed up to 4
> pc's.
>

So what comes out the back of the set-top box is a ethernet connection?
As the description i was given is that they have a "wire" running from
the box to the next room, which as a small box on the wall then a wire
from that to a "small conection" on the computer, which sounded like
usb. just could be a really bad description i suppose.

Hardeep.

Hardeep Rakhra said this...

> So what comes out the back of the set-top box is a ethernet connection?
> As the description i was given is that they have a "wire" running from
> the box to the next room, which as a small box on the wall then a wire
> from that to a "small conection" on the computer, which sounded like
> usb. just could be a really bad description i suppose.

I'm not 100% sure now you ask. My neighbour has this set-up so I could
check this tomorrow. I know his link comes from the STB and connects via
RJ45 to the router but I'm not certain what happens inbetween.
If no-one else offers definite data I'll get back tomorrow.


--
º~ dªv¡d ~º

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 22:38:46 +0000, Hardeep Rakhra wrote:

> Groove wrote:
>
>
>> The simplest and most reliable option IMHO is to use a router. The
>> signal from the set-top box will go to the router and the signal will
>> split there to the different pc's. The settop box is in effect a cable
>> modem already. I use a Linksys BEFSR41 which has been 100% reliable and
>> will feed up to 4 pc's.
>>
>>
> So what comes out the back of the set-top box is a ethernet connection?
> As the description i was given is that they have a "wire" running from
> the box to the next room, which as a small box on the wall then a wire
> from that to a "small conection" on the computer, which sounded like usb.
> just could be a really bad description i suppose.

My NTL STB and all the others I have seen have ethernet connections. NTL
supply (in my case they failed to, but I didn't chase it because I didn't
want it) an ethernet to USB adapter which they recommend using. But this
doesn't mean you have to and IMHO straight ethernet is a lot easier. An
unusually clueful NTL support technician I spoke to once explained that
the recommendation to use USB is because they don't want to tell people to
open up their PCs to install ethernet cards.

Some STBs need crossover cables and some don't. The ones that do have this
clearly marked by the ethernet port. If it doesn't say "crossover
required" it does not require a crossover. NTL support do not appear to be
aware of this. Or of anything else for that matter (with the occasional
exception like the chap I mentioned above). And, naturally, they don't
support connection sharing. But all that means is that if you need support
you ask here rather than calling them.

Regards, Ian

Groove <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:Xns9485EF7AED2FCd4v1d@62.253.162.115:

> Hardeep Rakhra said this...
>
>> So what comes out the back of the set-top box is a ethernet
>> connection?
>> As the description i was given is that they have a "wire"
>> running from
>> the box to the next room, which as a small box on the wall then
>> a wire from that to a "small conection" on the computer, which
>> sounded like usb. just could be a really bad description i
>> suppose.
>
> I'm not 100% sure now you ask. My neighbour has this set-up so I
> could check this tomorrow. I know his link comes from the STB
> and connects via RJ45 to the router but I'm not certain what
> happens inbetween. If no-one else offers definite data I'll get
> back tomorrow.
>
>

The Pace STB has a built-on cable modem with both USB and Ethernet
broadband connections available. The 'wire running to the next room
etc' is almost certainly a UTP (Ethernet) cable to an RJ45 socket,
then a UTP patch cable from the socket to an Ethernet port on the
PC.

You may find this site helpful,:
http://www.networklab.co.uk/cmodem/index.html

I recommend a router-based solution, preferably a recognised brand
name such as Linksys, Netgear, etc.

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

Ian Northeast wrote:

>
> My NTL STB and all the others I have seen have ethernet connections. NTL
> supply (in my case they failed to, but I didn't chase it because I didn't
> want it) an ethernet to USB adapter which they recommend using. But this
> doesn't mean you have to and IMHO straight ethernet is a lot easier. An
> unusually clueful NTL support technician I spoke to once explained that
> the recommendation to use USB is because they don't want to tell people to
> open up their PCs to install ethernet cards.

Ah well that seems to be like the setup in question here. They must
have the USB adaptor thingy.

Thanks.

Hardeep.