How to setup AOL silver with broadband router?>

Folks,

I neighbourt has asked me to help sort out his AOL silver connection.
Yes I know, AOL are dire but he has signed up for a year.

The crap USB modem that they supplied is not found when the machine boot ups
and required that the USB lead be unplugged, then plugged in again before
the machine sees it. After spending hours with it I think it best o get a
router instead.


Googling suggests that it can be tricky to set up AOL silver with a router
because one must configure the router to login as [(E-Mail Removed)].
Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
screen-name is already is use (by the router).

Is that right? Is there a work-around? Does anyone know who to set this up?

He has no need to share the connection - he just wants to connect via 1 PC
via the router.


TIA - Adam

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Adam Lipscombe
says...
> Folks,
>
> I neighbourt has asked me to help sort out his AOL silver connection.
> Yes I know, AOL are dire but he has signed up for a year.
>
> The crap USB modem that they supplied is not found when the machine boot ups
> and required that the USB lead be unplugged, then plugged in again before
> the machine sees it. After spending hours with it I think it best o get a
> router instead.
>
>
> Googling suggests that it can be tricky to set up AOL silver with a router
> because one must configure the router to login as [(E-Mail Removed)].
> Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
> screen-name is already is use (by the router).
>
> Is that right? Is there a work-around? Does anyone know who to set this up?
>
All you need to do is set the MTU setting to 1400. If your router won;t
allow you to alter it, then you can't use it.

You select LAN as the connection option in AOLs client.


--
Conor

Windows & Outlook/OE in particular, shipped with settings making them
as open to entry as a starlet in a porno. Steve B

Adam Lipscombe wrote:

> Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
> screen-name is already is use (by the router).

Is the 'silver' account for one PC only ? Using an alternative browser
and not touching the AOL software will probably be a very good move...

AOL mail can be accessed via the browser, and presumably other features
of the service can also be accessed that way. Peter M.

(I have never used AOL, but a neighbour had problems last summer when
his connection speed went up to 2000 kbps, and I lent him a router so
he could carry on with AOL, and he just uses their webmail nowadays.)

In article <43d53686$0$1482$(E-Mail Removed)>, Peter
M says...
> Adam Lipscombe wrote:
>
> > Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
> > screen-name is already is use (by the router).
>
> Is the 'silver' account for one PC only ? Using an alternative browser
> and not touching the AOL software will probably be a very good move...
>
> AOL mail can be accessed via the browser, and presumably other features
> of the service can also be accessed that way. Peter M.

Even better, there's toolbars available:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail...fox/1113505480
/2

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail...rnet_Explorer/
1113505480/1

--
Conor

Windows & Outlook/OE in particular, shipped with settings making them
as open to entry as a starlet in a porno. Steve B

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
"Adam Lipscombe" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Folks,
>
> I neighbourt has asked me to help sort out his AOL silver connection.
> Yes I know, AOL are dire but he has signed up for a year.
>
> The crap USB modem that they supplied is not found when the machine boot ups
> and required that the USB lead be unplugged, then plugged in again before
> the machine sees it. After spending hours with it I think it best o get a
> router instead.
>
>
> Googling suggests that it can be tricky to set up AOL silver with a router
> because one must configure the router to login as [(E-Mail Removed)].
> Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
> screen-name is already is use (by the router).
>
> Is that right? Is there a work-around? Does anyone know who to set this up?
>
> He has no need to share the connection - he just wants to connect via 1 PC
> via the router.
>
>
> TIA - Adam

Set up another screen name and use that with the router, then he can use
his main screen name with the AOL software which should detect the
broadband link when you set up the connection.

Also, as another poster has said, you need to change the MTU on the
router to 1400. I've done it on my router (DSL-504) using HyperTerminal.
On other routers (e.g. the Netgear DG834 series) the MTU can be changed
via the web interface, I believe. Use DrTCP to change the MTU on the PC
then he can avoid the AOL software if he wishes - he can browse using
Firefox, Opera, IE, whatever he wants. And, now that AOL support IMAP
and SMTP, he can use OE, Thunderbird, etc for email.

--
Steve

Adam Lipscombe <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I neighbourt has asked me to help sort out his AOL silver connection.
> Yes I know, AOL are dire but he has signed up for a year.

Actually, they're now not nearly as bad as people make out. They have
freephone support (which is unique as far as I know), and their broadband
product really is unlimited usage. AOL also has an extremely agressive
and effective anti-spam policy.

I'm not a customer of AOL's, but I've been surprisingly impressed by
what I've seen of them over the past 18 months or so.


> The crap USB modem that they supplied is not found when the machine boot ups
> and required that the USB lead be unplugged, then plugged in again before
> the machine sees it.

Have you tried calling the AOL help line? Try nicely first; you can
always hint at cancelling the AOL package later - on the grounds of
faulty equipment not being fixed - if necessary.


> Googling suggests that it can be tricky to set up AOL silver with a router
> because one must configure the router to login as [(E-Mail Removed)].
> Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
> screen-name is already is use (by the router).

That's correct. A work-around is either to upgrade to Platinum, or else
simply not to use the AOL software on the PC. Firefox/IE for web browsing
and Thunderbird/Outlook (Express) for email will do just fine.

Chris

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:32:28 +0000, chris-(E-Mail Removed) wrote:


>
>> Googling suggests that it can be tricky to set up AOL silver with a router
>> because one must configure the router to login as [(E-Mail Removed)].
>> Then, when you try to connect with the AOL software you cant because the
>> screen-name is already is use (by the router).
>
> That's correct. A work-around is either to upgrade to Platinum, or else
> simply not to use the AOL software on the PC. Firefox/IE for web browsing
> and Thunderbird/Outlook (Express) for email will do just fine.
>
> Chris

Actually.... the restriction on AOL Silver seems to be that you can't have
more than 1 id logged on at the same through the AOL software. So I set up
an id just for the router and can still log on using the AOL software with
my main id - which isn't that often. The only time that I need to switch it
on is when I need to do something with/to my account, like check my billing
info or change a password. The rest of the time I use
Firefox/Opera/Thunderbird/Safari/etc. The only thing that AOL lacks is its
own newsgroup service. But that's easily solved by subscribing to a service
such as APN - I get 7GB per month for $2.95.

--
Steve

chris-(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> They have freephone support (which is unique as far as I know),

Are you sure ? I think they switched to 0870 in July or August,
as a neighbour had just been regraded to 2000 kbps and was then
unable to connect... Several calls later their response was for
him to 'contact his hardware supplier' (it was a USB driver prob,
as far as I could tell with the original USB modem no longer able
to connect, but the router I lent him had no problem at all) Peter

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:00:26 +0000, Peter M <us-(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Are you sure ? I think they switched to 0870 in July or August,

looks that way at <http://www.aol.co.uk/about/contact/>

there's a geographic alternative on there for "international" use

Phil
--
http://www.notspot.info/ - if you can't get the Broadband you want.

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Phil Thompson
says...
> On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:00:26 +0000, Peter M <us-(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >Are you sure ? I think they switched to 0870 in July or August,
>
> looks that way at <http://www.aol.co.uk/about/contact/>
>
0800 2006254 For new member services.
0117 9191100 Geographical number.


--
Conor

Windows & Outlook/OE in particular, shipped with settings making them
as open to entry as a starlet in a porno. Steve B