Silly broadband question

I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
door.

What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy buy
a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?

"Niaz Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
> door.
>
> What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy
buy
> a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?

Whilst you need an initial CAT5 cable (wired) connection, you are best off
buying a router that comes with a free USB adapter. Once your router is
setup, connect via the USB adapter wirelessly so that your PC can remain
upstairs whilst your router sits next to a free phone socket.

There was an offer on with the Netgear DG834G with a free USB Adapter (at
Simply or BT Shop) but they are out of stock.

Someone might be able to list an alternative.

AMO

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 19:21:08 +0100, Niaz Khan wrote:

> I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
> door.
>
> What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy buy
> a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?

any old phone extension lead will do the job - so long as you're using a
plug-in filter, which you can plug into the computer end of the extension
lead if you don't need to plug a phone in by the front door.

the only time you could have problems with this is if you're at the very
edge of adsl range and the extra connectors/line pushes your connection
beyond tolerances - but this isn't very likely.

will

"will kemp" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed) t...
> On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 19:21:08 +0100, Niaz Khan wrote:
>
> > I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
> > door.
> >
> > What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy
buy
> > a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?
>
> any old phone extension lead will do the job - so long as you're using a
> plug-in filter, which you can plug into the computer end of the extension
> lead if you don't need to plug a phone in by the front door.
>
> the only time you could have problems with this is if you're at the very
> edge of adsl range and the extra connectors/line pushes your connection
> beyond tolerances - but this isn't very likely.
>

At the moment downstairs I have a 2 port connector with the phone in one &
an extension lead going into the bedroom to plug into the modem.
So if I read your reply correctly, all i need to do is use a plug in filter
at the end of the lead & then add the broadband lead from there back to the
modem ?

I've just checked on the Zen website & it says I can get up to 2mb on my
line.


--
--
Niaz Khan
'..getting old & still playing video games..'

"AMO" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4149dda9$0$41657$(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Niaz Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
> > door.
> >
> > What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy
> buy
> > a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?
>
> Whilst you need an initial CAT5 cable (wired) connection, you are best off
> buying a router that comes with a free USB adapter. Once your router is
> setup, connect via the USB adapter wirelessly so that your PC can remain
> upstairs whilst your router sits next to a free phone socket.

I've not use any wireless setup yet but am concern that the connection will
work from my pc to the box downstairs. Do i need to be or not ?
I would be more comfartable with a fixed wired solution.

> There was an offer on with the Netgear DG834G with a free USB Adapter (at
> Simply or BT Shop) but they are out of stock.

I would be more comfortable with something I could trail back into the pc
room & then connect into the pc.


--
--
Niaz Khan
'..getting old & still playing video games..'

"Niaz Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've not use any wireless setup yet but am concern that the connection
will
> work from my pc to the box downstairs. Do i need to be or not ?
> I would be more comfartable with a fixed wired solution.

Even if you go for a wired solution, go for a wireless router. You can
still connect to it using wires, but when you get confident with wirelss
connections, you can make use of the free USB Adapter afterwards.

If it helps, I have the Netgear DG834G. I have one computer connected wired
and another connected wirelessly.

AMO

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Niaz Khan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the
> front door.
>
> What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I
> jusy buy a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?

I see from later posts that you don't fancy wireless connections. You appear
to have only one computer to connect.

There are two basic options:

1. Use an extension kit (with extension socket and proper twisted pair
telephone cable) and istall the extension socket close to the computer -
with the other end of the cable connected into the master socket downstairs.
Plug a mirco-filter into the extension socket, and connect the computer to
the filter's ADSL socket and a phone (if desired) to the filter's phone
socket. Use filters in any sockets where phones, fax machines etc. are
connected.
[If you go this route, *do* use proper twisted pair cable connected into a
socket fixed to the wall. Don't use a portable extension cable of the sort
which has a BT plug on one end and a moulded socket on the other.]

2. Replace the removeable faceplate on your downstairs master socket with an
ADSL filtered faceplate. Run a digital extension cable from the ADSL outlet
on the faceplate to an RJ11 socket installed near the computer. [If you buy
a modified faceplate, as sold by Clarity, you can wire a digital extension
into the back rather than having to plug it into the front].
--
Cheers,
Tim
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

"AMO" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4149dda9$0$41657$(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Niaz Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the front
>> door.
>>
>> What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I jusy
> buy
>> a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?
>
> Whilst you need an initial CAT5 cable (wired) connection, you are best off
> buying a router that comes with a free USB adapter. Once your router is
> setup, connect via the USB adapter wirelessly so that your PC can remain
> upstairs whilst your router sits next to a free phone socket.

Bit of an expensive option just for one PC don't you think?

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Tiscali Tim
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
>Niaz Khan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> I have my PC's upstairs & the main phone line is downstairs my the
>> front door.
>>
>> What's the best way to get he broadband connection to my pc - can I
>> jusy buy a 15m cat5 cable & plug it in ?
>
>I see from later posts that you don't fancy wireless connections. You appear
>to have only one computer to connect.
>
>There are two basic options:
>
>1. Use an extension kit (with extension socket and proper twisted pair
>telephone cable) and istall the extension socket close to the computer -
>with the other end of the cable connected into the master socket downstairs.
>Plug a mirco-filter into the extension socket, and connect the computer to
>the filter's ADSL socket and a phone (if desired) to the filter's phone
>socket. Use filters in any sockets where phones, fax machines etc. are
>connected.
>[If you go this route, *do* use proper twisted pair cable connected into a
>socket fixed to the wall. Don't use a portable extension cable of the sort
>which has a BT plug on one end and a moulded socket on the other.]
>
>2. Replace the removeable faceplate on your downstairs master socket with an
>ADSL filtered faceplate. Run a digital extension cable from the ADSL outlet
>on the faceplate to an RJ11 socket installed near the computer. [If you buy
>a modified faceplate, as sold by Clarity, you can wire a digital extension
>into the back rather than having to plug it into the front].

Now were getting to interesting stuff. Broadband was only committed here
a few months ago, and although I have been lurking in this newsgroup for
longer back than that, one impression has been that things are changing
so rapidly that it was useless for me t pay any close attention.

Attention is now focussed, and there is little to be found for those new
to broadband - no helpful magazine articles for beginners to broadband.

The info on cables given above is like gold dust to me. My current
set-up is three PCs upstairs on a peer to peer network (been doing that
for some eight years or so) and master socket downstairs, portable
extension cable trailed between (unwilling to bore necessary large holes
to thread that cable through).

So with the cable advised, I guess I can now drill suitably small holes,
thread cable through and wire it to back of modified faceplate (e.g.
Clarity, as above).

This raises questions:

1. Will BT (in my case) install a new master socket for broadband or
will there be no such change?

2. I shall need to know which wires to connect where (Way back I bought
a new master socket only to discover that the wiring details were a
GREAT SECRET, not to be disclosed to mere users).

3. My new cable will pass through my study, close by my two PCs, and
proceed through the wall via an existing plastic channel to my wife's
study, where I propose to install two further sockets (who knows, she
may get another PC some day). Can I daisy-chain sockets on the cable
like this? It seems intuitive to me, but that sometimes turns out to be
a false assumption.

Advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks for all info so far.

--
Michael J Kingston - Researching Family History
News of surname DIGWEED always welcomed
< Remove my initials from the "To:" address field when replying >

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Mike Kingston <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
> So with the cable advised, I guess I can now drill suitably small
> holes, thread cable through and wire it to back of modified faceplate
> (e.g. Clarity, as above).

Yes.

>
> This raises questions:
>
> 1. Will BT (in my case) install a new master socket for broadband or
> will there be no such change?

Assuming you go for self-install rather than BT-install ADSL, BT won't visit
your premises. The default assumption is that you will use plug-in
micro-filters. However, you can instead use a filtered faceplate - which is
a technically better solution. [Note: you can *only* legally do this if you
have an NTE5 master socket with removeable faceplate - although Clarity do
have a solution if you have the old-style master socket. See
http://www.clarity.it/telecoms/adsl_faceplate.htm ]

>
> 2. I shall need to know which wires to connect where (Way back I
> bought a new master socket only to discover that the wiring details
> were a GREAT SECRET, not to be disclosed to mere users).

Are you talking here about telephone wiring or a digital extension from the
filtered faceplate for ADSL?

If you're talking about wiring ordinary phone extensions, there's plenty of
information at
http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wi...telephone.html

If you're talking about a digital extension, you need only one pair of
wires - it doesn't matter which pair you use in the phone cable as long as
it *is* a twisted pair - e.g. green with white marker + white with green
marker. The modified faceplate has two terminals to which these wires have
to be attached - it doesn't matter which way round. At the other end of the
extension, you'll need an RJ11 or RJ45 socket [ See
http://www.clarity.it/telecoms/adsl_...nd_sockets.htm ]
The two wires of your twisted pair need to connect to the *middle* two
conductors in the socket - i.e. 3 & 4 for a RJ11 (6-way) or 4 & 5 for a RJ45
(8-way) socket. Note: the RJ11 plug provided with your ADSL equipment will
fit either type of socket.
BTW, I see that Clarity's digital extension kits use CAT5 cable - which is
similar to twisted pair phone cable, but a higher spec with better noise
rejection. Whilst not *essential*, it certainly won't do any harm to use
this.

>
> 3. My new cable will pass through my study, close by my two PCs, and
> proceed through the wall via an existing plastic channel to my wife's
> study, where I propose to install two further sockets (who knows, she
> may get another PC some day). Can I daisy-chain sockets on the cable
> like this? It seems intuitive to me, but that sometimes turns out to
> be a false assumption.
>

You talked earlier about having a peer-to-peer network with several
computers. If you want these all to have access to the internet, what you
*don't* do is to connect each of them individually to ADSL. What you need is
an ADSL Router (i.e. a combined ADSL modem/router/firewall) which has a
*single* connection into an ADSL socket. Each computer then connects to the
router, using an ethernet cable connected to a network port on the computer.
[You presumably already have a hub at the heart of your peer-to-peer
network? If so, replace it with the router. The network will still work in
the same way but, in addition, all computers will have access to the
internet via the shared connection].

At this point, someone is sure to jump in and say that all you *really* need
is an ADSL modem (probably USB - ugh!) in one of your compuetrs - and then
use Internet Connection Sharing
(ICS) to share the connection with the other computers in your network. Well
alright - it *does* work, after a fashion, but a router is a far better
solution.

HTH.
--
Cheers,
Tim
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.