please help! confused!

10 Nov 2006 3:22 PM

Sezzastar

Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
confuse me more!
I have just bought a second hand laptop (a dell inspiron 1000), my parents
already have a desktop computer at home, i was intending to go wireless so i
could use the laptop in my room. the problem is .. well let me try my hardest
to explain...

we are currently on aol silver broadband and i noticed the modem box we have
only has 2 wires coming out the back - usb and dsl (apparantly we are on
cable dsl but we run our internet through the phoneline), i know you have to
get a PCMCIA card that slots into the laptop, and also a wireless modem
router and also a wireless usb adaptor which i take it plugs into the usb
socket on the back of the modem box?

will this work on our modem box or will we have to get an upgrade? ive
noticed other peoples boxes have more wires coming out that ours, will this
be possible to set up a wireless network? There, i tried my hardest! i will
be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be this
hard! Thankyou..

10 Nov 2006 4:49 PM

Doug Sherman [MVP]

In theory this is easy to do. The biggest exception to this statement is
AOL. Although AOL claims that AOL Silver (DSL) supports home networking,
they also claim to support only certain routers, recommend that you give the
router a screen name, and generally impose recommendations/requirements that
apply to no other kind of Internet connection, etc. Start here:

http://info.aol.co.uk/broadband/homeNetworking.adp?promo=228937&promoCode=22
8937#modemList

I recommend that you consult an AOL centric board, someone with recent
experience setting this up in your area, or as a last resort - AOL tech
support.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

Show quoteHide quote

"Sezzastar" <u28938@uwe> wrote in message news:6915644358fd1@uwe...
> Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
> confuse me more!
> I have just bought a second hand laptop (a dell inspiron 1000), my parents
> already have a desktop computer at home, i was intending to go wireless so
i
> could use the laptop in my room. the problem is .. well let me try my
hardest
> to explain...
>
> we are currently on aol silver broadband and i noticed the modem box we
have
> only has 2 wires coming out the back - usb and dsl (apparantly we are on
> cable dsl but we run our internet through the phoneline), i know you have
to
> get a PCMCIA card that slots into the laptop, and also a wireless modem
> router and also a wireless usb adaptor which i take it plugs into the usb
> socket on the back of the modem box?
>
> will this work on our modem box or will we have to get an upgrade? ive
> noticed other peoples boxes have more wires coming out that ours, will
this
> be possible to set up a wireless network? There, i tried my hardest! i
will
> be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be
this
> hard! Thankyou..
>

10 Nov 2006 10:41 PM

Sezzastar via WindowsKB.com

Thanks so much for your reply, I just looked and seen that aol does not
support home networking on cable, i take it as in that is the connection we
have- cable dsl. So how do i fix this problem?

>
>> Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
>> confuse me more!
>[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>> be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be this
>> hard! Thankyou..

--
Message posted via WindowsKB.com
http://www.windowskb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/windows-wireless/200611/1

10 Nov 2006 11:14 PM

Lem

Sezzastar via WindowsKB.com wrote:

> Thanks so much for your reply, I just looked and seen that aol does not
> support home networking on cable, i take it as in that is the connection we
> have- cable dsl. So how do i fix this problem?
>>> Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
>>> confuse me more!
>> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>>> be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be this
>>> hard! Thankyou..
>

As the words are usually used, "cable" Internet service is not the same
as "DSL" Internet service. Cable Internet service comes on the same
type of coaxial cable that your cable TV comes on. DSL Internet service
comes on a regular telephone wire. If the connector going into your
modem looks like this, you have DSL:
http://cableorganizer.com/images/networking/RJ45-plug.jpg
If it looks more like this, you have cable:
http://www.cablestogo.com/assets/product_images/product_list_images/40362.jpg

AOL is notorious for doing things in a non-standard way. You probably
will not find much help here with AOL-related problems, because I doubt
that many of the people who regularly visit here use AOL.

To directly answer your question, if AOL does not support home
networking on the type of service you have, you should switch from AOL
to another provider. You'll be glad you did.

--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

11 Nov 2006 12:50 AM

David Hettel

See Below;

--
David Hettel

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group for everyone
to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions addressed directly to me in
E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

DISCLAIMER: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, made in relation to the accuracy, reliability
or content of this post. The author shall not be liable for any direct,
indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or
inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post and confers
no rights.

Show quoteHide quote

"Sezzastar" <u28938@uwe> wrote in message news:6915644358fd1@uwe...
> Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
> confuse me more!
> I have just bought a second hand laptop (a dell inspiron 1000), my parents
> already have a desktop computer at home, i was intending to go wireless so
> i
> could use the laptop in my room. the problem is .. well let me try my
> hardest
> to explain...
>
> we are currently on aol silver broadband and i noticed the modem box we
> have
> only has 2 wires coming out the back - usb and dsl (apparantly we are on
> cable dsl but we run our internet through the phoneline), i know you have
> to
> get a PCMCIA card that slots into the laptop, and also a wireless modem
> router and also a wireless usb adaptor which i take it plugs into the usb
> socket on the back of the modem box?
>

*****
OK If you modem connects to the same kind on wire as your TV you have a
cable modem, if it connects to the same kind of line as your phone, you do
not have a cable modem, but a DSL modem, the two terms are not
interchangable. Also if you only have two connections on your modem, a USB
connection and a phone line connection, then you'll not be able to connect a
wireless router to your cable box.

To work with a wireless router you'll need a RJ-45 connection, that looks
like a biger than normal phone connection. Without this type of connection
your life will be made much harder.

> will this work on our modem box or will we have to get an upgrade? ive
> noticed other peoples boxes have more wires coming out that ours, will
> this
> be possible to set up a wireless network? There, i tried my hardest! i
> will
> be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be
> this
> hard! Thankyou..
>

My experience is AOL blocks ICS type connections, so you can't simply add a
usb wireless connection to your main computer and connect to it.

Hope that helps.

11 Nov 2006 3:38 AM

Jack (MVP-Networking).

Hi

I agree with the advice given to you in the above posts by my fellows MVPs.

However, in case you cannot switch a provider try this.

AOL on this page claims that their system supports Netgear DG834G - 4 port
54Mbps Wireless ADSL Modem Router
(http://info.aol.co.uk/broadband/homeNetworking.adp?promo=228937&promoCode=22#modemList
)

This Modem/Router Wireless is a consumer available device, and it is sold on
the free market for about $45.

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?cid=54555&PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=1514595&fp=F&siteID=zEUMJ3D1JwQ-Txxb48Ua4uTv1XmocbTHkA&cid=60488&fp=F

Call AOL and make sure that they would support you if you buy this device.

Such a Router with a Wireless card in your Laptop, and a Wire the desktop,
should provide you with a Wire/Wireless network.

Jack (MVP-Networking).

P.S.If you buy this device it should replace your current Modem Unit.

Show quoteHide quote

"Sezzastar" <u28938@uwe> wrote in message news:6915644358fd1@uwe...
> Well i'm no computer genius and researching my problem seems to always
> confuse me more!
> I have just bought a second hand laptop (a dell inspiron 1000), my parents
> already have a desktop computer at home, i was intending to go wireless so
> i
> could use the laptop in my room. the problem is .. well let me try my
> hardest
> to explain...
>
> we are currently on aol silver broadband and i noticed the modem box we
> have
> only has 2 wires coming out the back - usb and dsl (apparantly we are on
> cable dsl but we run our internet through the phoneline), i know you have
> to
> get a PCMCIA card that slots into the laptop, and also a wireless modem
> router and also a wireless usb adaptor which i take it plugs into the usb
> socket on the back of the modem box?
>
> will this work on our modem box or will we have to get an upgrade? ive
> noticed other peoples boxes have more wires coming out that ours, will
> this
> be possible to set up a wireless network? There, i tried my hardest! i
> will
> be very grateful of any help or explaining, i didn't think it would be
> this
> hard! Thankyou..
>