ADSL Protocal -which one?

cherrio

Hi,

after a (very) long saga with Eircom, it seems that I can now get ADSL.

The ADSL modem arrived to day, but I was just wondering what protcol Eircom are using, PPPoe etc...?

The model is the Zyxel Prestige 645M, any one have it? Whats is like, work ok?

DiscoStu

Tis pppoe. dont use the enternet client €ircon send you use raspppoe or if your using windows xp use the built in pppoe client.

kiswa

Originally posted by DiscoStu
Tis pppoe. dont use the enternet client €ircon send you use raspppoe or if your using windows xp use the built in pppoe client.

Better yet - that Zyxel has a PPPoE client built in, so if you set it up as a router, instead of bridging the connection, all you'll need to do is to plug in your ethernet cable to get online. Imagine that: DSL the way it's supposed to bloody work - no dial up.

Bard

Yep, PPP over Ethernet.

Handily enough, the Apple AirPort is set up to use PPPoE. If I was getting ADSL at home, I'd get an AirPort and a couple of WLAN cards and connect up the laptops and PC's there wirelessly to broadband.

Nothing quite like wandering around with a laptop in your hand (no wires attatched) while connected to the Internet at 512Kbps

DC

Thats the elegant solution alright.

Beats my solution which was to hack apart two CAT5 cables and crossover the appropriate copper wires to make a single crossover cable and then attach the laptop to the PC. What a monstrosity!

I'll have to checkout Komplett to see if they have some of that gear.....

Bard

Check out these folks here, DC... excellent wireless solutions for the PC.

De Rebel

As one who hopes to get DSL at some pint in the not too distant future it would be very useful to have an idiots giude to setting it up and configuring it. This will be especially useful when we can get DSL installed without paying Eircom for the other bits.

Any suggestions - links?

Bard

As far as I can see, it's a fairly simple setup.

Eircom provide the DSL modem which, at the back, has three connections - power, line and network.

Power goes to the power socket, obviously - connected via the power lead that comes with the DSL modem.
Line goes to the incoming DSL telephone line - connected by a standard RJ11 telephone cable.

Network goes to either:
* a network hub
- this could be a standard ethernet RJ45 socket box style hub a or wireless airport/airstation box ... for example - and would be connected with standard RJ45 cable. Your PC(s) would then be connected to this (either by RJ45 or wirelessly with a WLAN card - depending on your hub type).
or:
* your PC
- (or more specifically, the ethernet network card in your PC or Mac) - connected via an RJ45 CROSSOVER cable (wired/terminated differently from the standard cable).

Your DSL modem will essentially act as a bridge/router between eircom or esat's network and your own via "PPP over Ethernet".

I'm sure it would be possible to source a DSL modem elsewhere and not use the one Eircom provide, but from what I've seen the one they provide is more than adequate. The thing is that the Eircom provided one probably comes pre-configured... which makes installation that bit easier again.

Whichever LAN solution you go for, the installation and configuration is relatively painless and your O/S should do most of the work for you - particularly if you're using wireless - and particularly if you're using Windows XP. Although it can work out a little more expensive to set up, wireless LANs have a number of advantages over wired ones - not least the convenience of mobility and the lack of need for cabling.

As a sidenote... it would probably be advisable to have a firewall - either in the shape of built in firmware (such as on the Apple AirPort), an actual Unix/Linux firewall machine (I don't know much about these) or firewall software on your network's PCs.

santalives

just a point the 645m can not be set up as a router, only the 645r can be set up as a router the 645m does not have the option for pppoe in option 4, so you will have to use a client based pppoe client programe

spongebob

if you use 2 wireless cards as a Crossover ISTR that they must be able to operate in " AD-Hoc " mode to simulate crossover...

De Rebel

very good, thanks bard.

One more question (before i get told to p1ss off to NET/Comms) if it were the case that I wasn't getting a modem from Eircom (I know, but nothing is cast in stone) what should I look for? Any general recommendations?

Bard

Not sure, rebel - but the one we got from Eircom for i-stream solo was an Alcatel Speed Touch Pro - and it seems to do the job nicely.

SkepticOne

Originally posted by De Rebel
very good, thanks bard.

One more question (before i get told to p1ss off to NET/Comms) if it were the case that I wasn't getting a modem from Eircom (I know, but nothing is cast in stone) what should I look for? Any general recommendations?

Go for an external ethernet based modem. This provide more flexibility in connecting to computers with different operating systems and also equipment like DSL routers etc (although the router must have a PPPoE client if the modem does not).

Some of these modems have built in PPPoE clients so there is no need to run special software on the computer. Others have ip masquerading NAT software built in so that you can connect them to a standard hub and run multiple computers off the connection without the need for a separate router.

If you don't have a network card configured for your PC and would rather not install one, then go for a USB modem although you will need a driver for whatever OS and machine you are currently using. USB modems are somewhat cheaper.

If you don't mind opening your computer, the ultra-cheap solution is the internal DSL card, but again, you have the need to have a driver specific to that hardware and your OS/computer combination. This is probably not a problem with mainstream operating systems.

carbsy

While we are on the subject , anyone know what ethernet based solution "Esat BT / ADSL Now" provide? ie , is it just a basic ethernet modem (didnt think they existed) or a router/hub/dsl modem combo?

SkepticOne

Originally posted by carbsy
While we are on the subject , anyone know what ethernet based solution "Esat BT / ADSL Now" provide? ie , is it just a basic ethernet modem (didnt think they existed) or a router/hub/dsl modem combo?

Eircom provide (or did provide) a basic ethernet (i.e. non router, no PPPoE client) called the Alcatel SpeedTouch Home.

sceptre

Originally posted by SkepticOne
Eircom provide (or did provide) a basic ethernet (i.e. non router, no PPPoE client) called the Alcatel SpeedTouch Home.

This one?

SkepticOne

Originally posted by sceptre
This one?

Yes. Although it should really be called the SpeetTouch Business because residential users aren't really interested in broadband and the figures from the UK are a lie and the ODTR are quite right to leave residential broadband out of its surveys and not because the figures here would be an embarassment to their office.

zynaps

Damn, check this out... wireless dsl router capable of handling 60 connections at once? :P

Snaga

Originally posted by carbsy
While we are on the subject , anyone know what ethernet based solution "Esat BT / ADSL Now" provide? ie , is it just a basic ethernet modem (didnt think they existed) or a router/hub/dsl modem combo?

EsatBT use the ericsson hm220.

http://www.wii.ericsson.net/xdslterminals/products/hm220d/default.asp

cherrio

I have a very nice D-link 614+ wireless router which I intend to use to the connection to my 3 computers.

Its just on the ADSL modem that I received in the post (its a Zyxel Prestige 645M) it has a handy Model / features guide on the back. But it seems to suggest that the Prestige 645M does not support, "PPP over Ethernet (RFC 2516)" (it says N/A in the relavent box)

Surely Eircom would not send me a modem that would not work with their service!!!???

Perhaps I am missing, is the computer ment to be provide th PPoE service and not the modem??

My plan is to connect the ADSL modem to a firewall (an old P75 with Smoothwall install), then connect that to my router and then wirelessly to my computers. Is this going to work?

Frank Grimes

Originally posted by cherrio
Its just on the ADSL modem that I received in the post (its a Zyxel Prestige 645M) it has a handy Model / features guide on the back. But it seems to suggest that the Prestige 645M does not support, "PPP over Ethernet (RFC 2516)" (it says N/A in the relavent box)

Surely Eircom would not send me a modem that would not work with their service!!!???

The modem is a bridge, you'll need to use a PPPoE client.

santalives

as i stated near the top of this tread the 645r can not be set up as a router. This now means that you will have to check to see the dlink router has the option to make a pppoe connection cause if it doesn't you will not be able to connect your network to istream with that as a router. instead you will still have to put on the istream software on one of the client machines and the either use it as a proxy server or set up internet connect sharing from it.

cherrio

Ahhh, ok I get it now thanks.

The D-link router does have PPPoE capabilities, but so those the firewall, so I should be ok:)

thanks for the help.