NTL Router with Access Point?

n30_mkii · 7 Mar 2007 at 21:59

Im not entriely sure how the NTL network works, but my sister has just had NTL connected at her flat. She has some box fitted (guessing a cable modem) which she connects her laptop too via ethernet cable. The laptop picks up a DHCP address along the lines of

IP: 82.**.81.**
Subnet: 255.255.252.0
GW: 82.*.80.1

so i assumed that the box installed by NTL leases addresses to any connected workstations. So i have configured a wireless access point to pick up a dynamic address and then to act as an access point hoping the ntl box would lease to other devices...But when she connects to the WAP she cannot aquire an address and manually specifying an address on the same range doesnt seem to work.

Anyone know how these things are setup? Do the NTL boxes lease automatically?

Any help appreciated....

I have not visited her yet, simply supplied her with the configured AP to plug in, but will be going over at the weekend.

The access point is not a router and so i cant setup nat or anything...>Any way to get this to work at all?

Phemo · 7 Mar 2007 at 22:05

Yes the cable modem simply dishes out an IP address via DHCP to any device that is plugged in. However, when plugging the cable modem into a different device, it needs to be power cycled otherwise it won't get an IP address.

For example, say I have my cable modem plugged into a PC. It all works fine but I then decide I want to plug it into a router. I do so but the router can't get an IP via DHCP. After taking the cable modem's power out then plugging it back in, the router is then assigned an IP address when the cable modem resyncs.

n30_mkii · 7 Mar 2007 at 22:10

Ok so, if the AP is connected to the single connection on the modem, and the modem is reset it will get a dhcp address...but then other devices that connect to the AP will not get addresses? Unless they are connected when the modem is reset?

Is it possible to allow the AP to pick up an address from the modem, then setup a DHCP scope on the WAP for the laptop? or a static IP? i belive these are public IP's on the NTL network. So will that cause a problem?

mrk · 7 Mar 2007 at 22:17

The NTL modem only supports 1 device connection as it will only dish out one IP assigned by DHCP to one device, connecting a WAP directly to the modem complicates things as the AP will try to dish out many IP addresses which the modem cannot serve I assume so this is where a router comes in to play.

The AP needs to be connected to either a PC or a router which is why you're not getting a DHCP assigned IP from the modem.

Just pick up a cheap DSL router and that's all that will be needed, you can then connect the AP to the router or you could just get a wireless router. Mine is connected this way btw.

n30_mkii · 7 Mar 2007 at 22:23

Yeah guessed as much...

So modem>router>AP>laptop

or modem>wireless cable router>laptop...

Didnt realise NTL was setup that way..Thought it would be a router that they install...nevermind..>Time to find a cheap alternative..

If i buy a wireless cable router..The routers wan will be DHCP which will come from the modem and then i configure the router to distribute my internal range.

n30_mkii · 7 Mar 2007 at 22:28

Just done a search in the forum and it seems it is possible to get a free wireless router from ntl/virgin? is that correct? i think she has a package tele/phone/bband with them?

mrk · 7 Mar 2007 at 23:09

n30_mkii said:
Yeah guessed as much...

So modem>router>AP>laptop

or modem>wireless cable router>laptop...

Didnt realise NTL was setup that way..Thought it would be a router that they install...nevermind..>Time to find a cheap alternative..

If i buy a wireless cable router..The routers wan will be DHCP which will come from the modem and then i configure the router to distribute my internal range.

Indeed!

I have mine like this all manually configured (though you can just use auto assignment on each pc/laptop equally)

Modem (configured to assign out only a max of 10 IP addresses) - the modem gives the router an IP of 82.xx.xxx.xxx for example, this is what the outside world sees)
>>>>>>WRT54G
>>>>>>>>>>>>PC1 (192.168.1.101) wireless (my pc)
>>>>>>>>>>>>PC2 (192.168.1.106) wired
>>>>>>>>>>>>PC3 (192.168.1.107) wired
>>>>>>>>>>>>PC4 (192.168.1.108) wireless
>>>>>>>>>>>>PSP (192.168.1.10x) where "x" is an automatic assignment from my manually selected IP range of 192.168.1.101-109

Not sure about the free router though, may be worth phoning about.

Plebo · 8 Mar 2007 at 13:17

n30_mkii said:
Just done a search in the forum and it seems it is possible to get a free wireless router from ntl/virgin? is that correct? i think she has a package tele/phone/bband with them?

I asked 2 of their Customer Service people this a couple of days ago. One of them said that they could send me one, but it would mean i'd be contractually commited for another 1 year. The second person said that they'd now stopped the offer and you'd need to buy one yourself.....not sure who was correct, but didn't bother pursuing it any more than that.