Cable internet n00b

**{{909}}** · 11th July 2012

Due to move to my new apartment (in China) next week and went to sort out the ADSL, when we told them our address they said I cant have ADSL, as that area 'only' has cable.
Now I know cable is faster, but that's about all I know.
The internet company will provide a modem (at the cost of about 15quid), or we can buy our own and they will set it up. I currently have a D-link ADSL wireless router, is it possible to use that along with the modem the ISP provides to then allow wireless devices to access the internet, or do I need a whole new shbang?

I have looked on taobao (a sort of amazon marketplace on crack) and there's loads of results when looking for cable modems, with some seemingly using an optical connection, I thought cable was through coax, So is there more than one sort of cable internet?
My apartment seems to have been wired with cat5 sockets where we specified we wanted the internet too, if that sheds any light on my situation. Probably not.

**evilsatan** · 11th July 2012

You can convert a lot of ADSL routers to access points. The steps here are pretty generic, just make sure the IP address is correct and the DHCP server is disabled:
http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Links...n-Access-Point

**DJ OD** · 11th July 2012

Wonder if an old Ntl cable modem could be set up to work. Sure u can get one of them off eBay for next to nothing.

Then any old router will do.

DJ OD

**{{909}}** · 13th July 2012

Logged into my router and realised that its in Chinese, since it was bought here, so chances of me using it outside of its intended use are slim. However I went to the ISP and asked if I could look at the modems they use, and I think I now have a clearer idea what I need to buy. They did say that I needed a router that supports FTTH, does that mean anything to anyone?

**Sanj[UK]** · 13th July 2012

Originally Posted by {{909}}

Logged into my router and realised that its in Chinese, since it was bought here, so chances of me using it outside of its intended use are slim. However I went to the ISP and asked if I could look at the modems they use, and I think I now have a clearer idea what I need to buy. They did say that I needed a router that supports FTTH, does that mean anything to anyone?

FTTH means fibre to the house. I think you just need a newer modem that has a chipset that can handle the speeds and encapsulation etc.

With your current kit this is what you can do. Configure the ips of your router and modem to make sure they are both on the same subnet (255.255.255.0) What ever ip range you decide to use (Id reccomend 192.168.1.X) configure the modem as .1 and the router as .2. Now the router should do the routing by itself but if it doesnt configure your devices with the same subnet and default gateway should point to the modem(.1)

**evilsatan** · 13th July 2012

Over Carl is probs the man for that but if you have a router with a spare Ethernet port which provides Internet access then there is no need to change the config on the Chinese kit, the AP just needs altering which will be in English. You could get a DD-WRT capable router and give that a shot, there is a wiki for that FW with some great guides.

**{{909}}** · 14th July 2012

cool, thanks guys. I have eyed up a few routers although its a little un nerving when you can only find cheap chinese brands.

FTTH means fibre to the house? what happened to meaningless techno babble that separated the clued up to the clueless by a massive margin?

I will look into everyones suggestions after the weekend now, gotta work..bah.

**evilsatan** · 14th July 2012

D-Link DIR-615 is cheap as chips and DD-WRT compatible, I always have some in my office for various tasks. Better available but these are �10-15 delivered in the UK. If you need one sent over lmk.

**{{909}}** · 15th July 2012

is that just a router evilsatan, or an all in one gubba?

I am ideally wanting a one box solution, but not sure how possible that is. Spoken to a few sellers here and they have both said they only sell routers and modems separately.

**evilsatan** · 15th July 2012

It's a wireless cable router so should be a way to configure it with your service. I don't know how cable works as my client base is all on ADSL and I use these modified cable routers as cheap solid wireless access points. There is a WAN Ethernet port, does your cable service enter your home on an Ethernet cable?

**{{909}}** · 16th July 2012

I assume so evilsatan, there's a box by the door with a row of Ethernet sockets, and when they came to wire the house we defined a few points for internet, which appear to have been fitted with standard Ethernet. I think due to time restraints I will just tell them to shove in the standard modem in and I'll get something better later. I'm sat in my old apartment, which is almost totally bare apart from a desk, PC and router

Is there any downside to having a separate modem and router combo? My main worry is they will force me to connect with an aol style dialer, as they did with ADSL and the standard modem, which would make wireless much less useful.

**evilsatan** · 16th July 2012

I don't really work on cable networks but one I worked on in the past had a modem connected to a wireless router for some reason. Both provided by the ISP. Can't see any real downside other than the wireless box may need to be configured to work with the modem, this is unlikely though as they accept an Internet connection over Ethernet and just broadcast it. You could just get a standard wireless access point and connect it to your ISP modem which would be even simpler.

**{{909}}** · 16th July 2012

sorted the whole thing today, ended up just buying the ISP standard modem, which is ZTE branded and went out and bought a decent looking TP-Link router from the local computer district. When the guys came to fit it they put the router into the box in the wall, which seems to connect to the ethernet sockets in the apartment, so from there I just plugged the router in and it works, no dialer software either, which is a relief!