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**gIzzE** · 23-05-2003, 20:30

PCI or USB, no offence but they are both pretty cack.
do not buy a modem, get a router and a network card.

if you want to get online with any of the consoles this makes life far easier.
I have an asus modem/router at home and at work an alcatel speedtouch 510. both pretty good, easy to set up and dont need to have the pc on to play online console stuff.

As far as isps go I have a home account with Pipex at ?19+vat a month (dynamic ip) , and at work I have an account with zen (8 static ip address' for around ?25 month). Zen is probably the better of the 2 accounts and as good as Nildram, which I had previously, I constantly get 59k sec from this account, where as the Pipex account can drop to around 30k sec.
Having said that I use the Pipex at night when there is probably more traffic.

I would also consider a wireless adsl router, as it makes hooking up pcs round the house easy and less messy, but if you buy one of the above routers you can always add a wireless access point for a few quid at a later date.

here is a link for a router at ?41+vat from dabs

**phillai** · 23-05-2003, 20:50

Sorry for sounding stupid but what is a router and do i still need an ADSL modem for it? Or are they both the same thing?

Is a router like a network hub or something?

I got a network card built in on my ASUS NFORCE2 board so I probably can go for the router way...

One last thing, is there such a thing as a hardware/software router?
I'll probably buy a branded one from somewhere cheap on the net...

**wager** · 23-05-2003, 21:11

Hmm... I'm sure someone with better knowledge will correct me. This ain't my strong point.

If you've already got a built in network card (like me), all you will need is a ADSL modem/router. You can buy a router with a built in modem. I've got the Netgear DG814 (can connect upto 4 devices, pc, xbox, etc) and i would thoroughly recommend it. Very easy to set-up, and believe me, if i can get everything working within a hour it must be simple.

Check out: http://www.adslguide.org.uk/ for more info.

**gIzzE** · 23-05-2003, 21:17

if you have a network card already then you only need he adsl router that i posted a link to.

it is a modem really but they call them routers when it is a modem and a router in one.

at ?49 including delivery there is no reason to buy a pci or a usb device.

here is a review

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Dabsvalue ADSL Conexant 1 Port
Rating:
Date Reviewed: Friday, April 18, 2003
Advantage: Price and get all you need
Disadvantage: Can crash up to twice a week on bad weeks

Good points. EVERYTHING that I can think of for a modem (NAT, DHCP, port forwarding). Easy to use, start up (fiddled according to pipex`s recommendations) and use. Comprehensive web console ? displays everything you need to know.

Bad points. Only problem is it can crash (on us anyway). The Ethernet port has simply died on us quite a few times. This is easily fixed with a simple on and off reboot ? doesn?t kill downloads but it is an inconvenience. This is far from perfect. Never had permanent problems and have been running it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for 8 months.

Never used USB port so can?t say about it. Always preferred security of Ethernet connection. For those who don?t realise, with your network card set to DHCP you can just connect your computer (Linux, Windows, MacOS) to this and it runs automatically.

Recommend this for anyone who doesn`t throw cash around.

Would you recommend to a friend? Yes

**Papercut** · 23-05-2003, 21:26

Originally posted by phillai

Sorry for sounding stupid but what is a router and do i still need an ADSL modem for it? Or are they both the same thing?

Check out the adslguide website linked above, it will explain everything you need to know.

Briefly, your options are either an ADSL modem or ADSL modem/router (usually just called an ADSL router).

An ADSL modem can be external (like the USB Alcatel frog) or internal (PCI cards). They behave very much like phone line modems, you even establish a dial up type connection using PPP over ADSL.

ADSL modem/routers provide more features and can be a lot more flexible, in that they work with just about any ordinary ethernet device. This is because an ADSL router terminates the connection itself (establishes the PPP link) then presents the Internet connection with ordinary ethernet tcp/ip servicies, usually handing out network addresses with DHCP and running an internal dns proxy.

An ADSL router also normally has a built in firewall, which is great but does mean that some tinkering is involved to get a handful of Internet tools working (IM apps in particular).

I would highly recommend an ADSL router with a built in 4 port hub and firewall for the safest, most flexible solution. You can then plug your Dreamcast/PS2/XBox/PC whatever straight into it (like I do!) and it 'just works'. Be sure to check the hardware compatibility database if you are going to use Live though.

Personally I would go for an Alcatel Speedtouch, but they are a little pricey compared to the equivalents from other manufacturers. The firewall is arguably more feature complete though.

As for ISP, I would recommend someone like Zen or Nildram. Best to check out adslguide again to see what the relative merits are.

**phillai** · 23-05-2003, 21:32

Thanks for your help gIzzE. Your advice has been most helpful.

Wager, that Netgear router does sound good but I'm not sharing my PC at all and don't wanna spend any more money that isn't necessary!

**wod** · 24-05-2003, 03:47

get the d-link dsl router from ebuyer it has 4 ports so you can connect your consoles to it. its ethernet so it would plug straight into your pc network card.

plus have a look on www.adslguide.org.uk it has plenty of information on it

**phillai** · 26-05-2003, 15:47

Originally posted by gIzzE

here is a link for a router at ?41+vat from dabs

Does this work with Xbox Live?
I'm also thinking of using the broadband for my PS2 when Winning Eleven 7 is out...

Also are there arny servers that support the broadband adapter for the Jap Dreamcast still or not?

Thanks to all replies in advance! Phil

**Valken** · 26-05-2003, 16:52

XBox Live supported routers are listed on the xbox site but to my knowledge there's no reason why any router wouldn't support it (so long as it took care of DHCP otherwise it might get messy)

Incidentally... my solution to a router is a pentium 2 400 connected to an ADSL modem that handles routing of packets to all pcs on my small but geeky network.

the advantage of using an old, **** pc is that you can use it as a web server, file server etc also.

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