gavin
15-06-2005, 18:08
Hello, this is my first ever post on this here good website. I've got a query at the end but I fancied getting a bit of ntl: nonsense off my chest first...
I had an ntl: fella come round today and set up a new 250 cable modem. They'd been round about 9 months ago and installed a 200 modem, but nobody told me of any benefits in changing over, so I stuck to using the set-top box. If it ain't bust, don't muck around with it, so I thought.
Then I realised that I could have a cable modem without needing to have the phone phone line or STB. So as I hardly ever watch the cable channels I thought I'd save £20 a month by getting rid of the cable TV.
I also had a bit of annoyance on Monday with someone in broadband support. It sounded like he was in a call centre in India (a first experience for me re. ntl). The set-top box connection was down, so I thought I'd try setting up the old 200 modem myself using the CD, seeing that I was going to be switched over anyway on Wednesday. I went through all the steps and it wouldn't let me go beyond typing in my name and PIN details etc. I'd shut down the firewall as instructed, and I don't use anti-virus software, but this bloke with his very broad and very rapid Indian accent was saying "My computer cannot connect to your computer because you have a firewall and antivirus software running". I said, "I haven't. I've shut down ZoneAlarm completely, the Windows firewall is off, and I don't use antivirus software". He went on "Well Sir I am telling you that my computer cannot see or connect with your computer because you are running both firewall and antivirus software. You need to go to the vendor where you first bought the computer, or go to PC World, and tell them that your computer is working OK but that you need to ask them to disable the firewall and antivirus software that I am telling you that you are running". And he would not budge from this despite (or because of) my increasing exasperation. It was such a crazy conversation -- like I was saying "black is black", and he was saying "I am telling you that black is white, even if your eyes tell you otherwise". I ended the call rather impolitely: "Right right, OK, I'll speak to my 'vendor', whoever that's supposed to be. Bye." and then hung up. But I was glad that didn't get any more rude to him, maddening though it was.
The engineer who came round today was pretty funny. He said he was fed up with ntl: and that "for a communications company, nobody ever bothers communicating anything to anybody". I told him I got the strong impression that various departments don't talk to each other, and that I'd been given two conflicting instructions regarding the redundant STB. One person I spoke to said "Dispose of it. Throw it in the bin". At the end of the call I double-checked, asking "Are you definitely telling me to chuck the set-top box in the bin??" :erm: He said "Yeah mate, just chuck it. Use it as a door stop. Give it to your dog to chew on. Do what you like with it". Then some other customer service person I spoke to yesterday said "No, don't throw it away! We'll charge you if you do! They cost £150!" Bloody hell!
My main query here is whether someone can possibly point me in the direction of some simple instructions about setting up a router to connect two fixed PCs (i.e. not a wireless connection) to the internet via this cable modem. A recommendation of a router that works well with the 250 modem and with two PCs running WinXP (both using ethernet rather than USB connections) would be great. I've had a look around here but haven't found anything to that effect. The facility to plug in a third PC to the network would be useful at a later date as well.
With thanks in advance for any pointers/links anyone can provide (and apologies for my dull rant)!
Cheers!
I had an ntl: fella come round today and set up a new 250 cable modem. They'd been round about 9 months ago and installed a 200 modem, but nobody told me of any benefits in changing over, so I stuck to using the set-top box. If it ain't bust, don't muck around with it, so I thought.
Then I realised that I could have a cable modem without needing to have the phone phone line or STB. So as I hardly ever watch the cable channels I thought I'd save £20 a month by getting rid of the cable TV.
I also had a bit of annoyance on Monday with someone in broadband support. It sounded like he was in a call centre in India (a first experience for me re. ntl). The set-top box connection was down, so I thought I'd try setting up the old 200 modem myself using the CD, seeing that I was going to be switched over anyway on Wednesday. I went through all the steps and it wouldn't let me go beyond typing in my name and PIN details etc. I'd shut down the firewall as instructed, and I don't use anti-virus software, but this bloke with his very broad and very rapid Indian accent was saying "My computer cannot connect to your computer because you have a firewall and antivirus software running". I said, "I haven't. I've shut down ZoneAlarm completely, the Windows firewall is off, and I don't use antivirus software". He went on "Well Sir I am telling you that my computer cannot see or connect with your computer because you are running both firewall and antivirus software. You need to go to the vendor where you first bought the computer, or go to PC World, and tell them that your computer is working OK but that you need to ask them to disable the firewall and antivirus software that I am telling you that you are running". And he would not budge from this despite (or because of) my increasing exasperation. It was such a crazy conversation -- like I was saying "black is black", and he was saying "I am telling you that black is white, even if your eyes tell you otherwise". I ended the call rather impolitely: "Right right, OK, I'll speak to my 'vendor', whoever that's supposed to be. Bye." and then hung up. But I was glad that didn't get any more rude to him, maddening though it was.
The engineer who came round today was pretty funny. He said he was fed up with ntl: and that "for a communications company, nobody ever bothers communicating anything to anybody". I told him I got the strong impression that various departments don't talk to each other, and that I'd been given two conflicting instructions regarding the redundant STB. One person I spoke to said "Dispose of it. Throw it in the bin". At the end of the call I double-checked, asking "Are you definitely telling me to chuck the set-top box in the bin??" :erm: He said "Yeah mate, just chuck it. Use it as a door stop. Give it to your dog to chew on. Do what you like with it". Then some other customer service person I spoke to yesterday said "No, don't throw it away! We'll charge you if you do! They cost £150!" Bloody hell!
My main query here is whether someone can possibly point me in the direction of some simple instructions about setting up a router to connect two fixed PCs (i.e. not a wireless connection) to the internet via this cable modem. A recommendation of a router that works well with the 250 modem and with two PCs running WinXP (both using ethernet rather than USB connections) would be great. I've had a look around here but haven't found anything to that effect. The facility to plug in a third PC to the network would be useful at a later date as well.
With thanks in advance for any pointers/links anyone can provide (and apologies for my dull rant)!
Cheers!