New cable modem problems

JayMBee · 21-02-2008, 22:55

Had a letter last week from Virgin Media saying that soon I would be given a free broadband upgrade from 4mb to 10mb. Good I thought. The letter suggested I check that my current set top box was able to cope with the new speed when it came along. As it turned out it couldn't and so I arranged for a upgraded cable modem to be installed. The 'old' system was an ethernet cable from the STB going to a Netgear router to which 3 PCs were happily connected to the internet & e-mail. The cable modem was installed this morning with the ethernet cable now going from the modem to the router. First I had problems registering the new modem. After a very lengthy phone call to tech support in India (fortunately I was refunded the charges) registration took place but I still was unable to connect to the internet. Having had to return to work and then re-tried later following more phone calls to tech support and customer services. In the end I re-connected the cables back to the 'old' system and lo and behold internet & e-mail was fine. Several times I then connected the cables via the new modem and back to the 'old' system. Each time no joy with the modem but all systems go with the 'old' system. Once again I contacted tech support and they seemed to be telling me that all was well and it was because my firewall (I use just the standard Windows XP firewall) was not allowing the internet access via the new modem. Now I would have expected the firewall to flag any 'illegal' access and so allow me to give permission but that wasn't the case. Tech support suggested I turn off the firewall and connect to the internet and then switch the firewall back on and all would be OK. That wasn't the case. So, can someone explain if there could be a firewall problem. At present I'm connected again using the 'old' system and all is well but I naturally want it working via the new modem. I'm fairly computer literate so if someone can suggest a fix to my problem then I'm sure I will understand what needs to be done. I've had enough of tech support today and I've just gone round and round in circles with them and so it's pointless contacting them again and so I'm hoping someone on this forum can help and put me out of my misery.

MovedGoalPosts · 21-02-2008, 23:20

Stage one of getting the modem connection up and running is to connect the modem directly via ethernet to a single PC. Make sure the modem is powered off when you connect up the ethernet cables then power modem, let settle, and power PC.

Make sure the ethernet cable is a straight through cable, not crossover. Some of the Set Top Boxes did use crossover.

Make sure the computer's network port is enabled and set to auto detect IP, DNS and suchlike under it's various properties especially the TCP/IP settings.

Only once you are satisfied that the modem to PC connection is working correctly should you start to think of putting a router between the two. Indeed if you call VM support and mention the router word, you're unlikely to get much sense from them.

73arm3 · 22-02-2008, 09:44

I had the same thing, open up your `network connections` start >>> settings >>>network connections and right click on the connection and click on `repair`. I couldnt get a connection until I did that, and I went from STB to modem.

boroboi · 22-02-2008, 10:21

a better way to repair your connection is to go into the command prompt and type in these two commands.

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

one after the other, that should drop the IP and re-lease it, usually helps if your connection freezes or doesnt work.

jfant1 · 28-02-2008, 16:35

I would appreciate any help anyone can give to a not so techie user.

I have been happily accessing the internet using ethernet cables from my set to box to a Linksys router and then to my PC (all with wires) and also I have been able to wirelessly access the internet on my phone and Ipod touch thanks to the router.

However, yesterday I allowed Virgin to install a modem so I could take advantage of the free speed upgrade (4meg to 10meg) and now I can't access the internet if I go through my router, and obviously no longer have wireless access. The only way I can use the internet is if I take the router out of the loop and just go directly from the new modem to the back of my PC with the ethernet cable.

Virgin's helpline cant help, nor can the Linksys help desk so I'm stuck with no wireless access anymore. It's a real bad step backwards and with the poor support from Virgin I think it's the final push I need to move to Sky...unless I can just get this router to work like it used to with the set top box...!

daveeb · 28-02-2008, 17:10

As the connection already works direct just power down the pc, router and modem. Then connect the modem to the router and power up the modem, then the router and finally the pc. You should be ok then.

Ray.uk · 28-02-2008, 17:23

I have recently had a modem installed to replace STB connection but I was given a pin number to use when connecting up modem to internet,did it via a router as well.
Shouldnt your STB internet connection have been cancelled and transferred to the modem?

jfant1 · 28-02-2008, 17:51

Have tried the unplug power down stuff over and over...

I did get a pin that I had to use but the engineer told me I had to connect directly modem to pc first time and that I couldn't go through the router..and yes my set top box broadband connection does seem to have been cancelled so I'm stuck with the modem now....

---------- Post added at 17:51 ---------- Previous post was at 17:44 ----------

Now I'm confused...so the new modems we are being given, are they dsl modems cause Virgin told me they were cable modems...is that one and the same and if so why would Linksys ask me if I had a cable or DSL modem?

Not that you can answer that of course!

Ray.uk · 28-02-2008, 18:27

When you connect your modem direct to the pc and then click on Internet Explorer what shows up?
your stb connection has now been cancelled what happens when you now try connecting.

Have you tried IE adress
activation.virginmedia.com

---------- Post added at 18:27 ---------- Previous post was at 18:09 ----------

Talking at cross purposes here confusing JayMBee problem with jfant1
JayMBee
Has everything been sorted as this thread is a few days old now.

jfant1
Have you tried setting up via router and pc that connects or are you trying with all connections at once

moaningmags · 28-02-2008, 18:33

For jfant1,
Can you connect to the internet with the router in place using wired connection?
Have you reset the router to factory defaults and gone through the setup cd that came with your router?

jfant1 · 28-02-2008, 19:00

When I connect using the new modem directly with my PC with an Ethernet cable my new connection works just fine. When I take the Ethernet cable out if the pc and in to the router, and then run another Ethernet from the router to the PC, Internet explored returns the standard page along the lines of unable to connect...

I have reset the router several times and then run off of the original installation disc and still no success! I know its too much of a coincidence that my router would break on the same day as my new modem gets delivered...

---------- Post added at 19:00 ---------- Previous post was at 18:56 ----------

Sorry about my typos... My phone completes the words but not necessarily how I want them!

73arm3 · 29-02-2008, 11:07

Try what I typed earlier in this thread, and if your router allows it, ask it to search for updates while logged into the router, that way you will know if it can connect.

I find the best way to do this is to..

Open explorer and get the error
Repair connection whilst explorer still open
Close explorer
Open explorer
Click on refresh.

JayMBee · 01-03-2008, 18:39

Sorry I've not posted any updates during the past week. I have been trying various things but the end result is frustration and no solution!

I found that connecting a laptop direct to the new modem with a 1.5m cable allowed me to access the internet OK which meant the modem was working OK. However when I connected the same laptop directly to the modem but using the cable I currently have connected from the set top box to the router, I couldn't get a connection. That cable is a 25m one, connecting the STB in the lounge to the router upstairs in a bedroom. The cable was provided by NTL when I first got broadband many years ago. I assumed that perhaps the signal was boosted in some way from the STB but not from the new modem which meant the cable worked OK for the current set up with the router but not from the modem. So, I then ordered a 30m Cat 5e cable and once that arrived I used that to connect the laptop direct to the modem and this time internet connection was OK. However, on then connecting the same cable direct to my desktop PC in the 'office', no internet connection could be found. Likewise when I used the new cable to connect from the modem to the router.

So, to summarise, the modem provides an internet connection to a laptop when connected direct but not to a desktop PC nor the router. I have gone through the various combinations of switching off & on PCs, the modem & router but all to no avail. I've also tried the repair option within network connections but still no joy.

So, I'm back to square one. Everything is working fine with the set-up I had before the new router was installed, namely an ethernet cable from the STB to the router and then to 3 desktop PCs and the laptop when required.

So can anyone shed any light on why a laptop direct connection works with the new modem but one to a PC or router doesn't?

moaningmags · 01-03-2008, 19:02

Perhaps the cable you were using with the STB is a cross over cable.
If so, I've never seen a crossover cable work with anything except ICS (internet connection sharing) or stb connections from way back.

HTH

jfant1 · 01-03-2008, 19:40

I've been trying this for days. I got mine to work by moving the router next to the modem, connecting it using the short Ethernet cable, then using the existing long Ethernet cable to connect from the router to the pc...mind you, I still can't get my iPhone to connect wirelessly as it used to when I used a set top box to get the Internet...suggestions gratefully received!