limited connectivity for second PC: Netgear EN104 4-ports 10Mbps Ethernet Hub Router

grippo · 18-09-2008, 16:43

Hey,

Need some help.!

I have just moved flats and previously used my Netgear EN104 4-ports 10Mbps Ethernet Hub Router with my Eclipse Modem. we had 2 PCs and this worked fine. i simply plugged in and everything was ok.

In my new flat, that has the same PC (My one) and my new flatmates PC which is new to this router, we are using Virgin Media broadband so have the standard virgin modem.

My flatemate has been using the internet fine now for about 2 weeks, going through the router.

I have only just got an ethernet cable that will reach and tried pluggin it in last night. My PC will not connect and states it has limited internet connection. not being too technical minded i simply clicked on the repair button but it says it cannot renew my IP address.

I tried everything such as resetting modem/router PC etc but still no joy.

I dont have a clue where to start with this.

Also tried my Xbox but failed the 2nd test which is something to do with the IP address.

I seem to remember, when a student, one of my mates who studied some sort of IT degree, logging onto the modem or router and doing something with IP addresses. do i need to do a similar thing?

Can anyone help me. i only have the internet at work and its been 3 weeks now without it on my PC at home. getting a bit tired of no internet.

Jon T · 18-09-2008, 17:22

The EN-104 isn't a router. It's something called a hub, which basically gives you more ethernet "sockets" to plug things in to. What you need is a router, this will let more than one PC share the same public IP address that is given to you by the Virgin cable modem.

In a nutshell, there isn't any way your current configuration will permit more that one PC to be online at a time.

The eclipse modem at you last place would have been on ADSL, either the service may have provided multiple IP's or the eclipse device may have been a router.

Dai · 18-09-2008, 17:24

I would suggest you check your network connection settings. Make sure the wired NIC is set to get IP and DNS settings automatically. If you have any other devices such as wireless it may be worth disabling them temporarily.

Please try a start/run
ipconfig /all
and post the results.

Oops, Just saw Jon's reply.. forget everything I said..

grippo · 19-09-2008, 09:07

Cheers guys.

As you can see i dont know too much when it comes to the techy side of things.

So what is the difference between hub and router.

we have been told if we wanna go wireless we need a DSL one. Can you recommend one, preferably a cheap one. i would like it to still have ethernet sockets on it so i can connect my xbox via wires.

it really confused me cos in my old flat it worked fine - so your saying this was ADSL??? (By the way DSL, ADSL means nothing to me also!?!?!?)

Jon T · 20-09-2008, 14:56

A hub is the equivelent of a multi socket electrical extension lead, it just provides more sockets to pug things in to.

A router takes one public IP address(which you get from VM), and allows more than one computer to use it(by a process called Network Address Translation - or NAT for short).

ADSL stands for asymmetric digital subscriber line, which means broadband through a telephone line where your download speed is greater than your upload. DSL is the same but covers a family of products that includes ADSL, and also SDSL.

You don't want a DSL router, you need a cable compatible router, this must have an Ethernet WAN port, not an RJ11 WAN port that you'll find on a DSL router.

A lot of people on this forum reccomend the Linksys WRT-54G, I tend to agree, I don't think you can go far wrong with this model.

grippo · 21-09-2008, 16:40

Right, think im getting the hang of this now.

just cant understand why this 'hub' (not router) worked in my old place with 2 pcs at the same time.

So... am i right with this... VM provides 1 IP address that both our PCs cant share at the same time. Why cant we both use it?.... but buying the mentioned wireless router (or any router?) or the VM wireless one will allow us to do this.

Another point to make is that the internet seems very on/off at time. sometimes just wont connect to the PC for hours. i think it maybe to do with me trying the 2nd pc all the time but not too sure.

so basically, my hub is never going to work - and this isnt anything strange.... i need to but a new router.?

Jon T · 21-09-2008, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by grippo

Right, think im getting the hang of this now.

just cant understand why this 'hub' (not router) worked in my old place with 2 pcs at the same time.

Because either the "eclipse" device was a router, or the broadband service that was in use there provided multiple public IP's.

Quote:

So... am i right with this... VM provides 1 IP address that both our PCs cant share at the same time. Why cant we both use it?.... but buying the mentioned wireless router (or any router?) or the VM wireless one will allow us to do this.

Every device on a network(the internet is just a very big network) must have it's own unique IP address, this is how data knows not only where it's going, but how to get there. Having two devices with the same IP would be like having you and your next door neighbour having the same house number. Yes buying a router(or getting the VM supplied one) will solve this.

Quote:

Another point to make is that the internet seems very on/off at time. sometimes just wont connect to the PC for hours. i think it maybe to do with me trying the 2nd pc all the time but not too sure.

May be, may be not, you may just be in an over-subscribed area. Does the internet seem to go off at regular times of the day? You may have a problem with the signal level to your modem, or you may have another problem that only Virgin can (try) and diagnose. Best way to make sure it's not your equpment is to take the hub out completely and connect one pc straight to the CM.

Quote:

so basically, my hub is never going to work - and this isnt anything strange.... i need to but a new router.?

Yes, using the house number analogy, imagine if your house was divided into flats, but the flats all shared the same house number. But you had a record of which flat requested every piece of mail that comes through the door. Well that's what a router does, allows multiple access through a single public IP, and records every request sent out, so that it know where to send ant replies it gets.

All a hub does is mirrors everything it sees on one port to every other port on it.

Hope this helps