USB to Ethernet - Help!

[uandave]

It's working! I did what I'd done goodness knows how many times before and left computer powered off but modem on with ethernet in. I left it overnight and this morning it works fine. I did exactly the same the night before too without luck. Not sure what changed, but either way I'm online with Ethernet now. Thanks very much for all your suggestions, you've saved me some hairloss. Cheers all...

[Stop It]

Right, I think Ill drag this up rather than creating my own thread :P
Ive just had a rather silly idea recently, and that was to get Xbox live.
Ive got ntl 1Mb so i thought to myself, to share my modem between xbox and pc, by changing my pc to USB, and using ethernet (after a modem reset and turning my pc off :P) for the Xbox, the xbox had none of it, couldnt find the IP, dns, nothing, so, I thought i would reconnect the ethernet on my pc, and lo, it fails, keeps on failing to get an IP, Ive tried all the known ways of getting it to work, power cycling, releasing the USB's ip first, then powr cycling and connecting via ethernet, nothing seems to work, its been 3 days now, and im sure if I get the ethernet working on my PC, the xbox might take the bait :P

Ive heard about not being able to use a certain amount of MAC addresses at once, but surely 2 in 3 days should work.
Any help will be a godsend, thankyou in advance

PS: NTL:home 120 modem, :p

[Tezcatlipoca]

[Despite this involving an XBox problem, I'm leaving this here rather than moving it the XBox forum, as "Stop It" can't get his PC to connect via ethernet either, plus the NTL techies may not notice something in the XBox forum]

Originally Posted by Stop It

Right, I think Ill drag this up rather than creating my own thread :P
Ive just had a rather silly idea recently, and that was to get Xbox live.

Not a silly idea at all

Originally Posted by Stop It

Ive got ntl 1Mb so i thought to myself, to share my modem between xbox and pc, by changing my pc to USB, and using ethernet (after a modem reset and turning my pc off :P) for the Xbox, the xbox had none of it, couldnt find the IP, dns, nothing, so, I thought i would reconnect the ethernet on my pc, and lo, it fails, keeps on failing to get an IP, Ive tried all the known ways of getting it to work, power cycling, releasing the USB's ip first, then powr cycling and connecting via ethernet, nothing seems to work, its been 3 days now, and im sure if I get the ethernet working on my PC, the xbox might take the bait :P

Ive heard about not being able to use a certain amount of MAC addresses at once, but surely 2 in 3 days should work.
Any help will be a godsend, thankyou in advance

PS: NTL:home 120 modem, :p

Hmm...

Quick question: when you try & get the XBox to connect, you do not leave the PC plugged into the modem do you???? You can only use *one* device at a time, & you should only have *one* device plugged into the modem at a time [unless you have the NTL Broadband & console service - which, IMO, is a waste of money]

"Change the PC to use USB"? Why?!

Also: is the XBox modded? If you have a modded XBox, then that could well be the reason the XBox won't connect [wouldn't explain the PC not being able to use ethernet though]

And, in case you weren't sure - The XBox's network settings must be: IP on auto, DNS on auto, & PPPoE turned Off.


I know you say you've tried to do everything already, but just try & see again if you can get the PC to connect using ethernet.

If you can finally get the PC to connect via ethernet, then yes, the XBox *will* also be able to connect at long last.

If you haven't seen it already, have a read through this:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d...b.html#usbswap

You *must* make sure you do everything in the correct order:

• Shut down the operating system, and power off the PC.
• Power off the cable modem.
• Unplug USB cable from both cable modem and PC.
• Connect cable modem's ethernet port to PC's [XBox's] ethernet port (usually with a straight-through ethernet cable).
• Power on cable modem, wait for it to finish booting, with all LEDs in normal condition.
• Power on PC [XBox]

It may also be worth leaving the modem turned off for a while, before trying to then use the PC/XBox via ethernet. [instead of simply powering it off & then on, before connecting the PC/XBox via ethernet]

A while could equal...30 secs...few minutes...maybe hours....maybe overnight. You shouldn't really need to leave it off for any significant length of time at all, AFAIK, as a nice simple power cycle should be fine - but it does seem that sometimes people need to leave the modem off for longer than normal.


You could try NTL BB Tech Support. Just don't mention the XBox Tell 'em that you are trying to change your PC>modem connection from USB to ethernet & you can't get it to work.

Once you do finally get the PC connecting via ethernet, then using the XBox will be easy. You can either: power cycle the modem when changing from PC to XBox -or- clone the PC's network card's MAC address onto the XBox [removes the need to power cycle]

See here for a bit more on connecting an XBox to an NTL cable modem / STB - http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=715

See here for more on swapping devices on the modem/STB - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d...tips/swap.html

Good luck

[Stop It]

Thankyou very much for your help, Ill answer each Question you asked in turn then :p

Quick question: when you try & get the XBox to connect, you do not leave the PC plugged into the modem do you???? You can only use *one* device at a time, & you should only have *one* device plugged into the modem at a time [unless you have the NTL Broadband & console service - which, IMO, is a waste of money].

"Change the PC to use USB"? Why?!

Both yes and no, first time I tried ICS (hence i changed to USB so I could use my ethernet card for the Xbox), failed (turned out my ethernet cable wasnt crossover, bad me) and then only with the ethernet in the cable modem to Xbox and with the PC off.

Also: is the XBox modded? If you have a modded XBox, then that could well be the reason the XBox won't connect [wouldn't explain the PC not being able to use ethernet though]

No, it be brand new and unmodded.

It may also be worth leaving the modem turned off for a while, before trying to then use the PC/XBox via ethernet. [instead of simply powering it off & then on, before connecting the PC/XBox via ethernet]

A while could equal...30 secs...few minutes...maybe hours....maybe overnight. You shouldn't really need to leave it off for any significant length of time at all, AFAIK, as a nice simple power cycle should be fine - but it does seem that sometimes people need to leave the modem off for longer than normal.

Ok shall do, Its just that when I switched to USB it took one ip release, one power cycle and renew the IP for the USB connection, but I guess its not always that easy

Once you do finally get the PC connecting via ethernet, then using the XBox will be easy. You can either: power cycle the modem when changing from PC to XBox -or- clone the PC's network card's MAC address onto the XBox [removes the need to power cycle]

ah, good :-)

Good luck

Thankyou very much, I hope I can get it working soon, cant wait to take my Evil to the Xbox live scene :-)

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Stop It

Thankyou very much for your help, Ill answer each Question you asked in turn then :p

No problem

Originally Posted by Stop It

Ok shall do, Its just that when I switched to USB it took one ip release, one power cycle and renew the IP for the USB connection, but I guess its not always that easy

Yeah, it does seem that for some people it can be a bit of a pain. Don't know why

Originally Posted by Stop It

ah, good :-)

Yep, very easy


And if, later, you find you want to have both connected at once, & remove the need for swapping, then you can now get a broadband router very cheaply (e.g. the Linksys BEFSR41 was less than £35 at Amazon.co.uk, last time I checked). ICS works well too (& is v cheap, obviously), although there's the hassle of having the PC turned on whenever you want to use the XBox.

Originally Posted by Stop It

Thankyou very much, I hope I can get it working soon, cant wait to take my Evil to the Xbox live scene :-)

No prob. I hope you get it working

[Stop It]

Right, A small update, and a bit of humble pie, Turns out my NIC had taken its last packet it will ever receive (DOH!), and was therefore not letting me connect to the internet, changed network card, and immediatly got connected, hehe, problem one solved.
Problem 2: that black brick, first I simply disconnected the nic from the net (after noting its MAC address ) and chucked it into my xbox, turned it on and......(wait for it) It didnt work, arf, so I tried power cycling, and it comes up with a error saying (cannot find DNS from the DHCP/PPPoE) so i put in the NTL dns, and it says it cant find the DHCP, not good.

Im starting to think that someone doesnt want me to use Xbox live or worse PAY ntl £5pm to get it working, EEK i pay enough as it is (£37.99 is acceptable, just, £42.99 um, isnt).

So before I get a hammer, NTL's nearest base address and a lot of alcohol, is there anything I can do? cheers in advance.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Stop It

Right, A small update, and a bit of humble pie, Turns out my NIC had taken its last packet it will ever receive (DOH!), and was therefore not letting me connect to the internet, changed network card, and immediatly got connected, hehe, problem one solved.

Oops!

At least that is one problem solved

Originally Posted by Stop It

Problem 2: that black brick, first I simply disconnected the nic from the net (after noting its MAC address ) and chucked it into my xbox, turned it on and......(wait for it) It didnt work, arf, so I tried power cycling, and it comes up with a error saying (cannot find DNS from the DHCP/PPPoE) so i put in the NTL dns, and it says it cant find the DHCP, not good.

Im starting to think that someone doesnt want me to use Xbox live or worse PAY ntl £5pm to get it working, EEK i pay enough as it is (£37.99 is acceptable, just, £42.99 um, isnt).

So before I get a hammer, NTL's nearest base address and a lot of alcohol, is there anything I can do? cheers in advance.

Agh!


May sound silly but...try it all again, making sure the order is correct etc. Sometimes it can be something simple which was overlooked.


Make sure the XBox has no MAC cloned into it, & that it has IP & DNS on Automatic, & PPPoE turned off.


Get the PC hooked up to the modem again using ethernet, & make sure it can connect.

Turn off the PC. Turn off the modem. Disconnect the PC from the modem. Leave the modem off for 5 minutes or so.


Before turning the modem on, plug the modem into the XBox.

Turn on the modem. Let it boot. Turn on the XBox, try to connect....


Doesn't work...try again, but 1st clone the NIC's MAC onto the XBox (and you must clone it when the XBox is *not* connected to the modem) [also check you are using the right MAC - here's how to find the MAC: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d...dr.html#macpc]

More detail....have a read through this post again, & make sure you do it as it says: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=715


If you still can't get it to work after that...


The NTL Broadband & Console service is now, I think, £2/month rather than £5/month....so it isn't such a rip-off as it used to be. But, coupled with the £3 increase to the price of the 1Mb service, it's still hardly great value.

If after trying everything, & not having any luck, then you could try ICS (I'd recommend getting another NIC, though, instead of using USB for the PC, if you do ever use ICS - and it'll still be cheaper than the NTL service), or get a router such as this: Linksys BEFSR41, £32.74 from Amazon.co.uk - cheaper than the £2/month BB & Console service, in the long run (& the BB & Console service may still also charge a "set-up" fee too, I'm not sure)

[Stop It]

Right, Ive tried everything you've suggested, and the same response greets me each time, "COuld not get DNS server from DHCP/PPPoE....)

Im really quite concerned, also, this may be irrelevent, but when my xbox tries to connect, the modem activity is near zero ,(random D/S activity but no more than if theres nothing connected) and zero U/S flashing (and is about identical to my old NIC that refused to connect), surely if it was attempting to get itself an IP address it would need to talk to something, triggering an U/S light (Im no expert so could be miles off)

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Stop It

Right, Ive tried everything you've suggested, and the same response greets me each time, "COuld not get DNS server from DHCP/PPPoE....)

Agh


I don't get it

If you power cycle correctly when swapping, it should work.

If you clone the PC NIC's MAC onto the XBox, it should work.





Are you using the same actual network cable to connect the modem to the XBox, as you used to connect the modem to the PC's NIC?

Maybe try again (I know... ), but leave the modem turned off overnight, before then trying the XBox.

Also...can't remember if you've mentioned it or not...have you tried releasing the PC's IP address, before turning it all off & swapping over to the XBox?

Maybe also try putting the NTL DNS server IPs into the XBox's network settings (just the DNS - not your IP or anything else) - 194.168.8.100 & 194.168.4.100

Originally Posted by Stop It

Im really quite concerned, also, this may be irrelevent, but when my xbox tries to connect, the modem activity is near zero ,(random D/S activity but no more than if theres nothing connected) and zero U/S flashing (and is about identical to my old NIC that refused to connect), surely if it was attempting to get itself an IP address it would need to talk to something, triggering an U/S light (Im no expert so could be miles off)

Hmm. I'm sure when mine connects, I do see activity on the lights! (which, as you say, would make sense).


Do you have access to another XBox, e.g. a friend's (& 2 of the same game with system link), then you could use it to check the ethernet port of yours.[and you could also then try the friend's XBox on your modem, to see if it worked]

Also, could you take your XBox round someone else's place with NTL broadband, & try your XBox on their modem?

I've run out of ideas

[Chris W]

Hmm... have been watching this thread, but Tez has pretty much covered everything that i can think of!

It is possible that you are connecting too many different devices to the modem in a short period of time; IIRC the maximum is 3 leases at any one time that can be granted to a cpe. If you pm me the mac address of your modem i will check this isn't causing you a problem. Don't honestly think it will be but Tez has exhausted everything else that i can think of!

MB

[chickendippers]

I know this might not be relevant, but we had an old C&W STB and we used a single cross-over cable and it worked 100%. When we got a new STB the engineer gave us a "cross over adaptor" box, and now the net only works when that's plugged in.

[zovat]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

Hmm... have been watching this thread, but Tez has pretty much covered everything that i can think of!

It is possible that you are connecting too many different devices to the modem in a short period of time; IIRC the maximum is 3 leases at any one time that can be granted to a cpe. If you pm me the mac address of your modem i will check this isn't causing you a problem. Don't honestly think it will be but Tez has exhausted everything else that i can think of!

MB

I think you are right - but as you are re-using the same 2 MAC addresses, I think that should not be an issue (but I could be wrong).

If this is the case, then leaving the CM off overnight may well resolve the problem.

I have to say that the easiest way is to get some form of router/firewall, then the NTL network only ever sees 1 MAC (the router) and both Xbox and PC can be connected at the same time.

[Stop It]

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

Hmm... have been watching this thread, but Tez has pretty much covered everything that i can think of!

It is possible that you are connecting too many different devices to the modem in a short period of time; IIRC the maximum is 3 leases at any one time that can be granted to a cpe. If you pm me the mac address of your modem i will check this isn't causing you a problem. Don't honestly think it will be but Tez has exhausted everything else that i can think of!

MB

Hmmm, could be, but if I emulated the MAC address of my ethernet card (which I have tried and failed at ) that wouldnt be an issue?

[Chris W]

Originally Posted by Stop It

Hmmm, could be, but if I emulated the MAC address of my ethernet card (which I have tried and failed at ) that wouldnt be an issue?

that is correct... i have sent you a pm now, there is no reason from ntl's point of view that it won't be able to get online now.

have you tried connecting it today?

MB

[Stop It]

Right, tried it after work, after leaving the modem off all day, tried it with the Xbox and got the same response, it's now bugging me, but hey, im still open to suggestions (that dont involve carting off my xbox anywhere, no-one I know has ADSL/cable as this isnt a BT and hardly anyone has ntl )