USB connection to cable modem with no NIC

You don't say which version of Windows you're attempting this with. Windows setup has a nasty tendency to leave out support for things if the hardware wasn't present during the initial installation.

That said, no, you should not need a NIC for the USB interface to work; however, USB connections to cable modems are finicky at best.

NIC's are practically free these days (I have at least half a dozen Intel NICs for the PC-AT bus lying around). Save yourself a headache and get one...

--Gene

I would have been surprised if the RCA modem's Ethernet port and USB port would both have worked at the same time. My recommendation is to add a NIC to the old computer, then connect both computers to a router.

*-* On Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:45:15 -0400, *-* In Article snipped-for-privacy@newsgroups.comcast.net, *-* Gene S. Berkowitz wrote *-* About Re: USB connection to cable modem with no NIC

The modem manual has instructions for establishing a USB connection with Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, and XP, so it should be expected to work with any of those OSs.

Agreed. I paid $15 for the Netgear card in this box about four or five years ago, and got $10 of that back in a rebate, for a net cost of $5.

Ken Whiton

FIDO: 1:132/152 InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@surfglobal.net.INVAL (remove the obvious to reply)

*-* On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:18:01 GMT, *-* In Article snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, *-* Bill M. wrote *-* About Re: USB connection to cable modem with no NIC

Do you have the modem manual? The Table of Contents lists a "USB Troubleshooting" section, but that's missing from the copies of it I can find online. :-( You might also want to check here:

and see if the drivers they have available for download might be newer than what you have.

According to the manual they're supposed to be able to, allowing the connection of two computers to the 'Net without the use of a hub/switch/router.

Ken Whiton

FIDO: 1:132/152 InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@surfglobal.net.INVAL (remove the obvious to reply)

Here's the manual, or at least the best one I could find.

According to that, both USB and Ethernet ports _can_ be connected at the same time, but only "if allowed by the cable operator", which sort of tells me that this person's account is only allowed a single IP at a time since the second PC doesn't obtain an IP address. If true, I'm repeating my original advice to simply add a router and connect both PC's to it. Problem solved.

Most cable providers only allow 1 connection through a cable modem at a time. If you power-down the modem and connect it through the USB port *exclusively*, chances are you'll get an IP.

Practically speaking, you need to get a router.

A_C