DSL modem question

Daave 19 years ago

I'm in between ISPs right now. (I had been using Earthlink DSL, and on Oct. 26 I will be with Cavalier DSL.)

I'm running Windows 98 SE. In order to go online with Earthlink, I needed to run WrDialer.exe (WinPoET Dialer) first.

I received my modem the other day from Cavalier. It comes with directions on how to configure various settings (specifying an address, configuring primary and secondary DNS, etc.)

I noticed there wasn't anything mentioned along the lines of PPP over Ethernet. Frankly, I never really understood this concept completely; I had always thought that broadband connections were "always on." Is it perhaps a function of Earthlink having assigned me dynamic IP addresses (while Cavalier will be assigining me a static one)?

Also, does it matter which modem I use? For the last five years, I've used a Speedstream 5360 modem. The one that was just shipped is a Zhone 6381. Is it superior (Cavalier didn't ship the specs for it!)

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lee houston 19 years ago

I agree with Evan. Start here for the Zhone modem docs:

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You can probably talk to it via your browser at

192.168.1.254 or 192.168.1.0

lee

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Andrew Rossmann 19 years ago

DSL is a bit different than cable. Authorization is done through a PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) login. Some older DSL modems are little more than an adapter and the computer or router have to perform the login. Many newer DSL modems can do the PPP login internally, so it tends to act alot like cable modems (authorization is done through the modem's HFMAC address.)

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Michael Mendelsohn 19 years ago

Daave schrieb:

I am going by

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, as mentioned by Lee Houston.

Your new "modem" operates as a "bridge", i.e. it bridges the PPPoE connection to a LAN connection. Your old modem probably didn't do this.

Yes, it is superior. It can do ADSL2+, whic is capable of connecting at up to 24 MBit/s if you're not too far from the other end, and if your provider offers it. My new DSL service runs at 16 Mbit/s, thanks to ADSL2+.

-mendel

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Daave 19 years ago

Thanks to Evan, lee, Andrew, and Michael for your answers. This is my first day with Cavtel DSL. Hopefully, I'll be a happy camper with them. :-)

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ellis 19 years ago

Really? Mine doesn't use PPPoE at all.

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DLR 19 years ago

Most DSL setups work via PPPoE. But there's nothing technically that requires them to do it. It just meshes well with the prior dial up networks most phone companies had before DSL arrived.

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