Um, so which cable goes where for an Airport Base Station to ADSL hookup?
I’ll try not to bore on this. But it would be nice if the arrival of broadband actually was that - an arrival rather than a hair-tearing process. Your advice therefore welcomed.
1) Have bought an M-ADSL microfilter, which should split the signal. Puzzling thing: the data signal seems to be coming out of an RJ-11 jack, not an Ethernet one. Also, there are only two prongs showing in the data socket, rather than four. Is that right on either or both counts?
2) I want to just plug it into my (graphite = old) Airport Base Station. But that has either an RJ-11 phone modem socket, which I assume isn’t interested in having ADSL data piped into it, or an RJ-45 (Ethernet) socket. Can’t see any RJ-11 to RJ-45 cables in the local store.
So questions are
a) is the microfilter OK?
b) do I need a modem in the middle (surely not) or do I plug the ADSL data into the Airport’s RJ-11 modem socket, or is there such a beast as an RJ-11 to RJ-45 cable?
Yes, I’m aware of the irony of my asking this, but the answer doesn’t seem to be out there.
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June 16th, 2005 at 2:39 pm
The ADSL line DOES require a Modem. You have to have one, either standalone USB or Ethernet, or one integrated into a Router. The RJ11 on the airport is a 56k modem.
Examples, not linkified to not set off the comment spam blocks:
http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hardware/modemsandadslhardware/products.htm?catid=129
http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hardware/modemsandadslhardware/productView.htm?quicklinx=2VCD&mc=5
Usually the ISP will provide at least a USB modem free, which can be replaced with a combined Modem/Router for sharing. Some packages are ‘wires only’ though, which sound like what you have ordered.
June 16th, 2005 at 2:46 pm
Yes, it is an RJ11 socket otherwise people might try connecting to the POTS via Ethernet which might be counterproductive. If you have Airport already, you might be best off with a wireless ADSL modem. Just plug in, power up and away you go (well, in theory, anyway….)
June 16th, 2005 at 3:26 pm
and before you whizz off to your local computer hyperstore, get a microfilter for every phone socket in your house otherwise you will be disconnected every time someone makes a call on an unfiltered line (this from bitter experience).
June 16th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
For a Mac, forget about a modem and get an ethernet router - they don’t require the stupid badly written driver software that the modems use and, once configured, can be left to their own devices (so to speak). Also they stay connected even when the Mac is switched off or goes to sleep - the modem I used to use (Hermstedt WebShuttle) didn’t like the Mac going to sleep one bit.
June 16th, 2005 at 4:40 pm
But the Airport Base Station *is* an Ethernet router, at least in theory. You plug Ethernet in, it puts wireless out.
I don’t think people have quite read what I posted - or maybe haven’t got what I’ve got. I want to go from the ADSL output pouring from the microfilter, into my Airport Base Station, which has Ethernet in. How do I do it? Anyone got an Airport BS and wants to share?
Obviously I’ve got an Airport card in the computer. But that’s not what I’m connecting.
Once again: RJ11 on the microfilter. RJ45 on the Airport BS. How do you connect them? (And no, Freedom2surf aren’t providing anything, that I know of.)
June 16th, 2005 at 4:54 pm
You need an ADSL modem to sit in between the microfilters and the Airport Base Station. This will take the RJ 11 and provide ethernet output to go into your Airport Base Station.
However, as far as I’m aware most of these things are also routers and will therefore duplicate the routing aspect of the Airport. You could get a USB modem but these connect directly to your computer via USB rather than ethernet.
Apple do not make ADSL modems/routers because they are geared towards DSL/Cable in the US where the modems to have ethernet output.
I would suggest replacing your Airport with a Netgear DG834G which works flawlessly with my PowerBook.
Good luck
June 16th, 2005 at 4:55 pm
Yes in *theory*, but an Airport basestation can’t be configured to connect to an ISP with login and password details etc; you still need a separate router/modem to do all that. I’ve got exactly that set up at home myself. The router connects to the WAN port on the AirPort (the one with 8 dots in a circle) and you can then configure your Mac to connect to the Airport. You will still need to configure the router via the Airport basestation with your connection details, etc.
June 16th, 2005 at 5:01 pm
Right, it IS a router, but a modem is needed- post 4 is referring to modems which connect directly to your mac, not what you want to do. You require an Ethernet ADSL Modem, which takes RJ11 input from the microfilter, and outputs RJ45/Ethernet for connection to a router -your Airport- which then shares it.
This is the sort of product you need:
http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hardware/modemsandadslhardware/productView.htm?quicklinx=341Y
Shop around to perhaps find it cheaper or buy one from a different manufacturer. Also, combined ADSL modems/wireless routers are very affordable now- perhaps 20 uid more- this would replace your Airport, giving you faster G functionality, whilst still maintaining compatibility.
June 16th, 2005 at 6:21 pm
ADSL is a modem standard like V.54 or V.32bis, so you need the right modem to convert the signals from the splitter to data your system can handle — in this case, Ethernet. (In fact, an ADSL modem has 256 modems running in parallel, which for fifty quid means you’re paying twenty pence per modem. My first modem cost around £400, and ran twenty times slower than any one of those 256. Yay for Moore’s Law).
I’d agree with Jon, though, about ditching the Airport. When I set up my rural parents’ ADSL earlier this year, I had problems with Belkin and Linksys modems and ended up with a Netgear. Having the wireless, router and modem all in one box makes it a lot easier to position it for good coverage without too many problems with cables, room, power supply sockets and domestic harmony. We also go away with just one splitter, because we could position it (and the router) on the master socket that fed the rest of the house’s telephone system through a plug. The whole of the rest of the house thus sat on the other side of the splitter, and couldn’t affect the DSL signal.
R
June 16th, 2005 at 7:12 pm
I still think a wireless modem is simplest. The modem plugs into the ADSL socket and acts as a node on your WiFi network. So any WiFi computer in the house can connect, including your Airport device. If you have signed up to BT Broadband, they do an excellent and cheap unit called Voyager, and the software is good as well (although I have only tried the PC version).
June 16th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Charles
Most of the comments are in the right direction. You are missing a UK-compatible ADSL modem. However, I would suggest you don’t actually buy an adsl ethernet modem, but an ethernet router. Personally I don’t believe in a single router wireless base station - having two separate components has lots of advantages. As you already have the airport base which is a GREAT device (which one?), stick with that, and get a 4 port ethernet router. Something like the Thomson speedtouch 510v4 is supposed to work well in a mac world. It’s not the cheapest but it will work well and give you lots of options (iChat etc). The Netgear mentioned is ok, but there ARE some problems, and as I say, given you have an ABS already, stick with a good quality router. A 4 port version also means you can connect via ethernet for non-wireless computers, for VoIP phones, for XBoxes etc. and for those occasions when wireless fails you!
It’s a pity you didn’t pop over to the Apple Mac forum over on adslguide. There are always lots of people willing to proffer advice - mostly useful too!
If you wish to go into this in detail, please feel free to email me (you have my address somewhere). I’d also be happy to help with any config issues you have on either router or airport (don’t forget security!)
Ian
June 16th, 2005 at 7:21 pm
Sorry Chris, the Voyager is not a ‘wireless modem’ - it is a wireless router with an inbuilt ADSL modem, like many other people are suggesting. It will replace the Airport if used, which is probably the best solution.
June 16th, 2005 at 7:33 pm
Oh orl right then. You can connect the Voyager by Ethernet to the computer and junk the Airport but connecting by wireless means you can place the Voyager to maximise wireless coverage round the house.
June 16th, 2005 at 9:48 pm
Wow! That’s a lot of help. Thanks for all your help, people. I shall get on the websites etc pronto.
June 16th, 2005 at 11:11 pm
Agreed to the above: You need something containing ADSL modem functionality between the filter and the rest of your network (which includes the aiport base station). I use this: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=8234209368&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=48448 hooked up to a Netgear wireless base station.
The only real issue I have with it is that you have to forward all ports on the ADSL modem to the existing router (with its firewall) if you want to run a server and port forward through to it - this is where a combined adsl modem/router/wirelesshub has its benefits. However if you’re not running a server, then you don’t need to do this and get double the protection :)
June 17th, 2005 at 8:29 am
Charles/Trystan
>The only real issue I have with it is that you have to forward all ports on the ADSL modem to the existing router
Given that Charles is using a graphite ABS (sorry I didn’t pick this up originally) which has NO separate LAN connection, it can ONLY be used as a router if ALL the devices are wireless. While it is an ok router (esp if all machines are Macs with Mac OS X firewall), it is not super flexible anyway. So, I would advise against just getting an ADSL modem. A 4 port ADSL modem/router without wireless gives the most options, and allows re-use of the ABS, and/or upgrade of the wireless side separately as eg 802.11n becomes available late this year/next year. It also permits wired clients to be used. A router isn’t much more expensive than an ethernet modem. If you can stretch to the £50-70 area then there are a lot of good choices.
Just to doubly make sure though - on NO account should you go near a USB modem (like the ones often supplied “free” by the more dubious ISP’s). This flat out won’t work in your situation, and is a really dumb way to go for all sorts of reasons esp. if a computer has ethernet (which just about all macs in the last 12 years have had).
Ian
June 17th, 2005 at 10:10 am
I think that for the sake of a quiet, or perhaps less complicated, life I’ll probaby go with the Netgear 802.11g option, and let the graphite ABS find a new home. There’s plenty it could do around the place. Thanks everyone for the education.
June 17th, 2005 at 11:47 am
I know this thread is essentially over, but hey. Some parsley to throw into the pot:
A benefit with some Linksys routers is that you can patch them with 3rd party firmware to support WDS, which means that airport expresses work as repeaters…extending your wireless network range. (http://www.linksysinfo.org has some stuff on this)
However I don’t think the WAP54G (the combined ADSL modem/gateway/basestation/thing) is covered by this firmware, and if you’re looking for an easy life, it’s best left - I got it working, but it took…some fiddling.
Back to work.
June 17th, 2005 at 11:49 am
Correction: make that the WAG54G