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Ok, your NIC is
up, running and ready at boot for your
broadband connection. (If not,
go here
for some tips).
First, you need to
connect your DSL/broadband modem (either
supplied by your internet service company or
your own) to your filtered phone line connector
(DSL) or coaxial cable (cable broadband).
Next, connect your
modem output to your router input plug.
This connection uses a "Cat 5" type of wire.
Then, connect one of your output ports ( The
D-Link has four ports) to your PC's NIC (or LAN)
card using a "Cat 5" wire.
(Number one
troubleshooting answer from my ISP is to turn
off the modem and wait at least 30 seconds for
it to reset, then turn on the modem and it will
connect...in my experience, this is true)
Turn on the modem
and router, boot up your computer. Open
your Netscape, Mozilla or whatever browser you
have and enter the (default) address of the
D-Link router, which is 192.168.0.1 Follow
the instructions that come with the D-Link
router to configure it.
Here is an example
of the configuration:
After entering the
address of the router in your browser, and
entering the default password supplied with the
router you will see this screen:
Click on Setup and
you will see this:
In the account box
add your DSL providers account name for you, and
then enter your password to connect. (This
does not apply to Comcast Cable Broadband)
This is the same as the info you would enter
using a Linux operating system PPPoE dialer ( or
Roaring Penquin). The PPPoE dialer
software is built-in to the router also.
Click Save and enter at the bottom of the screen
(not visible in the screenshot above).
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Notes about
DHCP:
You may want
to check the DHCP Server setting by
clicking on DHCP and making sure that it
is set to 'Enable'. (most customers will
use this setting).
Briefly,
DHCP, or "Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol" tells the router to accept the
current IP address that your DSL/broadband
internet service provider is using.
Your ISP has a pool of IP addresses and
will change them possibly daily, weekly,
or monthly. Rarely, you may have to
turn-off and reset your dsl/cable modem to
get it to reset after an ip change, but
most of the time you will never notice the
change. The router will automatically
accept (input) this dynamic ip address and
change (output) it as something like
192.168.0.1 for your 'local' network.
This is a
key element in the 'firewalling' ability
that a router provides. Think of it
this way: when you call a company
like Earthlink, you dial a 1-800 number.
The answered call is then internally
routed by voice mail, which allows you
to choose the department you want you talk
with, like customer service, sales,
support, etc, by connecting you to their
phone number automatically. In
essence, your router accepts your ISP's
current IP address for your account, then
assigns it a new number and routes it
through to your computer. |
(If you have a
purchased a broadband account with a static ip
address from the cable company, then you have to
enter that ip number instead of enabling DHCP.)
Click Connect on
the device information screen and the connect
button will change to read "Connected".
Close or log out. That's it. Now
test your internet connection by using your
browser. Now, whenever you turn on your
computer, you will be connect at boot since the
PPPoE dialer in the router stays connected 24/7
whether or not your computer is on.
IP Addressing
(not necessary
using DHCP)
With the (D-Link)
router, if you have more than one computer
plugged into the router, you can assign an IP
address to each port, or computer. This
screen looks like this:
That's it, good
luck! |
