Wireless networking and Qwest DSL

[Gonz]

Hi all,

Haven't been around much lately, but that I'd pop my head in to see
how things are going. Hope everyone has been well.

Here's what I'd like to do. We have a desktop computer and a laptop.
I'd like to head to Costco and pick up the Microsoft wireless
networking kit so that both computers can share the DSL instead of one
on DSL and the other using the phone line. I currently have a Cisco
675 DSL modem and Qwest DSL service.

I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem. Has
anyone heard anything like this? Anyone successfully done a wireless
network using Qwest DSL service?

If what I read is true, any suggestions on another DSL provider in the
Mesa area that I can do this with. I vaguely remember at
FroGloPrimeFest III that someone mentioned that the Cisco 675 modem is
pretty much worthless at this point unless you have the original
offerings from Qwest, meaning if I were to change my service within
Qwest, I'd have to get a new modem. Thoughts?

Rob
(Ahh, the days of the free DSL modem are gone, I guess.)

[a***@MIX.COM]

Post by Gonz
I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem.

Qwest would never even know, unless they are using the MAC
address of your computers network controller to identify you.
@Home used to use the windows network name, I think, but I
doubt even Qwest would do that these days...

MAC stands for Media Access Control and is a unique number
used to identify hardware on a network. Using it for any
other reason is pretty evil though, because if your computer
dies it takes your network access with it. Or else you have
to open it up and extract the ethernet card, if it even is a
card you can get at.

If this is the case you may need to get some kind of wireless
device that let's you set its MAC address to your old one. I'm
sure these exist, I just don't know which they are. The Microsoft
one even could, I don't know.

Or, I think windows has some kind of connection sharing thing in
it that you could use here too.

Post by Gonz
(Ahh, the days of the free DSL modem are gone, I guess.)

Plus I suspect they don't have any moral problems about generating
articles that are tilted towards them selling more hardware too...

Billy Y..

[Bob Nielsen]

Post by a***@MIX.COM

Post by Gonz
I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem.

Qwest would never even know, unless they are using the MAC
address of your computers network controller to identify you.
@Home used to use the windows network name, I think, but I
doubt even Qwest would do that these days...
MAC stands for Media Access Control and is a unique number
used to identify hardware on a network. Using it for any
other reason is pretty evil though, because if your computer
dies it takes your network access with it. Or else you have
to open it up and extract the ethernet card, if it even is a
card you can get at.
If this is the case you may need to get some kind of wireless
device that let's you set its MAC address to your old one. I'm
sure these exist, I just don't know which they are. The Microsoft
one even could, I don't know.

I've had DSL with Qwest since moving here over three years ago (I was
too far from the CO when I lived in Tucson) and they don't care what
MAC address you use. Although my Netgear router does allow one to use
the address of one of the attached computers, I let it use its own.

Although my network (currently two computers plus the router, but I've
had as many as 5 and I think the router will handle 253) is wired with
CAT5 cable, the wireless variety should work equally well with Qwest
(although it would be more expensive).

Bob

[Darin Wayrynen]

Post by Gonz
Hi all,
Haven't been around much lately, but that I'd pop my head in to see
how things are going. Hope everyone has been well.
Here's what I'd like to do. We have a desktop computer and a laptop.
I'd like to head to Costco and pick up the Microsoft wireless
networking kit so that both computers can share the DSL instead of one
on DSL and the other using the phone line. I currently have a Cisco
675 DSL modem and Qwest DSL service.
I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem. Has
anyone heard anything like this? Anyone successfully done a wireless
network using Qwest DSL service?
If what I read is true, any suggestions on another DSL provider in the
Mesa area that I can do this with. I vaguely remember at
FroGloPrimeFest III that someone mentioned that the Cisco 675 modem is
pretty much worthless at this point unless you have the original
offerings from Qwest, meaning if I were to change my service within
Qwest, I'd have to get a new modem. Thoughts?
Rob
(Ahh, the days of the free DSL modem are gone, I guess.)

You should be able to just plug the MS wireless box into the 675 and
your computers into the MS box and have it work. The 675 will perform
network address translation for the MS box, and the MS box will
perform network address translation for the computers. You'll be
going through two levels of network address translation, but if you
aren't trying to run any servers or attach to your inbound computers
chances are you will not notice.

You might need a ethernet cross over cable to make the connection work
- might not - if the lan lights don't turn on when you connect the box
together you'll know you need the crossover cable.

There could be some issues if both the 675 and the MS box use the same
ip address range for their DHCP licenses, but that is a rare problem
also.

So you should not have to change your ISP, but if you ever get a
desire to switch, look us up. :-)

Darin
www.deru.com

[Dennis M. O'Connor]

Post by Gonz
I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem.

Nope. I've got an old Cisco (625 ?) DSL modem,
and I share it through both wired and wireless
networking equipment. Qwest doesn't care:
you're buying a fixed amount of bandwidth,
unlike when you use cable.

[Paul Wylie]

Gonz <***@hotmail.com> wrote:
[...]

Post by Gonz
I was doing a little reading about this kind of networking and came
across an article about how the wireless networking thing can't be
done with Qwest unless you have a special modem that you have to rent
from Qwest, meaning I can't use the my current (old) DSL modem. Has
anyone heard anything like this? Anyone successfully done a wireless
network using Qwest DSL service?

[...]

I think they're referring to the fact that if you rent that special modem,
it has two PCMCIA card slots and built-in NAT and primitive firewalling
capability built-in, as well as firmware support for wireless networking
(presumably, using one of those two card slots to do so).[1]

If you have DSL now and you add a WLAN to your home LAN, there's really
nothing Qwest can or should be able to do to detect that. I dunno if MS's
stuff has any kind of NAT capability, but if not, you may be better off
buying a Linksys or Netgear device.

--Paul
** Note "removemunged" in email address and remove to reply. **

[1] At work, one of our remote sites has an ActionTec DSL
modem/router/WLAN AP from Qwest. It was a bear getting that thing
properly configured to *just* act as a DSL modem, and the support guy
from Qwest was delightfully clueless at first about what I was
trying to do (namely, install a Cisco PIX501 VPN device behind the
DSL modem). We did finally get things properly configured, though.

[Gonz]

Post by Paul Wylie
I think they're referring to the fact that if you rent that special modem,
it has two PCMCIA card slots and built-in NAT and primitive firewalling
capability built-in, as well as firmware support for wireless networking
(presumably, using one of those two card slots to do so).[1]

<snippers>

Thanks to all that replied to my original message. I'm going to head
over to Costco on Friday and pick up wireless network stuff for the
decktop and laptop and see what happens. I have my doubts that it
will go smoothly (something that I found out ever since buying a house
- no "repair" ever goes as smoothly as the directions say it will),
but I will report back as to how it goes.

Rob
(fingers crossed)