Does Virgin Broadband work with Cable Routers?

KJBen · 16-02-2008, 14:11

I tried to contact Virgin Media with a view to taking a Broadband XL package...

Everything seemed to be going fine until I asked if I could connect my home network to the broadband using a DSL router, then things started to fall apart. One person on the sales team said yes, another said no, a third said maybe, but I would need a Business account...

I have a Belkin F5D7231-4 HS DSL/Cable router, and I could not believe such a simple question would be so difficult to get an answer to.

Does anyone here know the answer, and can anyone tell me that I just had a poor sales guy, and that it does not reflect the level of customer support from VIrgin Media. I am an ex-NTL customer if that helps...

Many thanks in anticipation,

Ben.

lostandconfused · 16-02-2008, 14:14

providing that its cable broadband (which i think it is if its the XL package)and not the adsl virgin.net then it will work

Cerberus · 16-02-2008, 14:14

Yes it does, because I have the exact same model and it works a treat.

Kymmy · 16-02-2008, 14:25

Quote:

Connects to your cable or DSL modem to allow your computers to share broadband Internet access, music files, printers, and hard drives

That's a quote directly from the Belkin pages. It's just an ethernet router that needs a seperate DSL or CABLE modem to work so YES it will work fine on either cable systems or DSL systems.

Kymmy

MovedGoalPosts · 16-02-2008, 14:30

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, in other words broadband. Trouble is there are loads of DSL derivatives - ADSL (Asymetric) which is your BT phone type, Cable i.e. Virgin Media, and so on. DSL simply means your router needs to connect to a separate modem.

KJBen · 16-02-2008, 15:08

Glad to hear that, I was on the phone for over an hour to Virgin, and all I was ever told is that I would have to connect the modem directly to a pc!!!

Many thanks

MovedGoalPosts · 16-02-2008, 15:32

Virgin Media don't actually "support" routers, you can use them but they won't assist you in their use. Not unsurprising therefore that you couldn't get a decent answer out of them.

lulup · 19-02-2008, 13:39

Hi,
Know nowt here.
I have just bought this router from Maplins. I am using VirginMedia as my ISP through their cable modem. I have coupled it up as instructed (basic, not got to wireless yet) and all the lights are showing correctly. The broadband is okay when not going through the router but no connection can be obtained through the router. The appropriate lights flash when I try accessing the web, and the green bars appear at the bottom of my screen. My networking icons show connected. My laptop is picking up the signal from the router, but likewise no connection. It must be a basic thing I am missing surely?
Any kind person please?
lulup

19-02-2008, 13:41

reboot the modem

Kymmy · 19-02-2008, 13:58

Routers need three things configured to work

Connection to Modem:
The WAN address needs to be set to auto, this way the router automatically gets it's WAN address from the cable modem the same way as a PC does when it gets it's address from the modem.

ROUTING
Sometimes you can set up different routing methods on a router. you want NAT or even better NATP (dynamic NAT) enabled

Connection to PC
If you can config the router then likelyhood that the LAN adress is already set up. Most work or default to a 192.168.*.* or a 10.*.*.* address. If you want to connect to a router set up at 192.168.0.1 IP then your PC needs to be set up with 192.168.0.*

Your PC can either be set with a manual address (I.E. you put in the address yourself) or automatically via DHCP (this is where in the router you set DHCP as on and specify an address pool (something like 192.168.0.100 - 192.168.0.200 if your router address is 192.168.0.1, that way your PCs will get allocated in order 192.168.0.100 for the first PC, 192.168.0.101 for the second PC and so on) To use DHCP you network card needs to be set to automatically obtain an IP but if your PC works directly attached to a cable modem this is already set up.

Once configured your modem needs rebooting and then the router and finally your PC.

Kymmy

KJBen · 20-02-2008, 17:48

Back again...

Had my Modem installed today, worked fine when I pugged the PC into it, but now, after 5 hours of trying to get the Belkin router to work with it, I am ready to call customer support to cancel.....

no matter what setting I use on the Belkin, and whether it shows connected or not, nothing happnes, no internet connection, no traffic, zero, zip, nada...

I wonder if Virgin realise what a pigs breakfast they make of customer support by not supporting what is becoming more and more common, wireless connectivity!

If anyone has an alternative suggestion (other than powering down in the right order and back up again... sorry guys have heard that too many times today... and anyway it is kinda obvious...) I would love to hear it!

Yours in frustration (and close to a broken window time)...

Ben

Graham M · 20-02-2008, 18:02

Just drag a 13 year old off the street, they'll be able to sort it

KJBen · 20-02-2008, 18:23

I wish, live in a quiet cul-de-sac, even the paper-boy is over that age......

DocDutch · 21-02-2008, 09:44

KJBen, follow the post I've made on your other item...

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/34493117-post7.html this would normally sort it out.

otherwise give belkin tech a call and they will be more then willing to sort the whole thing out for you, probably would take 5 mins max.

Ben B · 23-02-2008, 19:28

Go to http://192.168.2.1 click login at the top right (default password is nothing) and click 'Submit' then on the left under Internet WAN click 'Connection Type' and make sure it is set to dynamic as on the attached screenshot.

~Ben B~