Router compatability

[darenmatthews]

It should work but appears to have no GigaBit switch - 100 Mbits is soooo yesterday, if you are planning to shift any big files the difference will be very apparent.

Doesn't ntl:Telewest / Virgin business broadband max out at 20Mbps? So unless you are shifting big files between wired PCs inside your LAN, 100Mbps should be sufficient. The bottleneck is the WAN link.

WRT wireless, 802.11g (54Mbps) the actual throughput is approx. 22Mpbs (i.e. data, not data and payload) so again, 100Mbps would be sufficient. If you have two or more wireless PC's they share the RF bandwidth (one at a time - half-duplex). If the router supports 802.11b and g (11 and 54Mbps) and one PC uses 11b and the other 11g, then the throughput of 11g ireduces even further. This is the case for ALL wireless routers/access points supporting those standards.

I did notice that the router only allows dyndns.org for Dynamic DNS configuration, but that may not be a problem for you.

Regarding the WAN:
I know that with a DrayTek router, on NTL cable, you will need to release the PC's MAC address from your modem before the model will recognise a different address (for your router).

To do this, in Windows, make sure the modem is connected directly to your PC and working. Then use either winipcfg.exe (press the 'Release All' button) or use ' ipconfig.exe /release ' from the MSDOS prompt.

Hope this helps

[DaveP]

Ended up buying a

Netgear WNR854T Rangemax NEXT cable/DSL Router

from ebay at £31


thanks all