I need a new router. There are 2 types, and I dont know the name of the ver sion I need.... AIUI some do address translation & some dont, and I need an 8 way one that does. If I plug the wrong sort in here, it doesnt work, but if I plug it in after an address translating one then it works fine.
Whats this feature called? Or have I got the wrong end of the nail?
NT
Are you on ADSL or cable? Them's the two basic types. ADSL ones contain a modem, cable ones don't - but can be used on ADSL, so long as there's a separate ADSL modem in front of them.
Cable in this case. I'll admit to being puzzled now :) The router in question will plug into Cableco modem's ethernet port.
NT
NAT, network address translation ?
yu need a 'cable router'
They will all do NAT at least.
OK, so you need a "Not ADSL" one.
So basically what they tend to call a "broadband router" or "cable router" where the WAN interface is an ethernet port rather than a connection to an internal ADSL modem.
You probably won't find many with 8 physical LAN ports on them, but that does not stop you using another switch after the router to give more ports.
Routers just route between, hopefully, at least two ports. One Wide Area Network (WAN) in a domestic enviroment this would be "the internet". The other ports is the Local Area Network (LAN). Some boxes also have an unmanaged switch built in to provide more than one LAN port.
I'm confused plug what in where? You start off asking about routers but this sentance appears to be asking about some form of end device like a laptop, computer, or WHY.
The address translation is Network Address Translation (NAT) but I get a niggle that what you are really missing when things "don't work" is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. NAT does not need DHCP but for most LANs a DHCP server is required to hand out IP address's and other config information to devices connected to the LAN.
If you are plugging a simple switch into your cable boxes ethernet port the NAT will be provided by the cable box but the DHCP server may have been switched off(*) and thus the LAN won't work. Plug a "cable router" into the cable box and you'll probably get double NAT and a DHCP server and things will work (well as well as they can behind NAT).
(*) Quite sensibly as if by some poor configuration you have two DHCP servers issuing IP leases for the same LAN segment, things get very confusing at best, at worst things won't work. A cable box only connected to a router doesn't need DHCP, as static addressing is easy to do.
As you are with VM have you tried asking them nicely if they will give you one? They hand them out free according to package etc but also sometimes just to keep punters quiet. It won't have 8 ports but as has already been said you can hang a switch off it (or another router so long as you disable DHCP on it).
-- Robin reply to address is (meant to be) valid
Are you still using an old cable modem (various models supplied) or have you got the new Super Hub:
The super hub is a wireless router with built-in NAT and 4 Ethernet ports so you can just use it with an external switch rather than buy a cable router. (Alternatively you can switch the super hub to be a cable modem only and use it with an external cable router, i.e. one with an Ethernet connection to your cable modem rather than an ADSL port to connect to your telephone line.)
As Robin noted, Virgin will post you a free super hub with minimal prompting. Any errors on your old cable modem, or failure to run reliably at the full rated speed of your connection is sufficient reason.
Whats running now is pre-superhub, and has been having problems. That link just comes up blank though. But I'll contact them about it. Thank you
NT
Hmm, link worked for me. Try:
My old cable modem (a surfboard) kept crashing when my line speed went up to 20Mbps. I phoned up and VM sent me a superhub. There were lots of problems initially with superhubs but the current firmware seems to be OK.
From reading the thread, you are on Virgin media. If you have a virgin router already (so wireless is supplied from this) and you are going to be sticking with this arrangement for wireless, and just want more Ethernet ports to plug things into, you just need a switch.
Modern ones have both ADSL and cable modems in the same unit, so you can use it on either.
NAT is what was being described.
'Some' modern ones (and usually more expensive) etc etc
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.