topic Re: Router question in Electronics

Router question

Mindy D — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 20:16:40 GMT

Hi. I’m going to migrate from my current ATT DSL to ATT Uverse (or whatever they’ve renamed it to this week). I will be getting a combination router modem from ATT. They call this gadget a gateway. I currently have an old modem from ATT which I now own and I have my own awesome router.

I’ll have to be disconnecting my router and modem to self install the gateway when it arrives.

To stop using my router, do I need to do anything other than unplug it? What about the current modem? I will be getting an ATT person to help me self install tal the new gateway by phone but I don’t know if the rep will help turn off my current equipment before the new installation. I hope I’ve been clear. My brain is fried right now.

Re: Router question

Still Raining — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 20:35:10 GMT

Unless their gateway is free, you would be ahead financially buying your own. Just be sure their paperwork reflects your ownership.

Re: Router question

Alison Wonderland — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 20:26:55 GMT

No, you won't have to do anything to deactivate your current modem or router besides unplug them.

If you have a large house where you have trouble getting a wifi signal in some areas, you can check to see if your existing router can be turned into a wifi extender, getting you a stronger signal in faraway rooms. I've done that for my parents. This video shows you how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa70Hghs8uA

If you're getting support from an ATT service person, make sure you talk to him or her about changing the default password for the new Gateway device. When people talked about getting their home security cameras or wifi hacked, it's almost always because they never changed the default password, making it easy for a hacker to access as soon as it was seen in the wifi network listing.

Re: Router question

SilleeMee — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 20:37:38 GMT

@Mindy D

DSL connection uses the old phone land line wire. I believe your new router/modem will be connected to a coaxial cable, a completely different kind of wire. I just switched from DSL to cable internet just a few weeks ago so I know what was done to get my wifi.

Re: Router question

itsmetoo — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 21:01:30 GMT

@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

Re: Router question

Alison Wonderland — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 21:34:15 GMT

@itsmetoo wrote:
@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

@itsmetoo

The router we used was already built to work as either a router or an extender, so I was able to connect the router to the wifi network and did not need to use an ethernet cable. I told my friend about it and she did have to use a very long ethernet cable (The kind you find in offices) and ran the cable along her baseboards and stapled into place. It wasn't super attractive, but it did work. If you want to get very fancy, you can drill holes in walls, but she opted not to do that.

If you want a more elegant solution and want to spend the money, you can look into mesh networks for your house. They're not super expensive and are easier to manage than routers connected by super long ethernet cables.

Re: Router question

SilleeMee — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 21:35:00 GMT

@itsmetoo wrote:
@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

There's only one cable coming into your house which feeds the wifi data to your router/modem. From there the signal is wireless...no cords, cables or wires needed. If the signal gets weak because it has to travel a distance inside the house then a separate wifi signal booster device might me needed...buy those at a store which sells wifi gear. @itsmetoo

Re: Router question

Nuttmeg — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 08:04:38 GMT

@Mindy D wrote:
Hi. I’m going to migrate from my current ATT DSL to ATT Uverse (or whatever they’ve renamed it to this week). I will be getting a combination router modem from ATT. They call this gadget a gateway. I currently have an old modem from ATT which I now own and I have my own awesome router.

I’ll have to be disconnecting my router and modem to self install the gateway when it arrives.

To stop using my router, do I need to do anything other than unplug it? What about the current modem? I will be getting an ATT person to help me self install tal the new gateway by phone but I don’t know if the rep will help turn off my current equipment before the new installation. I hope I’ve been clear. My brain is fried right now.

@Mindy D

Please call AT&T and have a " Truck Roll".

@SilleeMee makes a great point. DSL service runs on your landline and cable uses a separate coaxial line.

JMO, self installs are nice for tech savvy customers. You need more help.

Re: Router question

Nuttmeg — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 08:28:57 GMT

@Still Raining wrote:
Unless their gateway is free, you would be ahead financially buying your own. Just be sure their paperwork reflects your ownership.

JMO, combination/gateway cable modem routers are never a great value. The units can sometimes be mis-matched in performance. You can do much better buying separate products. I have saved major bucks over the years.

Comcast does not allow customers to buy Voip equipment in some markets. You just have to pay when you need a phone.

The cable companies do not make their profits on programming, but on that hardware.

Re: Router question

Nuttmeg — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 11:04:58 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
@itsmetoo wrote:
@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

There's only one cable coming into your house which feeds the wifi data to your router/modem. From there the signal is wireless...no cords, cables or wires needed. If the signal gets weak because it has to travel a distance inside the house then a separate wifi signal booster device might me needed...buy those at a store which sells wifi gear. @itsmetoo

@SilleeMee

I have a computer hard wired to a router. The speed is 275 Mbps. I do not need an extender or booster box on my network.

My 275 Mbps signal would only deliver a maximum speed to a distant device of 1/2. The are many factors that determine the speed at the new location.

The web has a lot of information about internet booster hardware.

Most people should ask the ISP to upgrade the cable modem and the router. You should have a tech come to your home.

You can ask the cable company the following questions when buying network service.

You should tell how many devices are running on your network, and what network speed would be the best?

New hardware an increase in speed may help a connection problem.

Cable companies cheat older customers by selling them slow 25 Mbps service for $50. This price should get a person 100 Mbps.

Re: Router question

SilleeMee — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 13:37:04 GMT

My pc is also hardwired to my router. Although my pc does not require a wired connection to receive wifi, that is what I prefer. My router is also conveniently located just next to my pc so there isn't any issues with the (ethernet) wire going to the pc... it's such a short distance between those two devices. @Nuttmeg

Another thing about routers...

...it's a good idea to 'reset' them as much as possible. By this I mean disconnecting their power cord intermittently so as to allow for any unnecessary accumulated data to be cleared out of the router itself. Sometimes this useless data can be used by outside (hackers) to gain access into your router. Resetting the router will also allow for router updates to go into place and also improve router function, such as improved connection speed.

Re: Router question

itsmetoo — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 00:59:59 GMT

@Alison Wonderland wrote:
@itsmetoo wrote:
@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

@itsmetoo
The router we used was already built to work as either a router or an extender, so I was able to connect the router to the wifi network and did not need to use an ethernet cable. I told my friend about it and she did have to use a very long ethernet cable (The kind you find in offices) and ran the cable along her baseboards and stapled into place. It wasn't super attractive, but it did work. If you want to get very fancy, you can drill holes in walls, but she opted not to do that.

If you want a more elegant solution and want to spend the money, you can look into mesh networks for your house. They're not super expensive and are easier to manage than routers connected by super long ethernet cables.

@Alison Wonderland

Thank you for the information. I do already have a mesh network and love it. But I've read about doing things like you talked about in the past but couldn't imagine a long cord running from room to room. I thought I might be something I was missing! Thanks for the explanation!

Re: Router question

itsmetoo — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 01:02:36 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
@itsmetoo wrote:
@Alison Wonderland

How did you manage the cord when setting this up for your parents? Wouldn't you have a super long cord running from one room to another then or did you run the cord under the house or something?

There's only one cable coming into your house which feeds the wifi data to your router/modem. From there the signal is wireless...no cords, cables or wires needed. If the signal gets weak because it has to travel a distance inside the house then a separate wifi signal booster device might me needed...buy those at a store which sells wifi gear. @itsmetoo

@SilleeMee

Thank you for your reply @SilleeMee , I am aware of that and already have a mesh system. I was just curious if in a case like Alison Wonderland was talking about if people ran the cords from room to room or under the house or what.