A friend would like Wifi but found out they have a 7 year old cable modem

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kiwigeek1

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#179187 30-Aug-2015 18:54

A friend would like Wifi but found out they have a 7 year old cable modem

this SB5101

https://community.vodafone.co.nz/t5/Modems-home-Wi-Fi/Read-Me-Troubleshooting-Highspeed-Cable-broadband/td-p/171454

it doesnt have any WIFI on it.. how lame is that :)

I know you could use the single lan cable to another old ASDL router and use
that for wifi

but how easy is it for their vodafone ISP to upgrade that to a wireless router

and what is the cost..

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#1376548 30-Aug-2015 19:01

Put a simple router (with wifi) there???

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#1376549 30-Aug-2015 19:01

The age of the cable modem is irrelevant - they are only a layer 2 bridge, not a router, so don't have WiFi.

I presume your friend just has their PC plugged directly into the cable modem - in which case they simply need to go any buy a router with WiFi.

Up until a ccouple of years ago a router was not supplied, and you had to supply your own. Presumably your friend decided they didn't need one at the time with a single device.

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#1376550 30-Aug-2015 19:05

It's a modem.
It's designed to be connected to a router.
A router may or may not have wireless.
What is the problem?

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#1376552 30-Aug-2015 19:10

Up until a couple of months ago TelstraClear (and Vvodafone) only supplied a modem.

You can connect a PC directly to the modem. Or connect a router which can have WiFi.

Vodafone is now supplying a new device, which is a modem/router all in one and has WiFi.

The old way is actually good for advanced users. The new way is good for users (like your friend) who don't want to get too technical.

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kiwigeek1

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#1376553 30-Aug-2015 19:12

how come vodafone hasnt called existing customers offering a free upgrade to wifi cable router
to keep them as customers though?

yes the pc connects to the modem.. she sent a photo of it in their house

yes i know you can connect router of the back from one of the 4 ports and use the router to pc via wire

on one of the left 3 ports then can use its wifi as well

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#1376556 30-Aug-2015 19:14

kiwigeek1: how come vodafone hasnt called existing customers offering a free upgrade to wifi cable router
to keep them as customers though?

Because really there's no reason to upgrade. There's nothing wrong with the old modem.

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kiwigeek1

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#1376557 30-Aug-2015 19:15

cable modems how do they connect though.. I see a RF cable on it.. is it via a dish like sky?

why I say have to piggy back of it to a old asdl router with wifi.. I have several in a draw here
she could use one I guess.

kiwigeek1

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#1376559 30-Aug-2015 19:17

of course upgrade.. it dont use fibre from street right? and no wifi..

never come across a cable modem before.. thought it was bundle with sky over wire or something

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#1376560 30-Aug-2015 19:17

It's a terrestrial network, either via underground cable or aerial, depending on the neighbourhood.

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#1376562 30-Aug-2015 19:19

kiwigeek1: how come vodafone hasnt called existing customers offering a free upgrade to wifi cable router
to keep them as customers though?

Because most people don't actually want or like this setup. Having a separate cable modem and router offers a lot more flexibility. At the time your friend connected they obviously didn't bother buying a router either.

ISPs don't just contact people to upgrade them for the same reason car dealers don't call you every couple of years offering you a new free car as an upgrade...

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#1376564 30-Aug-2015 19:21

kiwigeek1: how come vodafone hasnt called existing customers offering a free upgrade to wifi cable router
to keep them as customers though?

WiFi is not a replacement for a Ethernet Cable

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#1376565 30-Aug-2015 19:21

kiwigeek1:
why I say have to piggy back of it to a old asdl router with wifi.. I have several in a draw here
she could use one I guess.

Unless it's a modern modem that supports both xDSL and WAN connections it won't work.

If they're old they're likely to be xDSL only so won't have a WAN port.

Plenty of suitable routers on trademe on trademe that you'd get for as low as $1 NR

kiwigeek1

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#1376566 30-Aug-2015 19:24

yes but everyone has laptops and mobiles now.. shes spending heaps on 3g data when the only pc
is used by the kids LOL

I found a diagram.. so I see what needs to be done
http://www.gci.com/kb/how-to-connect-your-cable-modem
im guessing the lan port to pc is standard 100mbit UTP

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#1376611 30-Aug-2015 21:02

That diagram is very complicated.

Take note of the PC's TCP/IP configuration (IP address, netmask and DNS)
Get a router with a WAN port.
Plug WAN port to modem ethernet port
Change PC adapter to get configuration from router
Plug PC to any LAN port
Log into router admin mode
Make sure router firewall is on
Make sure router admin from WAN side is off
Make sure router WiFi is WPA protected
Change admin password to something your friend can remember
Change router TCP/IP configuration to match what you noted in step 1
Enjoy better, safer Internet (because now your friend's PC is no longer connected directly to the Internet)

On top of that I recommend you run a full MalwareBytes scan anyway.

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kiwigeek1

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#1376618 30-Aug-2015 21:12

yeh but the old routers with wifi dont have wan I can give her..

only 4 lan ports..

ive daisy chained of a old router before without a problem

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