Ok it started when I first got broadband. I signed up to www.supanet.com and I received a modem called Zoom ADSL something. It connected to the phoneline with an RJ11 cable and connected to the pc with a USB cable. It was not an always on broadband. I had to go to "Connect to" and connect it to the internet. I also had an icon in my taskbar that would show my connection.
So a year later I needed to get a new PC and I realised that this modem could only connect to one PC. So my friend told me I needed a ROUTER. I then popped down to my local PC shop and told them I needed a router. I bought a router called Sparkcom ADSL Modem Router. I was told that the setup was very simple. My new PC hadn't arrived yet but I decided to get the router ready anyway. I diconnected my Zoom ADSL modem and used this Sparkcom Router. I connected the Sparcom router to the phoneline with the RJ11 cable and then connected the router to my PC with my ethernet cable. My PC came up with a message saying that my Local Area Network is connected. However the taskbar that shows whether my connection to the internet came off since I had disconnected my Zoom modem. I guessed this meant I could connect to the internet. But when I tried to connect to the internet by clicking on "Connect to Zoom ADSL" I got a message saying that the modem was not connected. I noticed that it was trying to connect to the Zoom modem that wasn't connected. And for some reason the Sparkcom router was not showing up. I then tried to use the install CD to install the USB dirver but the CD wouldn't load it up for some reason.
I then decided to browse on the internet and I found out that Zoom had several routers for sale. Does my broadband connection only work with Zoom products? Should I just buy the Zoom modem and return the Spark Com router? Thanks in advance.
Come on guys...
Why are you all IGNORING me!
Hello, yodro,
Please keep in mind that we are all volunteers here, and that we do have our own "real life" schedules and commitments which we need to attend to before dedicating any of our free time to this site.
Also keep in mind that a wait of 12 hours or more is not at all uncommon on any free tech support site, and that "bumping" your thread after only 1 or 2 hours is, quite honestly, considered to be a bit rude.
That said, your Internet access problem is most likely not a question of the compatibility of one modem over the other, but of the correct configuration of the new device. First of all- is your Sparkcom model one that has Ethernet ports in addition to a USB port, and does your computer have an Ethernet port on it? If so, it is often more reliable to connect the modem/router and computer via Ethernet instead of USB. If connected by Ethernet you would need no special drivers to access the Sparkcom's setup utility and configure it with the correct username/password/etc. authentication settings required by your ISP.
As for why the USB driver CD doesn't work, I have no idea. Can you even browse the contents of the CD, or does it seem to be totally unreadable by your system?
Sorry most forums I've been on answer within an hour or so. I really didn't mean to be rude. Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for understanding- any progress on the problem?
this is because your original setup pretends to be an old fashioned modem. To do this, Windows redirects everything that should go down the Ethernet, to the dumb "modem" device that's really an ADSL connection.
In order to use or see your Router (even to configure it, which you will need to do), you have to completely remove all references to the old method of connection. How many of these there are depends on the brain of the person who wrote the driver package - could be a guy at Supanet, could be a summer visitor at the ADSL modem company (don't laugh, I've caught HP shipping software written this way!).
Because these "spoof modem" ADSL installs vary so much from vendor to vendor, it's very hard for other people to help you with removal. Some of those install CD writers thought it was just so cool to make their setup un-removable, and glue themselves deep inside the guts of Internet Explorer, or fritz with your Group Policies to make themselves look to the OS like a giant super-controlled corporate network.
The very safest way to proceed is:
- get a clean PC or portable that you know hasn't had the annoying ADSL modem software loaded, whack it on the back of your router, and get comfortable with setting that up for Supanet access. You will need to put your Supanet account details - username & password - in it and tell it what it needs to know about how Supanet provide services.
- once you know that spare PC works, then go back to your main PC and go through the taking-off of that cack add-on software. Bear in mind this may turn out to be impossible due to the behaviour of the installer, and you could be looking at an OS re-install to stop it being a pain in the posterior. (this is why you shouldn't do this firt, because while you are trying to set up the router you need to be onine, reading how-to's and indeed this place)
Yeah, it turned out that a Zoom router modem was needed. It's all fine now. Thanks a lot.
Yeah, it turned out that a Zoom router modem was needed. It's all fine now. Thanks a lot.
I'll bet it was more that Zoom devices are what your ISP supplies, so those are the only devices their tech support folks will deal with. :mrgreen:
Glad you found a solution though...
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