Howto add 2nd PC to DSL-300T

Hi,

I have connected my PC to broadband using a D-Link DSL-300T.

Can I have some guidance on how to now connect a second PC to this please?

I think I may be looking at putting in a hub which is connected to my modem, and then going from the hub to each PC - but I may totally have lost the plot! <grn>

Peter

In your shoes, I would not have got an ethernet modem, I would have had an ethernet router. Have a look at this review, which on a brief skim seems to cover the issue. You can do what you want with a hub or switch, but you would need an ethernet to ethernet router to get the benefit of NAT

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/hardware/reviews/2004/q4/dlink-dsl300t.html may help. Unless it has a one port router mode of operation you can't connect more than one PC without some kludge involving an ethernet router ("broadband router" without an ADLS modem in it).

The D-Link DSL-300T is not the right equipment for connecting anything more than a single PC to the Internet.

To connect another PC your need to do one of three things:

1. Retain the existing Ethernet Modem (D-Link DSL-300T for the first PC's connection to the Internet and then use Internet Connection Sharing on your first PC and connect the others using that. To do this you will need to add a network between the first PC and the other(s). This will need care in setting up as there are many opportunities for getting it all wrong.

2. Add a non-ADSL router between the D-Link and the computer and then connect all of the computers to the new (non ADSL) router. Again there are plenty of opportunities for getting this wrong, if only because there a some (non-ADSL) routers will not work with the D-Link.

3. Replace the existing Ethernet Modem with an ADSL Router (with built in Modem). This is by far the best (and simplest) option of the three

Edited to correct technical content

Edited by Sandgrounder (Fri 01-Jun-07 00:00:56)

I'm coming to this thread a bit late, but here goes...

The DSL-300T modem is a crippled router. As can be seen from the review article linked to in other posts, it is based on the TI AR7 communications processor. The DSL-300T is actually the same as the DSL-500T single port router, and can be changed into that model by loading appropriate firmware.

I've not personally done it, but many others have. There's even a healthy 3rd party firmware interest in this, as a quick Google will tell you. Much of it is based on other companies' offerings with a few tweaks. The following is probably a good starting point, but I can provide more info if needs be:
http://ar7.wikispaces.com/Acorp+modified+firmware+for+D-Link+30xT

Kind regards

EDIT:
Just had a quick look at the pic in the review, and I though it worth (?) adding a bit more info.

If you look closely, you can see that the circuit board has the legend:
Annex A
Annex B
Modem
Router
Modem + USB
Router + USB
and that 'Annex A' and 'Modem' are marked with a red blob, confirming that it's a DSL-300T.

On the DSL-300T model, the USB port is missing. If it were present, it would be a DSL-302T. With this exception (the USB port), the other options are firmware controlled. The router is the DSL-500T or 502T. The Annex B options (ADSL signals at frequencies above ISDN) are the DSL-360T, 362T, 560T, and 562T models and Annex A models can be 'modified' for Annex B operation by loading the appropriate firmware.

There is also a JTAG connector (top right in the pic) which in addition to the ADAM2 boot monitor which in itself makes the AR7 almost crashproof, allows the product to be reloaded with a new bootloader should ADAM2 ever be corrupted. You can even replace the boot monitor with another (PSPBOOT, say) should you feel the need.

This is actually a pretty good product: it runs an embedded Linux variant and is an enthusiasts' paradise, if you like that kind of thing...

Edited by rperkin (Sat 02-Jun-07 02:16:58)

Sorry but I am not up on networking at all. Why is it good news to change it to a router?

a router allows a number of PCs to share a single connection. A modem is for connecting a single device.

The original question was:
"Can I have some guidance on how to now connect a second PC to this please?"

The answer is: Use a router

My suggestion (and that of others in the thread) is: get yourself a modem/router to replace the DSL-300T which is just a modem. I suggest you replace the DSL-300T with a modem/router of any brand - in my experience, they're all much of a muchness (although others will express strong opinions on this). If you're happy with D-Link kit, the current model is the DSL-G624T or the DSL-2740B.

My notes about converting your existing DSL-300T to a modem/router were really for the enthusiasts out there. If you're not comfortable with the technology, just go for a replacement device. If - like me - you like to play with your toys, then give it a go. All the T-series products are virtually crashproof - you're most unlikely to do it any permanent harm (but you could turn it into a brick, and not have the knowledge to unbrick it). At the worst, you will have lost about 99p worth of hardware, which is the price of several DSL-300T modems currently listed on eBay UK.

Kind regards

Thanks for your help, will look at getting a router as suggested.

Just a note - my comments above about current D-Link models were for wireless modem/routers. If you don't want or need wireless, then the current model is the DSL-524T.

If you really don't want wireless, the cheapest option would probably be to pick up something on eBay. You should be able to pick up the DSL-504T (a slightly older model) at a very reasonable price.

The other option is to pick up a router *without* an inbuilt modem and connect this to your DSL-300T. In the D-Link range, the likely candidate is the DI-604 (again, this is a model without wireless). You should be able to pick one up on eBay for a couple of pounds or so.

This last option (modem + separate router) is more complex to configure (but still fairly straightforward), but you do then end up with two boxes. It would be neater (and less complex to connect and configure) to go for a combined modem/router - hence the earlier suggestions.

Hope this helps

PS: I hold no brief for D-Link - I'm just using their model range as examples since you already have one of their products.