Hi, i need some help. Have two PC's both running windows XP SP2. Just upgraded to BT Voyager 205 router with the intention of sharing my broadband connection. I have managed to connect to one PC via the USB port and everything works fine. However, i can connect the intenet to the second pc via the lan port if i reset the router and start from scratch. The trouble occurs when i restart the pc and the connection is then lost. Quite a novice to this, so would appreciate some detailed instructions. My ISP is AOL and on the silver package. confused as hell.......

http://corz.org/comms/hardware/router/viking.voyager.advanced.php Salutations, Michel Samson a/s Bicéphale

Thanks for that, i discovered the pages a few days a go, along with numerous others and have spent a very long time trying to make some sense out of it. But to no avail, i'm new to this. Looking around other forums it is fair to say that the 205 is a pain in the arse. Have now realised that the computers can't see each other on the network, even after running the network wizard so just about to give up and burn the thing!!! Would a switch be of any benefit i wonder?? confused as hell.......

Hi, Ni> ...i need some help. ...upgraded to BT Ni> Voyager 205 router... ...I have managed to Ni> connect to one PC via the USB port... Bi> http://corz.org/comms/hardware/router/ Ni> ...the 205 is a pain in the arse... I don't know about your brand but the Viking-based MoDem/Router from GNet gives me more for the bucks than i could expect from a major manufacturer like D-Link, LynkSys, NetGear, etc! The average GUI is rarely as good as the appliance behind it, it's my terminal emulator linked to the RS-232 serial-port which helped me when i faced problems, actually... I'm afraid CLIs are potent enough to cause damages if you're too adventurous, though - that's not for the faint of heart so lets just forget about that. Ni> Would a switch be of any benefit... It certainly sounds most appropriate, get a switch and drop the Windows-based (SoftWare) adapter - if any!!! My assumption is that BT's device operates in "MoDem" mode by default ("Routing And Bridging" mode is what your situation seems to call for). I would try a switch operating as a Cross-Over cable (without BT's device connected to its UpLink port) and make sure that XP sees its peer before i throw my MoDem/Router into the fireplace! Once your PCs talk together, give a try to DSL using your MoDem/ Router again. "IPConfig All" is a classic console command under Win XP, doesn't it help to sort some of it by showing a detail which eluded you before? Salutations, Michel Samson a/s Bicéphale

Cheers for that. I will try the switch option and update on the outcome. Are you able to clarify the cables i need (straight through or x-over) for: Connecting from the switch to the two pc's and connecting from the router to the switch (i may as well try this, i've got nothing to lose!!) confused as hell.......

Hi, This address should get you to a help page discussing EtherNet vs USB on Viking clones as yours and mine: http://192.168.1.1/hag/help/md_lan.htm Our GUI layouts are quite different but both our devices are still based on the Viking ChipSet, which might explain some of the similarities i've noticed while i was searching around. I was curious about "System Mode" when i got the excerpt below, some topics as "System Mode" and "EtherNet vs USB" seem related in both applicances (which share things in common): ________________________________________________________________________ Connecting via Ethernet and/or USB If you are using the ADSL/Ethernet router with multiple PCs on your LAN, you must connect the LAN via an Ethernet hub connected to the device's LAN port. If you are using a single PC with the ADSL/Ethernet router, you have two connection options: * You can connect the PC directly to the LAN port using a cross-over Ethernet cable. See your User's Manual for a description of cross-over and straight-through Ethernet cables. * If the PC is USB-enabled, you can connect it directly to the device's USB port. Only one computer can be connected in this manner. You can also use the USB and Ethernet interfaces simultaneously, connecting your LAN to the Ethernet port and a standalone PC to the USB port. You must assign a unique IP address to each device interface that you use. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm not certain this comparison leads anywhere, you didn't react after i commented about using the "Routing And Bridging" mode so i tried to find how to set it on a BT Voyager 205 device (via an On-Line GUI simulation) but i found this instead... It's nice to know the ChipSet would support EtherNet and USB simultaneously but it didn't inform me about your mode! As far as USB is concerned, a note of caution is in order: i don't have an USB port on my MoDem/Router (this unit must be a Down-Grade version); i find reasonable to state that sometimes the embedded documentation can not apply and even less when crossing clone boundaries... There appears to be a GNet product about which it's accurate to state that the USB and Ethernet interfaces work simultaneously but is it safe to transpose that to you? Well, even if it does function, guys more knowledgeable than me in this matter advise against doing it and they must have a good reason. Ni> I will try the switch option... Good, i bought myself a pair of switches (not "hubs") and there's plenty of EtherNet ports now! I'm confident you won't regret the expense ever. In the meantime, i came across a nice piece of SoftWare at this address: http://corz.org/public/docs/comms/router/win32_router_configger(dm602gui).rar It's for a number of clones and i'll bet it would work on yours as well. Euh... While i think of it, i suggest that you keep a copy of your .CFG file if you often peek into your BT Voyager 205 MoDem/Router. There's a [Save >>] button on the main page just for that, unless i'm mistaking... Ni> Are you able to clarify the cables i need (straight-through or Ni> x-over) for: Connecting from the switch to the two pc's and Ni> connecting from the router to the switch... I'm certainly less willing than able, i must confess. You see, i have a PC connected with ordinary "Straight-Through" EtherNet cabling while the other machine next to it is using the "Cross-Over" type instead. I like "Cross-Over" better but it doesn't matter as most of the recent HardWare will insert or undo the Cross-Over when required: it's called Auto MDI/ MDIX and i guess that the background behind it is now down to semantics. Salutations, Michel Samson a/s Bicéphale