Hi, don't know if anyone could help here but it'd be terrific if you could...
I've finally taken the plunge and I'm a proud owner of a new 24" iMac and I had a Speedtouch ST-510 modem router delivered today.
I'm trying to connect to my ISP (Tiscali) but without any luck. It doesn't seem as straightforward as my old "throw in a driver" USB modem...
Enough to say all the filters /cables - including the ethernet cable - are connected properly.
In System Preferences > Network I've tried lots of different things (including the Assist Me button) but to no avail. I'm a bit slow with this as well, getting my PPPoEs mixed up with my DCLs or whatever its called, Submasks, etc: its all confusing to me (OK, I know I'm slow!)
So if anyone could guide me through the System Preferences > Network procedure, one step at a time, so that I can connect to Tiscali via an iMac and a Speedtouch ST-520, I'd be so grateful.
Imac, Tiscali and Speedtouch ST-510 help
Moderators: FourthWorld, heatherlaine, Klaus, kevinmiller, robinmiller
I can't help you with Mac settings at all I'm afraid, but it sounds like you're not going about it the right way.
Before, your computer was using its network software like a dial up connection through the old USB modem, so all the connection information was stored in the computer's network settings. In theory, (I believe Macs will work this way too, with TCP/IP as the default ethernet protocol) all that stuff should be removed from the computer itself as all the information to connect and maintain a connection will be retained in the router-modem itself.
I'm not sure how it works with your particular router model, but if you set up the Mac to pick up network settings by DHCP, I should think that you will be able to make a local area network connection to the control panel of the router. This would probably be accessed by internet browser (Safari I guess?) on the default IP address, which is usually something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 - [edit: in fact in the case of the speedtouch it seems to be 192.168.1.254] just put that IP address in the browser address bar after the http:// instead of a website address and see if you get a login prompt. You may have a CD of router control software that they want you to run. If you can avoid it, do so, mainly the discs they send are merely to "invade" your setup with unwanted branding. As a last resort, you might need to try it though.
Read the booklet that came with the modem-router for login information and the IP address to browse to the admin pages, and make sure that one of the things you do first is to change the default password to access the router admin settings - it's usually blank or "password" by default.
In the router admin you should be able to store the settings that you will have noted from your tiscali connection. Save and it should work like that.
What you have done is changed from a direct connection from your Mac to the outside world through a modem, to a local area network connection from your Mac to a router, and the router then takes that traffic and does what it needs to to "route" it, via the built in modem which it manages by itself. Your Mac now should have no knowledge of Tiscali and does not need to care.
I hope that helps a bit, but sorry I can't give you any clues about how to deal with the specific LAN settings for the Mac itself. Hopefully it will be a case of clearing everything out and letting the DHCP provide the relevant addresses and settings.
Before, your computer was using its network software like a dial up connection through the old USB modem, so all the connection information was stored in the computer's network settings. In theory, (I believe Macs will work this way too, with TCP/IP as the default ethernet protocol) all that stuff should be removed from the computer itself as all the information to connect and maintain a connection will be retained in the router-modem itself.
I'm not sure how it works with your particular router model, but if you set up the Mac to pick up network settings by DHCP, I should think that you will be able to make a local area network connection to the control panel of the router. This would probably be accessed by internet browser (Safari I guess?) on the default IP address, which is usually something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 - [edit: in fact in the case of the speedtouch it seems to be 192.168.1.254] just put that IP address in the browser address bar after the http:// instead of a website address and see if you get a login prompt. You may have a CD of router control software that they want you to run. If you can avoid it, do so, mainly the discs they send are merely to "invade" your setup with unwanted branding. As a last resort, you might need to try it though.
Read the booklet that came with the modem-router for login information and the IP address to browse to the admin pages, and make sure that one of the things you do first is to change the default password to access the router admin settings - it's usually blank or "password" by default.
In the router admin you should be able to store the settings that you will have noted from your tiscali connection. Save and it should work like that.
What you have done is changed from a direct connection from your Mac to the outside world through a modem, to a local area network connection from your Mac to a router, and the router then takes that traffic and does what it needs to to "route" it, via the built in modem which it manages by itself. Your Mac now should have no knowledge of Tiscali and does not need to care.
I hope that helps a bit, but sorry I can't give you any clues about how to deal with the specific LAN settings for the Mac itself. Hopefully it will be a case of clearing everything out and letting the DHCP provide the relevant addresses and settings.
Hi SparkOut, I've got it up and running, thank you so much; excellent!
I used DHCP with manual address in the Network settings on the iMac, put in the ip address; Thomson page came up which prompted me for my ISP username and password, then that was it! I thought it was going to be a much more complicated process than that...
Thank you!
I used DHCP with manual address in the Network settings on the iMac, put in the ip address; Thomson page came up which prompted me for my ISP username and password, then that was it! I thought it was going to be a much more complicated process than that...
Thank you!