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EasyMac · Apr 8, 2006, 11:43 AM

I have a new 17" iMac intel. It hasn't been opened up so it has the 512 MB RAM it came with, no other alterations, only added one application that's required for the business where this will operate. It also has a printer and external firwire drive connected.

I was able to easily and successfully connect to the internet using a high-speed cable modem (Rogers in Canada).

The computer is being used in a location where cable is not an option, so high speed DSL (Bell Canada) was chosen. I have not been able to successfully connect to the internet with this service.

Here's the steps taken:

1. Hooked up Speedstream 5200 modem as directed, followed set-up steps for TCP/IP as directed. Tried to connect. Connection times out, says there is no connection. When the system or modem is rebooted the lights on the modem suggest everything is working fine, according to the manual. There is also a green 'light' next to Built-in Ethernet in Network Preferences. This 'light' only goes red after trying to connect, and the ENET light also goes out on the Modem.

2. Spent a fair amount of time on the phone with Bell. Tried connecting using PPPoE without success. Tried to "configure the modem" by connecting to 192.168.2.1 but could not. Tried connecting without a splitter, made sure that phones on the line had the filter applied, all the standard issue steps from Bell. They could only suggest it was a Mac hardware problem. They were not swayed by the fact that I could easily connect using cable modem. Their Mac support is minimal at best.

3. I've tried deleting the Built-in Ethernet as suggested elsewhere so it is 'rebuilt'. I've installed 10.4.6 Combo update (twice) and it hasn't helped. I've pinged 127.0.0.1 (as suggested elsewhere) without packet loss which I've read likely suggests it isn't the systems ethernet port.

4. Tried connecting to http://speedstream and to http://192.168.254.254 without success. Downloaded the Speedstream manual, which is very Windows focused and way over my head for the most part.

I've not applied the recent firmware update as I don't want to use windoze on this machine, but will apply it if it'll help in some way.

Can anyone suggest the next step. Am I missing something here? I've been troubleshooting through various forums looking at my options, thus some of the steps above. All the usual maintenance steps are taken (repair permissions, remove other devices, etc.).

I've been able to successfully set up the internet on many a Mac system since OS 7, but I'm no networking genius, things just worked as they were supposed to.

Any hints, tips, resources, links or direction would be helpful.

seanc · Apr 8, 2006, 05:22 PM

Are your Ethernet TCP/IP settings set to IPv4: Using DCHP?

EasyMac · Apr 9, 2006, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

Are your Ethernet TCP/IP settings set to IPv4: Using DCHP?

TCP/IP settings say "Configure IPv4: Using DCHP".

seanc · Apr 9, 2006, 08:41 AM

Try setting it to Manually.

Set the IP Address to 192.168.0.2
Set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0
Set the Router to 192.168.254.254

EasyMac · Apr 10, 2006, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

Try setting it to Manually.

Set the IP Address to 192.168.0.2
Set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0
Set the Router to 192.168.254.254

Tried the manual setting without success. The one thing that changes is that the ethernet light on the modem/router stays after trying to connect times out.

nickw311 · Apr 11, 2006, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by josef.stevens

Tried the manual setting without success. The one thing that changes is that the ethernet light on the modem/router stays after trying to connect times out.

Is the DSL PPPoE? If so you will need the username and password.

ghporter · Apr 11, 2006, 09:30 PM

I had expected the username/password issue to have been a given, but I guess not. DSL in the US nearly always uses PPPoE authentication with a username and password required. PPPoE stands for Point of Presence Protocol over Ethernet; it's how the ISP differentiates user sessions, unlike cable which has a different protocol. Your Mac WILL manage PPPoE for you, or you could have an AirPort device do it, or almost any third party gateway router. But something MUST do that authentication.

Further, you cannot get TWO computers on the same LAN working if BOTH try to use PPPoE. This is one particularly nasty problem to figure out, because the user tends to remember how he set up the first computer, and then does exactly the same thing (which worked before!) on the new one. Instant disaster! If you have more than one computer using a single DSL connection DO get a gateway router of some kind and farm out the PPPoE tasks to it.

EasyMac · Apr 12, 2006, 07:38 AM

I do have a user name and password, which I tried with the ISP telephone support to enter using PPPoE but without success.

This one is a single computer trying to connect with the Speedstream modem/router through the phone DSL connection.

The telephone support steps were initially to try connecting using DHCP, where I was told we would communicate with the modem and enter the appropriate settings. We were never able to connect to the modem and thereafter the PPPoE settings were tried, also without success.

During this time the telephone support indicated that they could see my connection and that there was some activity, however that's as far as it got.

I have used this ISP (Bell Sympatico) in the past and connected at home using PPPoE without issue, however it was a different modem. This connection is at a small business, on a standard phone line and I understand is meant to be DHCP not PPPoE.

ghporter · Apr 12, 2006, 08:46 AM

Let's start from the begining. If you can't communicate with the modem (and apparently you can't even get a DHCP IP address from it) then the most likely issue is the darn Speedstream modem. Really, it could be that simple.

I'd double check my cables (use a known good ethernet cable between the computer and the modem), but with a thorough review of your original and subsequent posts, I think your modem is "goobered." (That's a technical term for non-functional and annoying.

) Contact Bell Canada or whomever it was that gave the modem to you and tell 'em "it doesn't work."

EasyMac · Apr 12, 2006, 10:54 AM

I've had this sneaking suspicion all along that the modem was the real problem here, and that it, not the computer, had a hardware problem. I'll ask them to send me a new one and maybe it'll be as simple as that.

This modem came with a yellow ethernet cable. Could I simply use a blue one to try and see if the cable has an issue, or is there a distiction in the two cable colours/types?

Thanks for your insight and patience! I'll provide an update once things are (hopefully) working...

ghporter · Apr 12, 2006, 11:21 AM

The color is immaterial; as long as it's a standard patch cable and NOT a crossover cable, it'll work properly.

EasyMac · Apr 13, 2006, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

The color is immaterial; as long as it's a standard patch cable and NOT a crossover cable, it'll work properly.

It worked. It was the cable... simply bought and plugged in a standard blue ethernet cable and low and behold everything is fine, connected to modem/router entered the settings and I'm typing this from the active system...

Thanks for the help!

ghporter · Apr 13, 2006, 06:30 PM

Cool! Congratulations for getting back online!