[microbus]

My home is wired for cat5 connectors in all rooms. A GE connection center is the main box. To share the internet connection, I must move my cable modem and router to the main GE box.

My cable modem and VOIP Linksys router RT31P2 are located in my office with both telephone lines hooked to telephone and one to fax. The main box is in a closet.

Can I just add another router at the main box, move my cable modem to the box and continue to use the current router with VOIP where it is now?

How do I make the two routers work together?

Also, my cable provider "Cable America" must have the mac address before I can get access to the internet.

Any help here greatly appreciated.

Henry Jenkins

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I'm going to follow how your connections should go from the outside in. Please don't take offense at how much I'm going to break this down, but I don't know your skill level and don't want to leave any room for error.

The coax goes from the wall into the cable modem which has a Cat-5 line coming out into one of your LAN jacks on the wall connecting it back to your GE switch. The line that is connecting it to your GE switch needs to go into the WAN port, not just any port on the switch.

Plug your LinkSys VOIP router into another wall jack leading to the GE switch, the same as you would for any other PC or networked device.

Your ISP would need the MAC address of the WAN port on the GE switch, which they should be able to get as soon as you plug the cable modem into it. If not, I can tell you how to figure out what it is.

If you have a coax cable coming into the closet where the GE switch is you can put it in there, it won't make a difference as long as you plug the Cat-5 cable into the WAN port on the GE switch.

Let me know if this helps.

[The_Sloth]

I'm going to follow how your connections should go from the outside in. Please don't take offense at how much I'm going to break this down, but I don't know your skill level and don't want to leave any room for error.

The coax goes from the wall into the cable modem which has a Cat-5 line coming out into one of your LAN jacks on the wall connecting it back to your GE switch. The line that is connecting it to your GE switch needs to go into the WAN port, not just any port on the switch.

Plug your LinkSys VOIP router into another wall jack leading to the GE switch, the same as you would for any other PC or networked device.

Your ISP would need the MAC address of the WAN port on the GE switch, which they should be able to get as soon as you plug the cable modem into it. If not, I can tell you how to figure out what it is.

If you have a coax cable coming into the closet where the GE switch is you can put it in there, it won't make a difference as long as you plug the Cat-5 cable into the WAN port on the GE switch.

Let me know if this helps.

[microbus]

Hello Sloth,
Linkys VOIP router has phone line connections which are attached to my phone, and my fax machine in my Office room (back of the house). And there is only one cat5 connection per room.

The GE connection center in the front of house. If I move the VOIP router up there, then I have to run wire, drill holes, etc to connect my phone and fax.

Don't want to do that. So, I feel just moving the cable modem, and adding another router to the front of house would solve the problem.

thanks

[The_Sloth]

You shouldn't need to move the VOIP router if you can move the cable modem elsewhere. Just plug it into the wall jack in the room it's in. If you can't move the cable modem then you'll need another router to do what you want and I can help you with that setup also.

[microbus]

Sloth,

I think I get the picture. Move the cablemodem from coax connector and attach the cablemodem to the front GE box coax. Then connect the cablemodem ethernet connector that leads to my office where the router is.

And my router stays where it is at.

Thanks,

I will report back tomorrow my experience.

Henry

[The_Sloth]

Close, but you want the coax to go from the wall into the cable modem, the Cat-5 from the cable modem to go into the WAN port on the switch and a line from the switch to go to the port leading to the room where your router is. The router will remain where it is, though.

[cnmsales]

"Your ISP would need the MAC address of the WAN port on the GE switch, which they should be able to get as soon as you plug the cable modem into it. If not, I can tell you how to figure out what it is."


This is not always true, some ISP's require you call in and give them the MAC adress for connecting devices behind the modem. Not saying this is the case but might be.

[The_Sloth]

"Your ISP would need the MAC address of the WAN port on the GE switch, which they should be able to get as soon as you plug the cable modem into it. If not, I can tell you how to figure out what it is."
This is not always true, some ISP's require you call in and give them the MAC adress for connecting devices behind the modem. Not saying this is the case but might be.

Interesting...never seen that before. Thanks for the info.

[microbus]

Ok guys. It works. But here is the skinny.

I moved the cablemodem to the GE connection center. I attached coax data line in to the cablemodem. I connected cablemodem ethernet jack to the GE connection center cross connection board(there is an rj45 connector there for each room).

I had to connect the rj45connecotr to connector for my office in the rear of the house. And then the connector in office I connected to the router wan port. And the computer I am writing this reply on is attached to my router.

Now I am happy.

Technically, I am not sure how all this data is finding the router, it works, so I not griping.

Henry J.

[The_Sloth]

Outstanding! Glad to hear it works. Does your VOIP phone and fax work as well?

Let me know if you need any help getting that setup. I use VOIP as well, so I have some experience with setting everything up for it.

[microbus]

Sloth,

Like you said, I never moved the router. So, internet access is 100% or nothing. I got a dial tone, and faxing - I forgot my hp 2610 can not fax over the internet. It wants a regular landline. Fortunately, i can scan the document in and send the fax over the internet.

Thanks a milion.

Henry

[The_Sloth]

No problem. Glad to hear everything's working .