Cable (DSL) Broadband USB Connection

Cable (DSL) Broadband USB Connection

I went to install a wireless router in a cable broadband connected house. I was surprised to find that the current connection between the cable modem and the customers laptop was via a USB cable. (The customer’s laptop did not have an ethernet socket)

This made it difficult to configure the router because it only had ethernet connections for both modem and hard wired PCs. And the wireless was disabled by the default factory settings!

Luckily I had a PCMCIA ethernet card with me, so I was able to slip that in and connect the PC with cable whilst I switched on the wireless and configured the router. Then I pulled it out and put in the wireless card to complete the installation.

Not having digital cable in my area means that I don’t see many cable broadband setups, so I didn’t even realise that a USB connection was an option!

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Broadband Disconnects

Broadband Disconnects

A client reported that a USB broadband modem performed well when browsing the internet but as soon as he attempted to download anything more than about 2MB it either disconnected immediately or sent the error message "Tapisrv has caused an error in rpcrt4.dll and will now close". A reboot was then required.

This error has many possible causes. Quite a lot of people have this problem, especially with Windows Me, but Microsoft has not documented a fix for it. Some cynics have suggested that you need to upgrade to another operating system.

There is another possible solution. Sometimes this problem can arise through incompatible settings for the TCP/IP configuration parameter called MaxMTU. By default, Windows uses a value of 1500 but PPoE, which is used by most ADSL modems, adds a little bit of overhead to each packet. Reducing the MaxMTU value to 1,400, for example, may cure the problem for you. Try using Tweak DUN from www.pattersondesigns.com/tweakdun to achieve this.

If this doesn't help, things get more complicated. The problem could be due to corruption in the Registry settings or the TAPI files.
It could be a buggy driver for your ADSL modem, bugs in the hardware software implementation of USB or bugs in Windows Me.
It could also be a hardware issue, either with a faulty USB modem or a computer that can't provide enough power to the USB port. Many USB modems take their power from the USB port and use close to the maximum power that the USB specification permits. Sometimes plugging the modem into another USB port or using a powered USB hub can cure this.

Replacing the USB ADSL modem with a standalone ADSL modem router, which connects to your PC by Ethernet, may be the best way to stop the problem, and will also allow you to connect a second PC. Get a wireless router and you may be able to share the cost of the connection with your neighbours!

Unfortunately, if you want to keep the USB modem, upgrading from Windows Me to XP may be your best solution. If you don't want to upgrade to Windows XP, which has greatly improved support for DSL modems, first look for newer drivers for your ADSL modem.

If that doesn't help, you might want to try installing a program called RASPPPOE from www.raspppoe.com. This provides a replacement for the standard Windows remote access software, which is where the error is.

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What do I need to upgrade my PC in preparation for Broadband?

What do I need to upgrade my PC in preparation for Broadband?

Nothing - virtually every PC in current everyday use is more than capable of connecting to broadband.

If you have a free USB socket (it doesn’t have to be USB2) then you can connect to ADSL Broadband (ordinary phone line).

If you have a free USB or Network socket you can connect to Virgin Media Cable Broadband (previously NTL or Telewest).

Only a network socket and want to connect to ADSL? You can connect through an ADSL modem router.

If your PC doesn’t have any USB or network sockets then it’s probably very old, but could connect by the addition of a network card or a USB card or a Wireless card.

Broadband speed may be fast compared to dial-up internet speed, but compared to the internal speed of a PC it is trivial and any PC will support broadband. Unless it’s a museum piece!

So speed-wise you need nothing - but if you are going to use the internet to download masses of music files then you may need another hard drive to hold them all!

And if you are going to broadband you will need to step up your security with a firewall, antivirus program and antispyware program. ZoneAlarm, AVG and Windows Defender are all available to do those jobs for free.

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