Installing Cable Modem

[jerry430]

I currently have 2 MVPs connected to my PC via an ethernet switch. For some reason, they will only work if I disable DHCP and assign the IP address that came with the MVP. Nevertheless, they have worked flawlessly.
I finally decided to make the move to broadband, and today picked up the self-installation kit from Roadrunner. Since the ethernet cable port on my PC is already occupied with the cable to my MVP switch, I used the alternate USB connection to the cable modem. When I ran the software to install Roadrunner, it said that the connection failed. I then ran the included diagnostic and it said that my "network adapter contained outdated TCP/IP settings", so I clicked the box to renew the IP configuration. When I did this, it enabled the DHCP and I lost my MVP connection. Plus, I still couldn't establish a connection to the modem. (I was able to re-establish the MVP connection by disabling DHCP and entering the address)
I'm curious as to how those who have MVPs and broadband connect the cable modem. I know the ethernet cable connection is preferred over USB. Is it best to install another ethernet PCI card to connect both the MVP and modem via ethernet cable? Is it possible to connect the cable modem with the DHCP disabled?
I figured I'd try here before calling tech support since I'm sure the tech will have no idea what I'm talking about.

[LilY0da]

I have

Code:

(cable coax) -> splitter -+-> cable modem -> router -> 100Mbps switch -+-> MVP
                          |                                            |
                          +----------------> PVR-500 ------------------+-> Main PC

Yeah I know, the ascii art wasn't necessary, but I'm bored
My router acts as a DHCP server for the LAN machines like the PC and the MVP, and also a DHCP client to get the IP from the cable provider.
You can buy a cheapo router nowadays for like $50. So i'd go that route if I were you

[wtg]

It's hard to tell what exactly your problem is, and before I try to answer, let me first say the easiest way to get all this working... get a router. The router will replace the switch, will assign IPs to your PC and MVPs, and will do all the necessary communication with the cable modem. Any device that needs to talk to the net can once they're plugged into the router, and all the devices that need to talk to each other on your lan will be able to as well. This is your easiest solution, and provides some added security by isolating your PC to some extent (via Network Address Translation, NAT) from some of the net's dangers. Most today have stateful firewalls for even a bit more protection.

Now for your current setup. If you don't go with a router, you'll probably want (and maybe need) to setup your USB ethernet connection as a dhcp client to get the USB connection to your cable modem to work best. This way your PC will ask for the IP from your cable provider and it'll be able to assign it along with DNS servers. If your cable provider does static IP addressing you could set your USB ethernet adapter back to a static address after doing DCHP once to find out what your new address is, but I wouldn't recommend it. You'll have to manually maintain your DNS server list and if the ISP decides to update your IP or DNS servers, you'll lose network connectivity until you manually update your side of things too.

Using the USB port you should be able to use your existing network card (nic) for connecting to your switch as you currently are. You should still be able to keep the nic's IP address statically assigned like you have it today and let the DHCP server the hauppauge software installed on your PC assign the MVP's their IP addresses. The thing that confuses some people about a setup like this is that your PC will have two network addresses: one from the nic for your local area network, and one from your cable provider via the USB ethernet adapter that's part of the cable modem. The cable provider's IP is your public IP address visible to others on the net, while the one assigned to the nic for your lan you'll probably want in the 192.168.X.X realm, like I'm guess you have it today. This should work for you, even if it's not ideal.

Go with a router... I've seen wired ones for as little as $10 after rebate in the US, and it'll make your always on connection safer and your home LAN easier to configure. And if your home network grows, your existing switch can work with it.

Good luck,
Tim

[jerry430]

In order to connect my newly acquired broadband cable modem and two MVPs, I bought a Netgear 614 router. I followed the Setup Wizard and got the internet going with just a few problems. Now, however, I can't figure out how to set up the MVPs. I think I may have gotten in over my head, though as someone else in this group has said, I have a very low head.
Nowhere in the setup does it tell me to plug in the MVPs, or anything else. Looking down the setup menu, the only that looks close is "Port Forwarding". I attempted to add the MVP's in the Port Forwarding box, and entered the MVP IP address. It then told me that the IP address has to be the same as the server (or something like that). Plus, every time I attempt to do something in setup, I lose my internet connection and have to set it up again.
Is it true that the MVPs have to use DHCP on a router to work? If so, I don't think I'm going to get this working because the MVPs have only worked when I enter the IP address manually.
I don't want to go back to dial-up, but if I have to choose between broadband and my MVPs/GBPVR, Roadrunner is going!
Any help would be appreciated.

[wtg]

You should have to do almost nothing to get your MVPs working. Enable your router's dhcp server and set your PC up to get it's IP address using DHCP. In other words, set your TCP/IP properties to "Obtain an IP Address Automatically". Next, launch GBPVR's recording services, which launch the MVP services if configured with MVP support, and plug the MVP's into the router. The MVP's will get their IP address from the router and then they'll start looking for the PC.

Whatever you do, don't specify the PC's IP address manually unless you know exactly what you're doing. You don't want to have the PC configured to use a different network than the MVP's. Let the dhcp server handle it all.

Nowhere in the setup does it tell me to plug in the MVPs, or anything else. Looking down the setup menu, the only that looks close is "Port Forwarding". I attempted to add the MVP's in the Port Forwarding box, and entered the MVP IP address.

You don't want to setup port forwarding. Port Forwarding is what you use when you want your devices to be visible to others on the internet, and you'd never want that with an MVP. For the most part you only do this if you're running some kind of server at home (e.g. ftp, web server, game server, etc).

Is it true that the MVPs have to use DHCP on a router to work?

For the most part, yes. They only get assigned IP addresses by a dhcp server. If there's one available on the network, it assigns the ip address because the MVP asks it to. If there isn't one available and you're using the Hauppauge software and services, the Hauppauge software acts like one, accepting a dhcp client request on a unique port (that only the MVP knows about and uses) if the MVP doesn't get it's request satisfied by a conventional dhcp server.

With the hauppauge services shutdown, recommended if you're using gbpvr, if the network doesn't have a dhcp server the MVP's will never get an IP address since it's the Hauppauge software that handles this when their isn't a dhcp server already on the network.

If so, I don't think I'm going to get this working because the MVPs have only worked when I enter the IP address manually.

I must say, I haven't a clue what you mean by assigning the IP address manually. The MVP doesn't allow you to specify it's IP address... it must get it from a DHCP request. Can you explain a little more what you mean? A screenshot would be helpful

[jerry430]

Thanks for the quick reply, wtg.
I'm at work & won't be able to try your suggestions til I get home.
When I got my first MVP, I connected it directly to the PC with a crossover cable. In the installation guide that comes with the MVP, it says that you have to disable the DHCP client when connecting directly to the PC via a crossover cable. This is done through Network Connections in Windows. It says to uncheck "Obtain an IP address automatically" and then manually enter 192-168-1-1. I did that and got a connection with no problems. When I got a second MVP, I ran both through a switch and connected via a patch cable. For some reason, it wouldn't connect using the DHCP client and I had to enter it manually again.

[wtg]

Ah, I see. That's not actually setting the IP address of the MVP, that sets the IP address of the PC for that particular network card. I suspect you have one of the two hauppauge services enabled (the non-gui service... I forget what it's called)... it's the one that does the IP address assignment. Without this service and any other dhcp service on your network, the MVP won't finish booting.

I don't know what you have and haven't tried, but all you should have to do is enable the dhcp server of the router (which is on by default, I'm guessing), configure your pc to obtain it's IP address automatically, and then plug your MVP's in. You can completely disable both Hauppauge services as they won't be necessary. It's really that easy.

If your PC is still configured to IP address 192.168.1.1 and you're plugging that network card into your router, you'll definitely have trouble. The netgear router by default is set to 192.168.0.1, and will assign IP's to the MVP in the 192.168.0.X range, and the MVP's will never see the PC.

[jerry430]

I had to "enable" DHCP by checking "Obtain an IP address automatically" when I connected the modem and router. After doing so, I plugged in the MVPs, but alas, no connection. I was under the apparently mistaken belief that I would have to set a separate IP address for the MVPs while at the same time using DHCP for the modem.
Since I use GBPVR exclusively, the Hauppauge servers are stopped. Might I have to start them to establish the connection?
Thanks again for the quick reply wtg

[wtg]

I had to "enable" DHCP by checking "Obtain an IP address automatically" when I connected the modem and router.

Did you do this on the network properties on the PC, or on the router configuration page? With most ISP's you have to configure the router to obtain it's IP address from the ISP using a DHCP request, but that doesn't affect how the devices on your LAN get their ip address. I'm just trying to make sure we aren't confusing two similar but nonetheless different things.

After doing so, I plugged in the MVPs, but alas, no connection.

Not surprising if the PC was still configured to use 192.168.1.1. However, if you already changed the PC to obtain it's IP from automatically from the router, then that is surprising.

I was under the apparently mistaken belief that I would have to set a separate IP address for the MVPs while at the same time using DHCP for the modem.

There's no way that I know to manually assign an IP to the MVPs... they have to get their address from a dhcp server, either a conventional one like from your router, or a non-conventional one like Hauppauge has with their MVP service.

Since I use GBPVR exclusively, the Hauppauge servers are stopped. Might I have to start them to establish the connection?

You shouldn't. Some people have found that they have to make the services active when they first power on the MVP and then can de-activate them afterwards, but that's only because they have a dhcp problem. Reactivating the hauppauge services allows the MVP to get it's ip from the Hauppauge dhcp server. Once it has that it can communicate to the gui services of either their standard software or gbpvr.

If you had your MVP's working with a patch cable and the Hauppauge services disabled, and could unplug and then reconnect the MVP and still have it come up working, I sure don't know how. Sub will tell you his software won't assign an IP for a device. Maybe you had internet connection sharing enabled? If that's turned on Windows starts up it's own dhcp server and will service dhcp client requests. Maybe that's it, and you'll definitely want this disabled now with your new config. That could cause trouble too if that network card is now connected to the router.

[AOSandman]

First off, all the advice you have received so far is 100% spot on correct. I'll just try to summarize a bit for you.

First, configure the router so that it will function as a DHCP server. That feature is on by default, so unless you turned it off you should be all set. Attached is a screen shot (Router_IP_Setup.JPG) of what the settings should look like by default.

Second, configure your PC so that it will get it's IP address from DHCP. That is normally the default, but you've been tweeking it so you'll need to set it back to defaults. Attached is a screen shot (PC_IP_Setup.JPG) of what the settings should look like by default. Verify this is working by opening a command prompt and typing "ipconfig". You should see an IP address of 192.168.0.### If not then there is a problem in step 1 or 2.

Third, stop BOTH of the Hauppauge MVP services and set BOTH of them to either "Manual" or "Disabled". I don't have the MVP software installed so I can't attach a screenshot of this one.

Last, configure GBPVR to auto-start 1 MVP server.

That's it! All you should need to do now is unplug your MVP for a minute, then plug it back in.