Chapter 21: Configuring Windows to Work with Your Modem

Connecting to a Cable Modem

Some cable television companies offer cable Internet accounts--cable connections to the Internet over the same cable that your television uses. Not all cable companies can do so--they must have cables that support two-way transmissions. (A few older cable Internet systems require a phone line to dial in for uploading information; the cable connection is for downloading only.) Downloading speeds can be fast, although the more people in your neighborhood who are using the cable, the slower transfers go. Uploading usually isn't as fast, but cable connections are almost always faster than dial-up lines. Cable Internet accounts have several advantages over dial-up Internet accounts:

• Speed Cable modems can communicate much faster than dial-up modems. Expect downloading speeds of 1 to 2 Mbps or more, and uploading speeds of between 500 Kbps and 1 Mbps.
• Separate line If you use a cable account, you don't tie up your regular phone line. If you currently pay for a separate phone line for your Internet connection, the cost of a cable Internet account won't be much more (depending on the phone and cable rates in your area).

Call your local cable company to find out if it offers an Internet service. A few cable companies still offer one-way cable with dial-up return--downloading occurs over the cable connection, but you use a regular phone line for uploading. This system is far less convenient than a two-way cable connection because it ties up your phone line, but downloading speeds are an improvement over a regular dial-up line.

Getting Connected

To connect your computer to the cable system, you use a cable modem. It connects to a network interface card (also used for connecting to a LAN--see the section "Buying Network Interface Cards" in Chapter 27) or (less commonly) to a USB port. Your cable company usually supplies the modem, along with the software and instructions for installing the cable modem and configuring Windows to use it. Some cable companies let you buy or lease the cable modem; consider leasing, because cable modem failure rates are reported to be high. As prices fall and quality improves, buying will eventually become more advantageous. The cable installer usually configures your network interface card to work with the cable modem.

Configuring Windows for a Cable Modem

When your cable installer connects your PC to the cable modem, she usually also configures Windows to work with the cable modem. Windows communicates with the cable modem using the TCP/IP networking protocol, which you can configure. Choose Start | My Network Places, click View Network Connections, right-click your cable Internet connection, and choose Properties to see the Properties dialog box. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button to see the configuration for the cable connection. Don't change the settings without information from your cable company.

On the Properties dialog box for the cable Internet connection, make sure that neither the Client For Microsoft Networks nor the File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks check boxes are selected. If they are, deselect them--otherwise, the other people in your neighborhood with cable Internet accounts may have access to your files and printer!