On this page ...
On
this page I placed some of the frequently asked questions and problems
I and friends of mine, experienced using KPN's MXStream,
hopefully this is useful for you too... |
 |
OVERVIEW
PROBLEMS IN DETAIL
Windows ME produces error
691 at logon
When creating a new dial-up connection, Windows ME automatically sets
some of the default settings in the tab "Security". These can
cause Windows ME to generate error 691 (wrong username/password).
Caution: First try to reenter both username and password,
to make sure you didn't make a typo there.
Solution: Click with the right mouse button on the MXSTREAM-dial-up
and select "Properties". Open the tab "Security" and
remove ALL checks in the advanced security-options.
I can login, but there appears
to be no data-flow
It is possible that you entered the value "255.0.0.0"
for the submetmask, as mentioned in the TCP/IP setting of the network-card
connected to your ADSL modem. This is the value mentioned in some of the
KPN manuals, however this is the WRONG value. The correct value for subnetmask
should be "255.255.255.0".
Sharing Internet Access -
for free on an old PC (386 etc.)
A mini Linux distribution on a single floppy called
FloppyFW, can make your old PC (i.e. a 386 or something similar) suitable
for running as a server. The PC does not even need a harddisk, keyboard,
mouse or VGA card. Visit the Dutch
FloppyFW MXStream site for more info.
Alternative: HACK
your Alactel modem!
Analog/ISDN fax or phone
is not working properly
Most likely you connected the phone, fax or NT1-box
(ISDN) to the wrong line (ADSL). Check the cable configuration: ADSL
analog (connections) and ADSL
ISDN (connections).
How can I share my ADSL connection
with other computers?
Please take a look at these pages on my website:
- Hardware topology of a network
- WinRoute configuration
for ADSL
How can I login to the Alcatel
Speed Touch Home modem?
Open a webbrowser (for example Internet Explorer, netscape
or Opera) and enter the IP address "10.0.0.138". Use this username
and password:
Username: user
Password: expert
Where can I find drivers, updates
and manuals of the Alcatel modems?
Alcatel: http://www.alcatel.com/consumer/dsl/supuser.htm,
KPN: http://www.kpnadsl.nl/support/downloads.html.
How can I determine if my network-settings
are optimal?
This can be checked using the pages
at DslReports.
Note: your browser must be able to handle Java applets.
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks.
Windows 95 is not working properly
with ADSL/MXStream
Windows 95 uses an outdated IP-stack for use with ADSL.
Two possible solutions here:
1. Use a different Windows version (i.e. Windows 98, Me, 2000, NT4)
2. Upgrade the IP-Stack, visit the Microsoft
knowledgebase for details.
RAS is not responding, Dial-up
networking is not working, error "There is no answer"
For not obvious reasons the Alcatel modem crashes (or
is it the ADSL line?) causing RAS (Dial-up networking) to be unable to
connect to MXStream. A common error of Windows is "There is no answer".
For the time being the only solution is to reboot the
modem (switch ON/OFF). (Suggestions
are welcome!)
Note: firmware 261 is not fixing this problem.
New note: I now tried all possible configurations and
it seems that the cable length between ADSL modem and PC or hub is causing
this problem. Solution: I used a extended the cable that comes from the
splitter and goes to the ADSL modem. I reduced the length of the cable
from the ADSL modem to the PC/hub.
What are the network-card (NIC)
requirements for ADSL Ethernet?
It doesn't really matter which network-card you get
for MXStream Ethernet as long as you can connect a UTP network-cable.
As for speed, 10 Mbps is more than sufficient, but faster is OK too.
You can use a combo-card as well (BNC and UTP connectors), only the UTP
connector will be used.
Note: the card MUST support 10Mbps!
Webpages appear rather slow
This problem is possibly caused by the "IP header
compression" option, switch it OFF. Remove the checkmark of "IP
header compression" for the MXStream dial-up networking.
Note: It is very well possible that this does not improve
quality or speed for the current MXStream!
If you connected the splitter wrongfully, this might
have cause the slow transfers as well, see also :"Line
Sync" remains blinking and the ISDN
and Analog installation
of MXStream for the proper setup.
What MXStream variant should
I choose: Ethernet or USB?
In general: use the Ethernet variant, it's more future
proof and more flexible in use.
When should I choose USB? If you do not plan to connect more than 1 PC
to ADSL. The USB connection can be shared using Microsoft Internet Sharing
or WinRoute but the PC having the USB modem connected should always be
on! Also: the USB variant is only suitable for MXStream Basic.
The Ethernet variant can be easier shared using a simple hub, see Hardware
Internet Sharing and How
to configure WinRoute for use with MXStream.
Generic info bullets:
- The USB-version is not very suitable for (LAN) network
usage.
- The Ethernet-version requires an Network Card in
your PC (minimal 10Mbps, UTP).
- The USB-version is only suitable for use with Windows
(not Windows NT4 or Windows 95A).
- The Ethernet version is suitable for several other
systems as well, like Apple Macintosh, Linux or Windows NT4 and Windows
95A.
- The maximum distance between splitter and PC is for
the USB-version, about 7 meters, the Ethernet-version can be placed
up to 20 meters from the PC.
- The USB-version can not go any faster than MXStream-basis,
the Ethernet version is also suitable for higher speeds (i.e. MXStream-Extra).
- The USB-version is often easier to configure.
- The USB-version is only for the analog-kit available,
the Ethernet-version is available for both ISDN and Analog.
- The USB modem cannot handle 4 IP-addresses (for use
with MXStream-Extra)!
My ISDN/ADSL connection is
not working properly, possible problems using old NT1 boxes
Occasionally older NT1-boxes, for use with ISDN, do
not operate properly with ADSL/ISDN MXStream. Pre-S4 models appear to
be causing this.
Solution: replace the NT1-box for a more recent model.
Windows produces error
950, "Line Sync" remains blinking
Microsoft Windows reports a problem with the network-settings
Before you start checking all network-settings, please take a look at
the status of your modem. See also the Alcatel
Speed Touch Home LED's page.
If the LED "Line Sync" remains blinking, the modem seems to
be unable to setup the ADSL line. If this takes forever to complete, check
the cables between splitter and modem. Most likely you swapped the analog/ISDN
line and the ADSL modem line. See the installation pages for details:
ADSL
analog (connections) and ADSL
ISDN (connections).
How can I extend the cable between
splitter and ADSL modem?
The cable between the splitter and ADSL modem
(Alcatel) is in fact a regular phone-line cable. For ADSL, for that
matter for any analog phone-device too, only the two cables in the
middle are used (see picture on the right). It does not matter if
you take a look at the up or downside of the connector.
You can use about any regular phone-extension
cable to that uses RJ-11 connector (see photo on the right - maximum
6 wires, commonly used with 4 or even 2 wires). For more information
about phone-connectors worldwide see here.
Note: This is NOT the same connector as used for
networking or ISDN which uses a so called RJ-45 connector (8 wires)!
The length of the cable should work just fine
with 75 meters, according to KPN, I advise to use shielded cable
when exceeding 20 meters. |
|
Does Carrier-Select (Tele2,
OneTel, etc.) still work?
Yes. Note that this takes effect only on your VOICE
connection, ADSL itself is not affected!
Can I still use my current telephony-equipment?
Yes the connection factor remains 4. Which means that
the sum of connection factors of the individual devices should not exceed
4 of all devices directly connected to the voice phone-line If it worked
OK in the past, it will remain working with ADSL. The connection factor
("aansluitfactor") is usually mention on a separate tag at the
bottom of most devices.
USB-modem disconnects
and the ADLS-Line LED is OFF.
If too many USB devices are connected to the USB bus
of your PC, the currency requirements may exceed the currency the port
can supply. This might result in USB devices switching OFF.
Solution: use a different USB bus or get an USB-hub
with a separate powersupply.
An alternative problem may be found in the implementation
quality of the USB ports on your PC's mainboard. Some mainboards appear
to have faulty USB ports. Locate drivers and firmware updates of your
mainboard. For example the older AOpen mainboards have trouble using the
USB port when you start printing via the parallelport. See AOpen.
For more USB questions, tips and tricks see USBMan.
I have Internet access,
however, some pages show "The page cannot be displayed".
Thanks to my Israelian friend CAT for
this tip.
It appears that some providers have issues with the
MTU (Maximum Transmittable Unit) settings of Windows.
This causes Internet Explorer to show the message "The page cannot
be displayed", or for example Mozilla "The document contains
no data". This is relatively easy to fix,... (the second way is prefered)
MTU is normally set to 1500, and it should be set to
1400. It can be done in two ways:
1) by editing the registry - for Windows
9x.ME, run regedit and find the object:
My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Class\NetTrans\000x
(there may be 0001, 0002 etc , so find the one with
the ip number assigned to the ethernet card). Doing so in Windows 2000/XP
machines is more complicated though, which brings us to the second way.
2) There is a small program called
Drtcp.
With this program you can change the MTU value. You can also download
it from the WeetHet Download page.
After starting DRTCP, choose the proper
network adapter in the field "Adapter Settings"
and enter 1400 in the field next to it. After that click
"Save" and "Exit".
ALWAYS restart the computer after changing the
value and the problem is fixed!
|