To "powered your router down and back up" = switched it off and then back on again.

From the electrical IT term: 'easily switch-on-and-offable'.

:-)

Bones,he means switch it off for a minute,then switch it back on again or (power it up again) :-)

Mega...

Doc snap :-)

It gets switched off every night :)

Mines always switched on :-)

Hi Bones
I've only just realised you're on AOL. People cetainly used to have real problems connecting to AOL with non AOL approved routers. I'm not sure of the current situation but at one time AOL's internet connectivity did not work the same as other ISPs, I had a friend who, three years ago, had to ditch his router and buy an AOL approved model.


The following is from http://forums.whatpc.co.uk/thread.jsp?forum=2&thread=27482

"AOL uses some proprietary protocols (non-standard communication methods). AOL will therefore not work with most Ethernet devices. AOL currently recommend the Thomson SpeedTouch range for use with their service. Before purchasing any other make contact the supplier for confirmation that the device will work with AOL unless clearly stated in the specification."

and, noticing you're using Netgear

"Thank you for contacting Netgear Support. My name is Mukul & I will be handling your enquiry.
I appreciate the opportunity to assist you. Regarding your issue, AOL ADSL is not compatible with DG834 router. None of the Netgear routers support AOL ADSL in UK."

also advice from someone with your problem and how he cured it

"Here is some useful info that may help in getting NETGEAR 834G working with AOL. The problem being with getting Internet Explorer working on secure sites such as HOTMAIL and banking FIRSTDIRECT."




This advice may. or may not, still be relevant!

Bones, try this to change your MTU which may well solve the problem;

http://www.zensupport.co.uk/KBResources/Downloads/MTU/NetworkOptimiser.zip

enter 1400 in both settings.

With apologies to everyone else, since Bones can't follow the link here is the full AOL FAQ.


Home Networking Frequently Asked Questions What are the minimum system requirements for home networking on AOL?
AOL Broadband Gold or Platinum
An AOL supported modem router
A BT phone line
Windows 2000 or Windows XP (SP1 and above)
At least a 233MHz Pentium processor or equivalent
At least 128MB system memory (RAM)
175MB of free hard disk space
A wireless adapter for each computer you wish to connect wirelessly
A spare Network Interface Card port (Ethernet Interface or NIC) on each computer you wish to connect with Ethernet cable
An Ethernet cable for each additional computer (often only one is included in the box)
Can I set up a home network if I have AOL Cable Broadband?

AOL does not currently support home networking for cable broadband users.

Do you support home networking on AOL Broadband Silver?

No, we do not support home networking on AOL Broadband Silver. If you wish to share your broadband connection between computers in your home, you must subscribe to either the AOL Broadband Gold or Platinum services.

Are there special requirements for the Screen Name I use to set up my home network?

Yes. The Screen Name you use for configuring your router to sign on to AOL must follow the following guidelines to avoid technical problems with your connection:

You must enter the full Screen Name in lower case
You must add @aol.com after the Screen Name
The Screen Name must not contain any spaces
The Screen Name must have General (18+) access in AOL Parental Controls (Mature Teen, Young Teen and Kids Only Screen Names will not work for a router connection)
For example, if your current Screen Name is: FTG and HL24 The router setup for this Screen Name should be: ftgandhl24@aol.com

We recommend that you create a new Screen Name for your router to connect to AOL. (If you use an existing Screen Name, then access AOL from a different location using that same Screen Name, your router will lose connection to the Internet.)

You can create a new Screen Name for this purpose at AOL Keyword: Screen Names, making sure that it follows the above guidelines.

Are there special requirements for the password I use to set up my home network?

Yes. The AOL Screen Name you use for configuring your router to sign on to AOL must use a password that follows the three rules below:

The password cannot be longer than eight characters
The password must consist of letters and numbers only (i.e., no spaces, or special characters such as: ! ? % and spaces)
The password must be all lower case (no CAPITALS allowed)
Don't forget to make a note of your password. If necessary, you can change your password to fit the above guidelines at AOL Keyword: Password.

What are the essential settings for connecting to AOL?

When setting up a router, you will be prompted to enter certain details that govern the type of connection you establish. Depending on the hardware you have, the way in which you enter these details may differ. However, you are likely to be prompted to enter them during the installation of your router and also a wireless adapter, should you choose to use a wireless setup.

Some router installation guides will automatically enter some of these details. Therefore, you may not be prompted for them all. In other cases, the options will be named differently. If you experience problems setting up your chosen home networking solution, you should refer to the documentation included with the device.

Required Details:

Connection Protocol PPPoA
VPI 0 Note that sometimes you will be asked for both figures together (VPI/VCI).
VCI 38 In that instance, you enter them separated by a comma: 0,38
Username yourscreenname@aol.com
Password youraolpassword

Wireless Settings:

When configuring a wireless router, you may also be prompted for the following:

SSID: This is the 'name' of the router that you are using and is used by wireless adapters when they attempt to establish a connection.
WEP Key: The WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key is the equivalent of a password on your router. Depending on your setup, it may be necessary to define one of these and ensure that any wireless adapters that connect to the router have the same key in their settings.
Network Type: There are a number of possible choices available here, but, if the option is available, you should choose Base Station.
MTU Setting: MTU (Maximum Transfer Unit) defines the largest data packet size you can transmit in one go across a network. The AOL network runs at an MTU of 1400. Many routers have inbuilt auto-configurations where the hardware identifies that the AOL traffic has an MTU of 1400 and dynamically adjusts. Alternatively you may have to manually change the MTU setting on the modem router. If the router hardware does not have this facility, the MTU setting can manually be changed on the computer to 1400.
You can change the MTU setting on your computer by using DrTCP. This is a free software utility that is a shortcut to editing your registry. This is available at Broadband Reports

MRU Setting: MRU (Maximum Routing Unit) is required by some modem routers and should be set to the same value as the MTU of 1400.
MSS Setting: MSS (Maximum Segment Size) is required by some modem routers and dynamically adjusts the packet size to fit the MTU. It should be set to 1360.
Do I need to change my AOL sign-on location when I have a home network?

Your location on the AOL Sign-On Screen should be set to ISP/LAN Connection when you use a home network to connect to AOL Broadband.

Do I still need to use DSL filters with my home network?

Yes, as with any broadband connection, you must have a DSL filter attached to every phone socket in your house. If you don't, it can affect the quality of your broadband service.

How can I prevent my children from accessing external browsers or inappropriate content if I have home networking set up?

AOL 9.0 provides you with the ability to 'lock down' your Internet connection using Internet Access Controls, which work alongside the Parental Controls provided within the AOL service. Internet Access Controls give you an added layer of security to prevent children from using external browsers or other Internet access programs, such as file-sharing software, which can lead to inappropriate content being seen.

When setting up a home network through a modem router connection, the AOL Screen Name used for setting up the modem router and accessing the Web needs to have General (18+) access. It is this AOL Screen Name that actually establishes the connection and, as such, it cannot be restricted - so Mature Teen, Young Teen and Kids Only Screen Names will not work on the modem router setup.

When using a home network, parents should ensure that Internet Access Controls are installed and activated on all computers linked to that network. This will allow Parental Controls to restrict Web access. Children's Internet usage should be supervised at all times. Visit AOL Keyword: Parental Controls for more information.

How can I make my wireless network more secure?

A wireless network may be unrestricted by the walls of your house, allowing you to use your laptop in your garden. However, unless you add security measures, it's technically possible for nearby households to access your broadband connection and see what you're doing online. AOL will help you to take the steps to increase the security of your home network.

A few simple steps are necessary to help protect your network from unwanted access:
Ensure that the security features available on your modem router are turned on. Security features are often switched off by default when you purchase your modem router.
If your modem router has wireless capabilities but you do not wish initially to connect computers wirelessly, you should ensure that this is disabled. Many modem routers have wireless networking turned on by default.
When setting up your modem router, you should select a personal name for your network, called an SSID, or network name. This identifies your wireless network as your own, if there are a number of networks available locally. For example, when connecting a computer to your wireless network, you may be able to identify a neighbour's wireless network in the area. If you personalise the name of your wireless network, it will be easy to recognise. Ensure that you make a note of your SSID for future reference.
AOL recommends setting up WEP 128-bit encryption on your modem router. Encryption 'scrambles' data as it passes over your wireless network, preventing unauthorised users from accessing your network. You must set up encryption on each wireless adapter you are using to connect computers to your network.

For added security, all the computers connected to your home network should have up-to-date personal firewalls and anti-virus software installed and enabled. AOL Broadband members can get McAfee Personal Firewall Plus software at no extra cost.

Kayak; Whats version 7 like, can't wait:-)

Brianboru and Kayak - THANK YOU, thank you, thank you! Through your combined efforts I was able to get to my Netgear support, identify the MTU issue and correct it using a little program called DrTCP (downloadable from a "nerdy" site on the web), reduce the MTU to 1400 and bingo, instant entry! It seems most ISP's can handle bigger packets of data, but AOL.....no, the b******s have to be awkward!

I owe you two lads a drink :)

Yet another reason to dump AOL, I fear.

I've just heard of so many people having all sorts of problems with them that I would not recommend them as a Broadband supplier to anyone. There are too many really good suppliers in the UK that there is no need to put up with this nonsense.

I got shot of AOL a few months back.

Complete waste of time.

KD

MM - Amen. I'm just waiting for my 12 month period to expire after I upgraded to AOL Platinum last year. I have been recommended Pipex by my computer man but I am open to suggestions.

Pipex were fine until they got bigger and then they no longer pick up the phone. So, when I moved I went with Euro1net.com at 240 for 24 months for unlimited 1meg and no connection fee. If you've a problem they pick up the phone and sort it out. And they speak English rather than the normal BT Mumbai mumble.

Thanks Brian. AOL suffer from Punjab Prattle also. Euro1Net sounds useful.

I wouldn't recommend signing up to any 12 month contract. Things are changing so quickly in the broadband market that you really don't want to be tied down. Lines will be upgraded to up to 8Mb/s (depending on distance to exchange) by the end of March/April so make sure that you're with an ISP that will provide them at reasonable cost. ADSL2+ running at up to 24Mb/s is already available in London and will be spreading out in the coming year. So no binding contracts.

PlusNet are good, cheap and non-Punjabi and offer a monthly contract but there are plenty of others of course.

Check out Broadband suppliers on ADSLGuide.

Personally, I use Zen Internet as do several other IST persons, although we also have happy users of Eclipse and Bulldog. As I recall, Zen have a one month minimum contract, so you can ditch them quickly if you don't like them.

Because we're techies, we just want connectivity to the Internet without all the cuddly handholding that some suppliers insist on ramming down your throat to the point where you can't breath, if you follow me.

You no longer need the cuddly stuff, you just need ADSL enabled from a decent supplier on your BT line and a NetGear (or similar) router off the shelf for 50-60. I favour NetGear because their software interface is very straightforward to set up and because I was once stuck in a Silicon Valley traffic jam beside their CEO ;-) But all current routers are pretty easy to set up and there are loads of people on this thread that can help if you get stuck.

I installed the beta of that new IE yesterday. It's playing havoc with web based java applications this morning so is for the bin.

It also seems to be a rip off of Opera. MM put me onto Opera a month or two back and, although it's got a few problems accessing some sites, it's a hell of a lot better than IE, imo.

Hilary,

I also spotted Bully's note about IE7. But the bulletin board near the download is full of people with problems so I decided to let it unbeta itself without my resources.

I've been using Opera for ages and upgraded my version earlier this week.

On the other hand the beta of Opera for PDA is also being found to have lots of problems so I will leave that alone along with IE7.

The only reason I moved from Opera to IE was because at the time it could not handle some sites like PayPal. Maybe it can now. I haven't tried.

TP

TP,

I don't have a problem with PayPal and Opera, but I do have a problem with some other online banking sites with Opera. I think that my biggest gripe with Opera is that it requires a download of Sun Java which I think is a bit slow on loading compared to MS Java.

IE7 also has a problem with the same online banking sites that Opera has a problem with. IE6 didn't have those problems. Like you say, it needs to get out of beta first.

Beta software is just that, relatively untested but certainly unproven software. Personally I don't touch the stuff, unless MoneyAM make me of course :-)

Certainly if you're using a computer for work or trading the last thing you want on your computer is Beta software.

As for the various IE usurpers, there is really no point. Microsoft will win in the end, they always do, and you're not going to get compatibility problems using their software. The security risks are over rated. If another browser or email program ever became as popular as IE or Outlook Express, virus writers would begin to target it and it would start to have the same problems. As for me, viruses? What viruses? After over a decade of using PCs I'm still running without an anti-virus program or firewall (except the router admittedly).