HOW-TO-USE-SATELLITE-DECODERS-AS-BROADBAND-INTERNET-MODEM

Communication between computers is a major part of the PC computing Industry. Thanks to the World Wide Web (www), no computer user is an Island. Whether using a dialup modem or broad band technology, virtually all PCs can be connected to other computers, enabling them to share files, send and receive email, and access the Internet.



With the explosive growth of the internet, modem and network technologies were joined because both could use the same client software and protocols. Today, the most popular suite of networking protocols –TCP/IP – is used on both Local Area Network (LANs) and the internet. When you dial into an Internet Service Protocol (ISP), you are actually connecting to a network using a modem instead of a network interface card, and when you use most broadband services, your path to the internet typically starts with a network interface card, built in network card, built in network port, network – to – USB adapter, or even a wireless connection.

Thanks to the combination of huge multi megabyte downloads needed to update software and support hardware, dynamics websites with music and full – motion videos and increased demand for online services, even the fastest dial up modem (such as Starcomms, Visafone etc) which can download at just 53kbps, isn’t sufficient for heavy internet use. More and More users are taking advantage of various types of broadband internet access solution. But the most preferred to me is the cable decoder internet access system.

For many users, cable modem service which piggybacks on the same cable TV service line that brings your TV many channels, represent both a big boost in speed and a major savings in initial cost and monthly charges which your subscription fee covers.

Cable Modem Services normally is sold as an “all you can eat” unlimited access plan with a modest installation cost (materials to buy to commence installation). Because more and more cable networks (such as DSTV, HITV, CTL and the most recent DAAR SAT) support a single standard, you can choose any of the decoders of all this cable TV providers to connect your system to the internet.

CONNECTION REQUIREMENT

  CABLE-LINE SPLITTER

  CABLE MODEM (ROUTER)

  RJ – 45 NIC Cable/Ethernet Cable

  DECODER

  COAXIAL CABLES



CABLE-LINE SPLITTER

There are many types of Satellite Decoder Splitter, you buy your favourite at the shops where it’s been sold i.e. the Cable decoder dealers.

What do we use the Splitter for?

This enables you to create a parallel connection for the coaxial cable (this is the cable that is used to connect your decoder to the TV and as well as the decoder to the Dish hanged outside).the splitter will share the signal that comes from the dish outside between the TV and the Router cable modem, which will convert the signal to an internet signal

CABLE MODEM

A cable modem is a device that delivers high-speed Internet connectivity via a cable television company which serves as the Internet service provider (ISP). Externally, a cable modem resembles a DSL modem. The coax cable that brings in the digital CATV signal provides a channel for upstream and downstream Internet service. This does not interfere with television, as there is plenty of "real estate" or bandwidth space on the coax cable to handle both TV and Internet signals.

Types of Cable Modem
(A) LINKSYS CABLE MODEM (CM100)

Linksys Cable Modem: The Linksys Cable Modem does not require you to pay any additional separate monthly subscription to the cable company; you only need to connect it with your current subscription with your satellite cable TV provider which will only work with a Coaxial Cable.

High Speed, Low Cost

Cable Internet offers connectivity speeds up to 100 times faster than dial-up via a modem that connects your computer to the Internet. Many service providers charge a monthly fee to rent their modem, but get your own and you can save while you enjoy fast speeds for surfing, emailing, music, video, gaming and more.

Reliable Quality

From the leaders in networking, it’s an ideal choice for reliable connectivity that’s fully compliant with all industry standards, so you can be sure it will work with any cable Internet provider’s service.

Fast, Easy Set Up

Connect via USB or Ethernet to any computer and you’re ready to start surfing. Or connect to a Linksys by Cisco wireless router to create a high-speed wireless home network that lets everyone in your family share the Internet without being tied down by wires.

How to Purchase

http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/CM100 http://www.pcworld.com/shopping/detail/prtprdid,61213646-sortby,retailer/pricing.html

http://www.superwarehouse.com/Linksys_CM100_Cable_Modem_with_USB_and_Ethernet_Connections /CM100/p/1506558



(B) Motorola Surfboard SB5100 Cable Modem

Motorola Surfboard SB5100 Cable Modem uses cable television wires instead of telephone lines to connect to the internet, it offer internet access at speed up to 100 times faster than a traditional phone modem and does not tie up telephone lines for incoming or outgoing calls and faxes.

This modem uses new technology (A-TDMA and S-CDMA) that triples the upstream capacity to 30Mbps, and it also DOCSIS 1.1 and 1.0 compatible and will work with older technology.
If a user have more than one computer and are connected on a network, the Surfboard SB5100 Cable Modem supports current internet connection sharing technologies to enable user to connect up to 32 PCs to the internet using a single cable modern.

Inside the Cable Modem

The Tuner connects to the cable outlet and it receives the modulated digital signal and passes it to the demodulator. The Demodulator takes digital signal and encoded in it by varying both the amplitude and phase of the wave, and turns it into a signal that can be processed by the analogue-to-digital (A/D) converter.

The MAC sits between the upstream (information sent from an individual back to the Internet) and downstream (data sent from the Internet to an individual computer) portions of the cable modem, and acts as the interface between the hardware and software portions of the various network protocols.

Cable modem tasks are more complex than those of a normal network interface card. Some of the MAC functions will be assigned to a central processing unit (CPU) and either the CPU in the cable modem or the CPU of the user's system.

How to purchase

http://www.motorola.com/Business/US- EN/Business+Product+and+Services/Cable+Broadband/SURFboard+Modems+and+Gateways

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Surfboard-SB5100-Cable-Modem/dp/B00008Y1BX

RJ – 45 NIC CABLE

This is a typical networking cable which we will use to network all the network devices that we have listed above such as the Router (Cable Modem), we will use it to make a connection from the Router to the computer to transmit internet.

ETHERNET CABLE

Ethernet cables connect network devices such as modems, routers, and adapters. They transmit data using the Ethernet protocol. Most Ethernet cables have RJ-45 jacks on both ends, each with 8 pins. (They look similar to telephone jacks, which use 4 pins or 6 pins.)

Equipment using an Ethernet cable is referred to as wired.

Wireless equipment uses radio waves in place of some (or all) Ethernet cables. A network device that uses both Ethernet and wireless connections is usually called just wireless.



The Physical Ethernet Cables

• Use Cat 5 cables. (Cat 5 is a measure of quality, meaning that it supports traffic up to 100 Mps These are also called 10/100 Base-T Cat 5 cables.

• Some Ethernet cable wires crises-cross internally, others are straight through, meaning that pin 1 is wired to pin 1 on the other end, etc. A port (socket) for a straight through Ethernet cable is sometimes called an uplink port. If you aren't sure about a cable, and you can see the inside wires' colours, hold the two ends of the plugs up, so the same side of the plug is facing you.

CABLE MODEM (ROUTER)

A router is used to transmit internet to more than 1 computer system on a network setup, this enables you to network your connection to other system (PCs). This is also known as cable modem.

The connection runs the incoming cable connection to an external cable modem, which has an Ethernet connection to a router, which then connects

DECODER

A decoder is a device which is used to decode the satellite signal receive from the satellite dish into a video, the decoded signal converted into video is what we receive on our TV, The purpose of we connecting to the internet with a decoder is to convert your decoder to a Modem, a cable decoders is a modem because it modulates and demodulates, but it also functions as a tuner, a network bridge, an encryptor etc.

To connect your PC or laptop to a decoder to access the net, you do not use a serial port as with dialup modem.

COAXIAL CABLES

This connect the decoder to the splitter and one end of the cable goes into the TV while the other end goes to the WAN port of the router (Linksys Router)

Things to take Note before buying all the equipments required for setup:

• I always recommend running a router between a cable modem and a PC because a router not only allows more than one PC to be connected, but also provides a robust hardware firewall that helps shield your PC(s) connected to it from internet – based attacks.

• You can directly connect PCs to a cable decoder using USB; I do not recommend that option because it precludes using a router (cable modem)

• Some cable modems have a built – in router, in which case you don’t need to purchase a separate one. If your computer doesn’t include an Ethernet adapter built into the motherboard or a separate Ethernet card, you can install an Ethernet card into an available internal expansion slot or use a USB – based Ethernet adapter instead. I use a USB - based Ethernet adapter on my HITV decoder.



THE STEPS TO THE CONNECTION

Step 1

Connect the coaxial cable from your decoder to your satellite decoder splitter; the cable can be purchased from any shop where they sell cable decoder while one of the other coaxial cable cords is connected to your television to watch satellite stations.

Step 2

Connect the second Coaxial cable cord from the splitter to WAN port of your router (Linksys Router)

Step 3

If your cable modem does not have an inbuilt router facility, you will need to connect your cable Modem to the CATV network of your router using the same coaxial cable connection as your TV.

Step 4

Connect the Ethernet Cable from the router to your computer system, which can stand as a client if you are using only one computer or server if you are networking more than one system, make sure that your computer has an inbuilt Ethernet adapter on the Motherboard or a separate Ethernet card, you can also install an Ethernet Card into an available internal expansion slot or you can alternatively use a USB – Based Ethernet Adapter instead. In our connection we use a USB –based Ethernet adapter on HITV Decoder

Step 5

At the back of the Linksys Router there are several ports, port 1 – 4 Stand as the LAN(Local Area Network) Port which can be used to connect 1 -4 CPU to the router with an RJ -45NIC Cable, in most cases the cables comes with the router when you purchase it.
Connect 1 -4 CPU to the LAN Port of the router with your RJ -45 Cables, please don’t mistake it with the Ethernet cable, as is only to be used to connect the computer which is the server to the Router for network routing and also note that each of the CPU that connect to the Router LAN Port with the help of RJ-45 must have an inbuilt Network card install in them, while the server should have an Ethernet card adapter install on the board as mentioned earlier.

Step 6

The fifth port of the Linksys Router which stand as the WAN Port (Wireless Access Network) Connect the second coaxial cable that comes from the splitter to the WAN Port of the Router, but note that you need a converter which is an adapter that convert the coaxial cable to RJ -45 cable since the Router WAN port does not have a direct port for a coaxial cable

Step 7

The sixth port of the Linksys Router which is called the Uplink Port, the port can be connected to a Hub or a Switch to enable additional users or computers within the network range to share with the internet of your decoder via wireless access


System Configuration Steps

Start up your computer that we call the server, and click on the start button and then click on control panel

Click on Network connection from the control panel tab

Click on Create a new Network connection from the Network Connection from the

control panel tab

Select the Connect to the Internet Radio button and then click on Next button

Select the Choose from the a list of Internet Service providers[ISPs] radio button and

click on Next button

Finally Click on Finish button, Then the connection will then come up

Open up your Internet Browser and start browsing

Browsers Compatibility
(1) Internet Explorer (2) Google Chrome (3) Opera (4) Firefox, etc.

Operating System Compatibility
(1) Windows Operating System (2) Linux Operating System

What is this Internet Technology be used for?
(1) Personal Usage (2) Group Usage in an Organization or Company

(3) Cyber Café (4) Business Centre for Email Service and Internet Calls

Benefits of using this Technology
(1) Pay only monthly subscription for your cable TV and it covers the Internet Bill (2) Browse with a very fast internet speed of 4Mps download speed

(3) Connect large number of Computer systems with the help of a Network devices

(4) Connection configuration is simple and easy

(5) You can watch Cable TV while browsing the internet at the same time without conflict

(6) No downtime for internet connection except if your subscription as elapse, or one of the connection device generate fault

(7) You can buy two decoders to setup a mini cyber café and cable TV football center at the same time.

GLOSSARY
Access Point - A device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate

with a wired network. Also used to expand the range of a wireless network.

Ad-hoc - A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other (peer-to-peer) without the use of an access point.

AES - (Advanced Encryption Standard) - A security method that uses symmetric 128-bit block data encryption.

Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given device or network.


Bit - A binary digit.

Boot - To start a device and cause it to start executing instructions. Broadband - An always-on, fast Internet connection.

Browser - An application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web.

Byte - A unit of data that is usually eight bits long.
Cable Modem - A device that connects a computer to the cable television network, which in turn

connects to the Internet.
Daisy Chain - A method used to connect devices in a series, one after the other.

DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System) - Allows the hosting of a website, FTP server, or e-mail server with a fixed domain name (e.g., www.xyz.com) and a dynamic IP address.

Default Gateway - A device that forwards Internet traffic from your local area network.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A networking protocol that allows administrators to assign temporary IP addresses to network computers by “leasing” an IP address to a user for a limited amount of time, instead of assigning permanent IP addresses.

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) - Removes the Router's firewall protection from one PC, allowing it to be “seen” from the Internet.

DNS (Domain Name Server) - The IP address of your ISP's server, which translates the names of websites into IP addresses.

Domain - A specific name for a network of computers.

Download - To receive a file transmitted over a network.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - An always-on broadband connection over traditional phone lines.

Dynamic IP Address - A temporary IP address assigned by a DHCP server.

EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A general authentication protocol used to control network access. Many specific authentication methods work within this framework.

Encryption - Encoding data transmitted in a network.
Ethernet - IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a

common transmission medium.

Firewall - A set of related programs located at a network gateway server that protects the resources of a network from users from other networks.

Firmware - The programming code that runs a networking device.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network.
Full Duplex - The ability of a networking device to receive and transmit data simultaneously.
Gateway - A device that interconnects networks with different, incompatible communications protocols.


RJ-45 (Registered Jack-45) - An Ethernet connector that holds up to eight wires.

Roaming - The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the connection.

Router - A networking device that connects multiple networks together.
Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing,

communications, and other services.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The standard e-mail protocol on the Internet.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) - A widely used network monitoring and control protocol.

SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) Firewall - A technology that inspects incoming packets of information before allowing them to enter the network.

SSID (Service Set Identifier) - Your wireless network's name.
Static IP Address - A fixed address assigned to a computer or device that is connected to a network. Static Routing - Forwarding data in a network via a fixed path.
Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the size of the network.

Switch - 1. A data switch that connects computing devices to host computers, allowing a large number of devices to share a limited number of ports. 2. A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that requires acknowledgement from the recipient of data sent.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A set of instructions PCs use to communicate over a network.

Telnet - A user command and TCP/IP protocol used for accessing remote PCs.
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) - A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol that has no directory or

password capability.
Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one node to another in a given time period.

TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) - a wireless encryption protocol that provides dynamic encryption keys for each packet transmitted.

Topology - The physical layout of a network.

TX Rate - Transmission Rate.

Upgrade - To replace existing software or firmware with a newer version.

Upload - To transmit a file over a network.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The address of a file located on the Internet.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) - A security measure to protect data as it leaves one network and goes to another over the Internet.


WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A method of encrypting network data transmitted on a wireless network for greater security.

WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) - A group of computers and associated devices that communicate with each other wirelessly.

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) - A wireless security protocol using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) encryption, which can be used in conjunction with a RADIUS server.

Conclusion

We believe you will be successful using this manual to configure your decoder internet browsing, we make sure that all relevant information as been compiled together to benefit you and follow as a guide to setup your connection.