Zyxel Prestige xSDL - what can be done with it?

Hi!

I have broadband internet over POTS with a Zyxel Prestige 600 series as 
a xSDL modem. When it was installed here in my home it came home to me 
"bare-boned" - no documentation whatsoever was supplied with the
modem, 
only the necessary cables to connect it to the telephone line and an 
ethernet cable to my network "card" - it's an onboard chip on the 
motherboard and not a real network card per se.

When I took a look at the backside of the modem I discovered that there 
were three unused RJ45 connectors, and that made me wonder what the hell
are those supposed to be used for? So I flipped the modem upside down 
and read the following on the bottom label:

ADSL 2+ 4-port gateway
Prestige 660H triple-play modem   Model no. 401315

It seems to me that this modem have hidden depths in it and can be used 
for more than just an interface between the telephone line and the 
network "card" in my computer.

So have somebody of you here in this ng any experience with this model 
and what can be done with it? Connect my Xerox Phaser 6120 to it (it has
an ethernet connector besides the LPT and USB connectors), so maybe the 
printer can be set up as a network printer instead - now it's connected 
to the box with the classic parallell LPT connector.

Maybe the modem also can be set up as an external (hardware) firewall?

Any info and/or web links on how to use this little baby to do more than
just sitting as an interface between the telephone line and the 
computer's ethernet adapter?

All serious answers and suggestions are welcome.


Cul8er alligator!
gaea - feminist & chunkawakan
-- 
/GAIA (Insulin User - 12th Anniversary :-)  Ex-wife deceased :-(
       Team OS/2      e-mail:  cribo.jacobsson@gaea.se (Primary)
       Team eCs       e-mail:  gaianerthus@yahoo.com   (Alternate)
       Team DRW     - Dare Refuse Windows

I just received that same modem from my ISP.  It was to replace an old 
DSL modem which was dying.  It came with absolutely no documentation at 
all, so I was stuck - I had no DSL modem working, so I couldn't get to 
the internet to get the documentation.  I had to use dialup on my laptop 
to get the documentation.  Anyway, here's what I found.

This modem is indeed a combination router and modem in one box. The 
tipoff was the address I had to use to get into the modem: 192.168.1.1 
instead of the usual 172.16.0.254 used for other DSL modems.  The Zyxel 
box offers DHCP server and a bunch of other stuff.  Unfortunately, I 
didn't need all this stuff, since I already have a router that serves my 
small home network.

I couldn't figure out how to hook my existing wireless router to work 
with the new modem.  It turns out, though, that there is a setting where 
you can turn the Zyxel into a "bridge."  That way, I could plug my 
existing router into the Zyxel, and have my router act as the connection 
for my home network to the outside world.

So... if you have an existing router, try setting the Zyxel modem to 
"bridge" and plug the router into the modem.

Steve Crutchfield

Christer Jacobsson wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:24:36 UTC, black.hole.4.spam@gmail.com (Don M 
> Hills) wrote:
> 
>> In article <QyIhiGow5drO-pn2-5WMIqdCkwm7V@localhost>,
>> "Christer Jacobsson" <cribo.jacobsson@gaea.se> wrote:
>> |
>> |ADSL 2+ 4-port gateway
>> |Prestige 660H triple-play modem   Model no. 401315
>> |
>> |It seems to me that this modem have hidden depths in it and can be
used
>> |for more than just an interface between the telephone line and the
>> |network "card" in my computer.
>>
>> It's most likely a 4-port Ethernet switch/hub on the
"inside", facing you,
>> with a router and ADSL modem on the "outside" facing the
network.
>>
>> You should be able to use the 4 ports to connect PCs and printers just
as
>> you would with a standard Ethernet switch/hub.
>>
> 
> That's just what I want to do: connect my Xerox Phaser 6120 ethernet 
> connector to the Prestige box, configure the box by hook or crook th 
> assign an IP adress to the printer (if it haven't an IP adress hardcoded
> in it) and redefine the printer in first XP (easier to do it there and 
> PrintScout can't be run under eCs, only XP or later). If it works OK as 
> a network printer in XP, then I will probably post here again asking for
> help setting up the printer as a network printer in WSeB and eCs. But it
> hit me just now that it may be easy even under WSeB to setup the printer
> as a network printer - after all I have Warp Server installed here, it 
> came with WSeB and CP2 :-)
> 
>> You may be able to use the router / firewall if you can find a manual
for
>> it, but if the box was supplied by the telco it is probably locked down
and
>> managed remotely by them.
>>
> 
> I shall check with my telco's internet tech support after the weekend: 
> perhaps they can send me a manual and point me to suitable software for 
> this box.
> 
>> "Triple Play" is something to both look forward to and worry
about - telcos
>> are working towards convergence, where you will get Internet,
telephone
>> (VOIP), and "Video On Demand". You won't get the VOD part
until you get
>> enough bandwidth, which realistically means FTTH (Fibre To The Home).
>> The phone part is a worry, because it will replace your current POTS
phone
>> and will require power all the time - no mains power, no phone
service.
>> The plan is to install battery backup for the interface box, but it'll
have
>> a limited run time.
>>
> 
> Damn the bungling idiots that came up with the idea of scrapping the 
> plain ole POTS system! I have a medical emergency alarm here at home 
> connected to the POTS and an alarm button on a bracelet, so if my blood 
> sugar suddenly plummets and I'm about to be unconscious I only have to 
> press the bracelet button and the emergency personnel will arrive at my 
> home ASAP (they naturally have a key to my flat). Same if other grave 
> medical conditions suddenly hits me: too high blood glucose level (once 
> I had over 50 mMol/mL and could only crawl on the floor - normal values 
> for non-diabetics is 5-7 mMol/mL), heart attack, stroke, a fall accident
> or the like. So if worst comes to worst - I being hit with a grave 
> medical condition and the main fuses in the house blows, then I'm stuck 
> and can't call for help and will probably go ad mortem :-(It just struck
> me that the alarm box is connected to both the POTS and mains power and 
> it ain't have a battery backup: it wouldn't have cost much to equip the 
> alarm box with a inside charger box for say 2 AA NiMh cells that are 
> always at full charge if and when the main power blows. This addition 
> should not have cost more than $5-10 incl. 2 AA NiMh cells - a cheap 
> lifesaver if worst comes to worst and Mr Murphy will see to that, damn 
> he will :-( )
> 
> 
> Cul8er alligator!

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:24:36 UTC, black.hole.4.spam@gmail.com (Don M 
Hills) wrote:

> In article <QyIhiGow5drO-pn2-5WMIqdCkwm7V@localhost>,
> "Christer Jacobsson" <cribo.jacobsson@gaea.se> wrote:
> |
> |ADSL 2+ 4-port gateway
> |Prestige 660H triple-play modem   Model no. 401315
> |
> |It seems to me that this modem have hidden depths in it and can be used
> |for more than just an interface between the telephone line and the
> |network "card" in my computer.
> 
> It's most likely a 4-port Ethernet switch/hub on the "inside",
facing you,
> with a router and ADSL modem on the "outside" facing the
network.
> 
> You should be able to use the 4 ports to connect PCs and printers just as
> you would with a standard Ethernet switch/hub.
> 

That's just what I want to do: connect my Xerox Phaser 6120 ethernet 
connector to the Prestige box, configure the box by hook or crook th 
assign an IP adress to the printer (if it haven't an IP adress hardcoded
in it) and redefine the printer in first XP (easier to do it there and 
PrintScout can't be run under eCs, only XP or later). If it works OK as 
a network printer in XP, then I will probably post here again asking for
help setting up the printer as a network printer in WSeB and eCs. But it
hit me just now that it may be easy even under WSeB to setup the printer
as a network printer - after all I have Warp Server installed here, it 
came with WSeB and CP2 :-)

> You may be able to use the router / firewall if you can find a manual for
> it, but if the box was supplied by the telco it is probably locked down
and
> managed remotely by them.
> 

I shall check with my telco's internet tech support after the weekend: 
perhaps they can send me a manual and point me to suitable software for 
this box.

> "Triple Play" is something to both look forward to and worry
about - telcos
> are working towards convergence, where you will get Internet, telephone
> (VOIP), and "Video On Demand". You won't get the VOD part until
you get
> enough bandwidth, which realistically means FTTH (Fibre To The Home).
> The phone part is a worry, because it will replace your current POTS phone
> and will require power all the time - no mains power, no phone service.
> The plan is to install battery backup for the interface box, but it'll
have
> a limited run time.
> 

Damn the bungling idiots that came up with the idea of scrapping the 
plain ole POTS system! I have a medical emergency alarm here at home 
connected to the POTS and an alarm button on a bracelet, so if my blood 
sugar suddenly plummets and I'm about to be unconscious I only have to 
press the bracelet button and the emergency personnel will arrive at my 
home ASAP (they naturally have a key to my flat). Same if other grave 
medical conditions suddenly hits me: too high blood glucose level (once 
I had over 50 mMol/mL and could only crawl on the floor - normal values 
for non-diabetics is 5-7 mMol/mL), heart attack, stroke, a fall accident
or the like. So if worst comes to worst - I being hit with a grave 
medical condition and the main fuses in the house blows, then I'm stuck 
and can't call for help and will probably go ad mortem :-(It just struck
me that the alarm box is connected to both the POTS and mains power and 
it ain't have a battery backup: it wouldn't have cost much to equip the 
alarm box with a inside charger box for say 2 AA NiMh cells that are 
always at full charge if and when the main power blows. This addition 
should not have cost more than $5-10 incl. 2 AA NiMh cells - a cheap 
lifesaver if worst comes to worst and Mr Murphy will see to that, damn 
he will :-( )


Cul8er alligator!
gaea - feminist & chunkawakan
-- 
/GAIA (Insulin User - 12th Anniversary :-)  Ex-wife deceased :-(
       Team OS/2      e-mail:  cribo.jacobsson@gaea.se (Primary)
       Team eCs       e-mail:  gaianerthus@yahoo.com   (Alternate)
       Team DRW     - Dare Refuse Windows

In article <QyIhiGow5drO-pn2-5WMIqdCkwm7V@localhost>,
"Christer Jacobsson" <cribo.jacobsson@gaea.se> wrote:
|
|ADSL 2+ 4-port gateway
|Prestige 660H triple-play modem   Model no. 401315
|
|It seems to me that this modem have hidden depths in it and can be used
|for more than just an interface between the telephone line and the
|network "card" in my computer.

It's most likely a 4-port Ethernet switch/hub on the "inside", facing
you,
with a router and ADSL modem on the "outside" facing the network.

You should be able to use the 4 ports to connect PCs and printers just as
you would with a standard Ethernet switch/hub.

You may be able to use the router / firewall if you can find a manual for
it, but if the box was supplied by the telco it is probably locked down and
managed remotely by them.

"Triple Play" is something to both look forward to and worry about -
telcos
are working towards convergence, where you will get Internet, telephone
(VOIP), and "Video On Demand". You won't get the VOD part until you
get
enough bandwidth, which realistically means FTTH (Fibre To The Home).
The phone part is a worry, because it will replace your current POTS phone
and will require power all the time - no mains power, no phone service.
The plan is to install battery backup for the interface box, but it'll have
a limited run time.

-- 
Don Hills    (dmhills at attglobaldotnet)     Wellington, New Zealand
"New interface closely resembles Presentation Manager,
 preparing you for the wonders of OS/2!"