Shoutbox

Would they work on a cable modem? For example NTL's one?

Erm, ADSL routers could work on anyone's?

You receive the line thru a cable wire, which goes into your modem and comes out as a ethernet jack, which could be connected to your router.

I think the same way as brian. It doesn't matter if its a cable or DSL modem, they get an IP address from the ISP and all the packets they receive are sended through the ethernet jack or USB output, if this is sended to a router it will give the other computers another IP, and will transfer the packets from the ISP to the computers.

I might be wrong also at this, but this is my theory.

I think it still uses PPPoE or whatever system.

A router is a router and will work in (almost) ant network. Commonly, routers are integrated with modens in the same box, and the modem connected directly to one end of the router, and the rest of the network goes in the other side of the router.

The router fulctionality can be utilised (in most cases) without using it as a modem as well.

You cannot however use your ADSL modem (combined with router or otherwise) for a cable internet connection. Cable is a dedicated digital line which carries heaps of TV and internet signals. ADSL uses a reserved frequency of your phone line between you and your exchange, and then into a DLSAM. The technologies are completely different. The plug wouldn't even fit if you used a hammer.

If you want to use only the router functionality, and you have a cable modem with its own login client, and an ethernet connection, that, and the other computers could be connected through the router, I think, it would need NAT and I don't know whether the (cable) modem would actually work like this.

They might use PPPoE, but the actual signal carrying PPPoE standard traffic is sent as cable signals or as ADSL signals, and they are both different, there are even different types of ADSL connection.

If you wanty a decent one then get the NETGEAR DG834!
it's amazing, it has only 4 ports but it's super fast. Plus it's tiny. And it has 2 firewalls!