How to Install an Ethernet DSL Modem

A DSL modem provides a high-speed Internet connection that uses a telephone line to access the Internet. Unlike a dial-up modem, however, a DSL modem will not tie up your home phone line so that you cannot receive any calls. DSL modems also tend to access the Internet at much higher speeds than a dial-up connection. When you contract with an Internet service provider (ISP) to get Internet service, typically an install technician will connect the modem and make sure it can go online before he completes his work. If for you have contracted with an ISP but need to install the modem on your own, the process of doing so is simple and requires little technical expertise.

Things You'll Need

• DSL modem with power supply
• 1 telephone line
• 1 ethernet cable
• Computer or other device to access the Internet

Instructions

1. 

   Plug your DSL modem into a phone line. A typical DSL modem will have three to four ports on the back. One will be for the power cable to plug into electricity, one will be for a standard phone line. The modem will also have an Ethernet port, which resembles a phone port only slightly larger. Some modems are equipped with a USB port as well.

   Take a standard phone cord (see figure 1) and plug one end into the phone port on the back of the DSL modem. The other end should be plugged into the phone jack that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) designated for the DSL Internet connection. If you have not had an ISP set up a phone jack for an Internet connection, you will need to do this first. A standard phone jack will not be able to support an Internet connection. Contact an ISP and contract with them to have Internet service installed at your house.

   Once the modem is plugged into a phone jack that has been installed with Internet access, the modem is equipped to go online.

2. Connect the DSL modem power supply to an electrical outlet. The modem should now have power.

3. 

   Connect the DSL modem to your computer. Take the Ethernet cable (see figure 2) and connect one end to the Ethernet port on the back of your DSL modem; it doesn't matter which end you use. Take the other end and plug it into an Ethernet port either on a computer or other network device (router, switch, Xbox gaming console, TiVo, or other device that uses the Internet). Your DSL modem is now physically connected to the computer.

4. Set up the modem for Internet connectivity. DSL modems differ from cable modems and other high-speed connections so that in order to go on the Internet, the DSL modem requires a username and password that is provided by your ISP. Either the modem itself, the computer you are using to access the Internet, or another network device like a router will need to send the username and password to the ISP's network in order for the modem to go online. If the username and password are saved on the modem itself, the modem is said to be in PPPoE mode. If another device has the DSL username and password saved on it, the modem is said to be in "bridged" or "bridging" mode.

   At this point it is necessary to contact the technical support line of your ISP. Whether the modem needs to be in bridged or PPPoe mode and all other connection settings the modem will need in order to go online will vary from ISP to ISP. Technical support representatives will be able to walk you through the step-by-step setup of your DSL modem.

5. Log on to the Internet. Once the modem has been configured properly for your ISP's network settings, you should be able to open an Internet browser like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome, and load a webpage. If you see any type of connection error such as "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage," "Server not found," or "Webpage unavailable because you are offline," contact the technical support line of your ISP so that they can troubleshoot your connection.

Tips & Warnings

• Ethernet cables and telephone cables look very similar, and as such it is easy to get them confused. Telephone cables (figure 1) are smaller and are exactly the same cords that you would use to connect a telephone to a telephone jack. Ethernet cables (figure 2) are larger, thicker and shielded. They also come in multiple colors. Both use a similar plastic fitting on the end to connect into a jack. To place them into a jack, push them in far enough that the plastic tab that protrudes from the fitting makes a clicking sound. To remove them, depress the plastic tab until the cord comes loose from the jack.

• Any questions about the physical connections between your computer and DSL modem, or any connection problems you have once the modem has been installed, should be addressed by a technical support representative of your ISP. Their job is to answer your questions and make sure your services are working when they are not. If there is any doubt at all, it is better to contact them with your questions rather than risk possible damage to your modem, computer or other devices by trying to figure it out yourself.