Airport Extreme and Vonage setup

Again, are these three different suggestions...

Yes, 3 different options.

My setup which has worked flawlessly for the past year is:

Cable modem > AEBS > Ethernet Switch > Vonage adapter.

I don't use the combined Vonage adapter/router, just the basic Linksys PAP2 adapter. My phone quality is perfect. The switch is a $10 cheapo I bought at Best Buy.

I have also tested the Vonage adapter plugged into an Airport Express which I use as a relay station for the upstairs of our house. It works great there as well.

Hope this helps.

Here is a related question: I have recently installed an Airport Express base station, and the wireless and printer server functions are working fine. However, I cannot see other wired PCs on my network, and they cannot see my PC laptop or the printer. I have sharing enabled and can see the other PCs when my laptop is wired to a router port. My connection setup is:

cable modem>vonage router>netgear router>airport express

Two of the wired computers connect to ports on the vonage router in the basement, and one connects to a port on the netgear router on the first floor. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

MrMuni, Welcome to the discussion area!

The problem is that you currently have 3 subnets, the wireless one and the 2 Ethernet ones (one created by the Vonage router and another created by the Netgear router). To remedy this:

• Configure the AirPort Express so that the option to distribute IP addresses is DISABLED.
• Configure the Netgear router so that it's DHCP server is DISABLED.

MikeK
Sounds like you got this worked out nicely. Can you paint a clearer picture for me regards "the switch." Ethernet switches are pretty broad by definition and if you say you picked up a cheapo for $10, it would help me if I knew better what you are referring to. Also, you said you abandoned the Vonage router and are using instead a Linksys PAP2 adaptor. Help me some more, please. What are you referring to, and where does it fit into your scheme?
Thanks
noodl<<Font face="BlizzardD">ehead»

I want to offer this because, to my amazement, it worked, and it was too simpe to believe. Especially after my new WRT54G Linksys wireless router came with a giant sticker across the ports saying "Run CD first.," and of course, it turned out to be a Windows only CD. I contacted Linksys tech support and they got back to me with what I think is very complicated series of steps and configurations.
But... and here's the point of this message:

Prior to hearing back from the tech guy, I took a chance - relying on the Mac and OSX - and I just plugged everything in and everything works!
I did not do any configuring, or change any settings. I just went:
from my cable modem to the WAN port on the WRT54G;
out from that and into the Internet port on the RT31P2;
I connected the phone lines from the RT31P2 to my dual line telephone (for my Vonage service);
Then I connected an ethernet cable from the WRT54G to my Mac desktop (G4 Power PC);
I also ran a second ethernet line to a laptop to first see if things worked at all. They did.
Then I disconnected the line to my laptop, enable airport in the laptop...and that was it. My Vonage phone line works, my online access works and my wireless network works.

noodlehead - hapPY

The Vonage setup seems pretty robust. I just switched from Comcast to Verizon. The new Verizon connection came with a new wireless router. Previously I was using the Vonage enabled Linksys WRTP54G.

My Comcast configuration was:

cable modem-> [WAN] WRTP54G-> telephone

My current (2 day old) Verizon configuration is:

FiOS box->[WAN] D-Link [LAN]-> [WAN] WRTP54G-> telephone

I was amazed that this was worked since the WRTP54G is a full-blown wireless router. The Vonage site indicated that this setup would work while the Linksys site never gave this option.

Perhaps in the future I will remove the D-Link.

I wrote to Linksys (and responded to their customer satisfaction survey) and told them they are missing a great marketing opportunity. They should plaster their ads and packaging with big fat Mac simple set-up. And dove-tail on the latest Mac vs PC television ads.

I would remove my (Vonage) RT31P2 were it not for the fact that my new WRTP54G does not have any telephone ports. It appears to me that's the only purpose it is presently serving in my configuration. There probably is a WRTP54G, or something similar, with phone ports but I didn't know this would work at the time I bought it.
nÔÔdle- -hëad

...my new WRTP54G does not have any telephone ports.

You said earlier that you have a "WRT54G" which does not have telephone ports.


I have a WRTP54G which has telephone ports.

I have Sunrocket.com for my VoIP provider but have the same issue you do. My quality is terrible with Cable Modem>AEBS>Sunrocket gizmo.

I'd like to try Cable Modem>Sunrocket VoiP Gizmo>AEBS but I'm afraid it is gonna throw my system out of wack.

Any ideas?

Are there magic words you have to utter, or a place on the router where you have to rub it three times in order to open a secret compartment where the phone lines are hidden?
Mine's definitely the WRT54G. Just rechecked.

Just an added note: I just got back a emil reply from same aforementioned tech person at Linksys. He gave me a very clear explanation for why my set up does work, and why/how his instructions work. Pretty helpful.
But...I continue to be annoyed by the fact that there is not a whisper of help in the box for a Mac user, and no mention of the Mac at all. In the absence of their PC only CD, you're on your own.
If anyone else following this thread is interested, I can pass along his reasoning and instructions. They're helpful.
(I asked why mine has no phone ports. Awaiting a reply).
nÔÔdle- -hëad

I said:

You said earlier that you have a "WRT54G" which does not have telephone ports.

I have a WRTP54G which has telephone ports.

You said:

Are there magic words you have to utter, or a place on the router where you have to rub it three times in order to open a secret compartment where the phone lines are hidden?
Mine's definitely the WRT54G.

As you can see, I agree there are NO phone ports on the WRT54G which is the router that you have.

Reread the posts above and you will see that you incorrectly stated that you had the WRT P54G and wondered where the phone ports were.

The WRT P54G DOES have phone ports, but you DON'T have a WRT P54G.

Sorry, thanks. I missed that letter "P."