Sharing an Internet connection
Extra IPs — troubleshooting
The first step of fixing anything is to reset everything.
- Turn off all computers and the cable/DSL modem
- Wait for several minutes!
- Turn on the cable/DSL modem and wait for it to boot
- Turn on computers, one at a time
If none of the computers work, double-check your wiring and make sure that each computer is configured to obtain an IP address automatically. Also make sure that the hub has power, and that you haven’t plugged any computer into the port adjacent to the uplink port. If necessary, call your cable/DSL company to check for outages. If they report none, ask them to help you anyway. As paid service providers, they're obligated to help you with service failures.
If only one of the computers work, call the cable/DSL company and ask them to make sure that your extra IPs have been activated. They'll probably give you a quick “yes”. Don’t believe it. First make sure that you’re talking to technical support, not the accounting department. Then, ask them to double-check to make sure that your IP addresses are active and ready-to-use. If you’re a cable modem subscriber, you should also ask them to confirm that they have extra MAC addresses authorized on your account.
More than likely, they'll find a problem and fix it. Make sure to demand a credit on your account if it’s been a while since you ordered the extra IP addresses.