Meant to post this ages ago, so here goes...oh, & apologies for the length....
(Disclaimer: AFAIK this is all correct...feel free to add/reply/edit/correct)
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NB: If you get NTL:home Broadband for using your XBox, you *must* first connect a PC to your SACM/STB & register your NTL Broadband account after you have had NTL Broadband installed (see here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.../register.html). You cannot just plug your XBox into a newly installed NTL broadband connection. If you got NTL broadband solely for your XBox, & do not have a PC, then you should borrow a PC or a laptop to register your broadband connection. This goes for whatever connection method you later want to use for the XBox, be it direct, router, or ICS. This is separate from registering with Xbox Live.]
This is to help NTL Broadband Customers with using a direct connection from their XBox to an NTL-supplied Standalone Cable Modem (SACM, CM) or Digital TV Set-Top Box (STB). There's also a little bit on using other methods at the end (router, ICS).
Direct Connection (SACM):
First off, make sure you can connect to the net using your PC before you go trying to connect the XBox.
How do you normally connect your PC to your cable modem? USB or ethernet?
If you use USB to connect the PC instead of ethernet, that can sometimes cause problems when you swap to using ethernet to connect the XBox. There is info on swapping between USB & ethernet at Robin Walker's CM tips page,
here.
It is probably best in the long run if you use ethernet to connect your PC rather than USB. It removes any potential XBL problems caused by USB/ethernet swapping, & also gives your PC a more stable & less resource-draining broadband connection. If you cannot use ethernet (perhaps due to a lack of spare PCI slots in the PC to plug a network card into), then I'd suggest at least buying a USB-Ethernet adaptor. This will turn your USB port into an ethernet port, & remove the USB/ethernet swapping problems with XBL (although it will obviously still be more of a drain on the PC than an actual ethernet connection, as the PC itself will still be using USB).
- Don't manually enter anything into the XBox network settings in the Dashboard - Leave the IP, DNS, Gateway etc. all on Automatic. The MAC address box (in "Advanced") must be empty (unless you clone a MAC onto the XBox - see later). Make sure PPPoE is turned off. Basically…leave it all as it is by default.
- It is best to power cycle (reboot) your modem inbetween switching from PC>Modem to XBox>Modem. See
here for info on swapping devices connected to the CM.
1) Turn off your PC, & then turn off the modem & disconnect the PC from it. Then plug the XBox into the modem (using the lead you use to connect the PC to the CM). Leave the modem off for about 30secs. Turn the modem on & let it boot. Turn the XBox on, & go to the Live option on the dashboard & try to connect.
2) If that doesn't work, try it again, but leave the modem turned off for about 5 minutes instead, before turning the modem back on, followed by the XBox. It may also be worth releasing the PC's IP address (bring up a command prompt & enter "ipconfig /release") before turning the PC off.
3) If that doesn't work, it could be that the modem is not releasing the MAC address of the PC, so will not talk to the XBox. To get round this, you clone the PC's MAC onto the XBox (to find the PC's MAC, go
here). If you use a USB-Ethernet adaptor, the MAC may also be on a sticker on the adaptor. Enter the MAC address of the PC's network interface into the XBox network settings (the MAC cloning option is under "Advanced", enter the MAC without the "-"s). - *do not* do this with the XBox plugged into the modem. Then, turn off your PC, & then turn off the modem & disconnect the PC from it. Leave the modem off for about 30secs. Plug the XBox into the modem. Turn the modem on & let it boot. Turn the XBox on, & go to the Live dash & try to connect. If this still doesn't work (unlikely), try again but with the modem off for 5 minutes as with no.2.
NB: You mustn’t clone the MAC address of the modem itself onto the XBox - it must be the MAC of the PC's network interface, not the MAC of the modem. They are different.
It is actually best to go straight to number "3", & clone the PC's MAC address onto the XBox before trying to connect to XBox Live. This simplifies things, by making the modem think it is still connected to the PC when it is actually connected to the XBox (as they will have the same MAC), & so removes any problems of the MAC not being released, or the modem not getting an IP properly. It also makes it easier to swap between PC & XBox, as the modem will only need to be briefly turned off (as it doesn't need to forget the previous MAC). It may also be possible to swap over without actually turning the modem off, just the PC/XBox.
Direct Connection (STB):
If you get NTL Broadband through a Pace Digital TV Set-Top Box (STB), then it is slightly more complicated.
The STB cannot simply swap between devices with different MAC addresses like an SACM can.
The MAC address of every device you connect to the STB has to be registered using an NTL registration web page.
As the XBox has no web browser, there is no way of registering the MAC address of the XBox. Therefore, you *must* clone the MAC address of your PC's network interface onto the XBox (details in step 3 of the SACM method).
Once you have cloned the PC's MAC onto the XBox, then connection is simple & is similar to using an SACM.
Turn off your PC, & then turn off the STB & disconnect the PC from it. Leave the STB off for about 30secs. Then plug the XBox into the STB (use the cable you use for the PC. Also, whether you use a crossover or straight-through cable depends on the STB model – the STB should have a sticker on the back indicating what type of cable). Turn the STB on & let it boot. Then turn the XBox on, & go to the Live dash & try to connect.
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Also, instead of swapping leads over, you can plug the XBox & PC into a hub, & the hub into your SACM/STB. This removes the need to unplug PC & plug in XBox (& vice versa) each time you swap over. You *cannot* use both online at the same time, though (a hub cannot share a single-IP connection). If you use the PC, the XBox must be turned off before the PC is turned on. If you want to use the XBox, the PC must be turned off before the XBox is turned on. The XBox also must have the MAC of the PC cloned onto it. It may also be possible to use this method without rebooting the modem each time (depending on modem).
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XBox & PC connected at the same time:
If you want to use the PC & XBox online at the same time, you have three choices:
1) Use a broadband router (e.g. a Linksys BEFSR41) - easy to set up, one-off cost of ~£30.
2) Use ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) - easy to set-up, only cost is an extra ethernet card, but has the hassle of needing the PC turned on when you use XBL.
3) Use the
NTL Broadband & Console service - easy to set-up, provides 2 IP addresses so both the XBox & PC can connect at the same time, *but* costs an extra £2/month on top of your NTL broadband bill, plus I think it also has a set-up fee.
The option I would recommend is to use a router, such as the Linksys BEFSR41. It's easy to use, gives more flexibility for future network expansion, & is cheaper in the long run than the ntl 2 IP service.