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montysimmons
join:2003-10-16
Easley, SC

montysimmons

Member

Two Vontage Adapters connected to one Cable Modem

Question:

Can one connect two vontage adapters, each with its own phone number, to one network that is serviced by one cable modem?

If so, any special issues that need to be addressed?

Thank you in advance for your time.

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

garys_2k

Premium Member

Yes, assuming:
- You have a router, or the modem has an integral router, to give each Internet device you connect to it a unique IP (consider it a local address)

- OR -

- Your Internet service provider gives you multiple IPs on one account (this is unusual for a residential account, common for business class).

Assuming you have residential service, what make and model number is your modem? It may have a built-in router to use with multiple Internet connected devices. If it doesn't you'll need a separate router.
montysimmons
join:2003-10-16
Easley, SC

4 edits

montysimmons

Member

Click for full size
An image of my home network should appear above

Charter Cable Modem
Motorola SB5101N
SURFboard
|
|
|
Netgear RangeMax
150 Wireless N Router
WNR1000
|
|---- connected to VONTAGE 1 adapter
|
D-Link DSS-16t
10/100 Fast Ethernet Switch
|
|
|----- connected to VONTAGE 2 adapter
|

Vontage 1 adaper, associated with phone number 1, works.
Vontage 2 adapter, associated with phone number 2, gives error message when connected as described above.

I can replace Vontage 1 adapter with the Vontage 2 adapter and the Vontage 2 adapter works.

Initial Error Message: "Your Vontage Device Cannot connect to the Internet".

After a period of time . . . .

Final Error Message: " This telephone line cannot register to the Vontage network "

I have verified the Internet connect is good.

NetFixer
From My Cold Dead Hands
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
Netgear CM500
Pace 5268AC
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU

2 edits

NetFixer

Premium Member

The way you are connected is the way I have connected multiple Vonage adapters with no problems.

If I understand what you are saying, if you connect the Vonage 2 adapter directly to the Netgear router, it works, but it doesn't work when connected to the D-Link switch.

Have you tried different ports on the switch? It might just be a bad switch port. Other than that, I have occasionally run into cases where certain devices just did not work properly with certain switches when both were in automatic mode. Probably your switch does not have that capability since it does not seem to be a managed switch, but some Vonage routers do allow you to override the automatic negotiation on their ethernet ports. If yours does, try setting it for manual 100 mbps and full duplex. When automatic negotiation can't be overridden, sometimes just inserting an el-cheapo 4-5 port switch between the incompatible devices will fix the problem.

EDIT:
An after thought: When you connect the Vonage 2 adapter to the Netgear router, are you leaving the Vonage 1 adapter connected as well, or is it disconnected? Have you tried connecting the Vonage 1 adapter to the D-Link switch instead of the Vonage 2 adapter? If swapping the physical location of the two adapters allows both to work, you can move the telephone numbers from the Vonage on-line account management site.
mahermusic
TRUMP LOST LOL
join:2001-07-06

mahermusic to montysimmons

Member

to montysimmons
Call Vonage. Let them take a look on their end. Might be something that's being kept from registering the 2nd modem. (Some people complain about Vonage's customer service, but the 5-6 times I've called them over almost 10 years, they've been able to address my problems on the first try.)
montysimmons
join:2003-10-16
Easley, SC

montysimmons to NetFixer

Member

to NetFixer
Thanks guys.

I found the problem; it was an intermittent CAT-5 cable failure – the one connecting the Vontage 2 adapter to the network.

I first bypassed the switch with a long CAT-5 cable and the Vontage 2 adapter worked. I thought, great ! It is the switch. Then I thought, well, I need to verify it was not the cable. So I connected the switch back in and used the long CAT-5 cable to connect to the Vontage adapter . . . and it worked. So it was not the switch -- it must be the short CAT-5 cable.

I used a laptop to verify this short CAT-5 cable connection and it proved to be a good connection. I even used an ohm meter to verify the short CAT-5 cable was good. I was too lazy to just go get a known good cable.

However, I now find that moving the CAT-5 cable one way causes no problems and the cable checks good. Moving the CAT-5 cable in a second direction – the direction of the Vontage 2 adapter --- and the connection fails.

Lesson : Always just swap out cables with known good cables.

cork1958
Cork
Premium Member
join:2000-02-26

cork1958

Premium Member

It's amazing how the simplest fixes are usually the last thing you try!!

Had about the same issue with a switch I had been using for a LONG time a while back.

Glad it's working for you.