# Westell 6100,and 327W Questions



## 70JUDGE (Jan 26, 2006)

I have a few questions about these modems.Can the Westell 6100 be used to hook up two computers to the internet by itself?Or do I need some kind of router?I'll be using Verizon DSL.I read the manual on the Westell website,and it said that you could with the USB cable going to one computer,and the Ethernet cable going to the another.Then on the Internet someone said it wasn't possible,and could burn it out.I thought the two cables were just to have the option for either one.What about using two DSL modems on one phone line?On the 327W,it says in the manual online that when using the Ethernet ports,that if you use E1,that you are limited to only the four ports.Something about an optional uplink port? Does this mean in order to expand the four ports,I have to plug that unit into E1,and not into E2 through E4?What is the range of the wireless of this unit?Also,how many wired,and wireless can you use on this box?Any help is greatly appreciated.Thank You very much! 
Tyler


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## JamesO (Mar 30, 2005)

Here are my suggestions.

Regardless of whether the DSL modem can fully act as a router or not, get a separate router to add more machines. It make troubleshooting much easier and you do not need the DSL vendors software on all your machines to make a connection. You can also set the keep alive in the router to keep the DSL connection up 7X24.

Do not waste your time using the USB port on any modem unless you are only connecting a single computer without a NIC. A real PITA and requires additional software to be installed on the host machine. Less software is better.

I doubt you could run 2 DSL modems on a single phone line, not enough bandwidth and would not be efficient. I would say you can't however, almost anything is technically possible, but it does not mean it is cost effective and efficient. Do not even try worrying about this.

How many machine can you connect at one time to a router or DSL modem?? Depends on the device. Most DSL modems that have router capability may limit you to 4. Most routers limit you to about 250, however, you would find that your DSL would not support more that 2-4 machines at a time gracefully without a lot of network delays. Most SOHO routers can support 10-15 machines, but if all machines are active, it can cause both the router and the Internet connection to become slow. SOHO routers do not have enough processing power and the Internet connection may not have enough bandwidth for all users and their applications.

JamesO


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

I know you can not run two DSL accounts on one line, that's for sure.


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## humsanchez (Dec 14, 2005)

According to the info I have here, no you can´t use the 6100 with the two connections, and if you can you probably will cause some damage to the modem, it wasn´t designed to be a router.


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## JamesO (Mar 30, 2005)

"Regardless of whether the DSL modem can fully act as a router or not, get a separate router to add more machines."

JamesO


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

Well, you probably won't damage the DSL modems, but the whole DSL structure is setup for one modem for a single line. The telco CO would have no idea how to deal with two DSL modems on one line, and there isn't any extra bandwidth for the second modem anyway.


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## joedykie (Mar 2, 2006)

First; no, you can not use the Ethernet and USB connection from the 6100 simultaneously.

Second, although you technically could use two dsl modems in the same home in different locations you would not be able to connect both simultaneously, or rather, you shouldn't. Although they could both connect you would end up pulling two ip addresses. In the Verizon TOS (Terms Of Service) you agree to only pull one ip address. If you pull two you run the risk of having your account suspended. 

If you want to connect multiple computers, get the 327w. This is a wireless modem/router combo. Or with the 6100, get a Linksys router.

The 6100 will need to be manually set to bridge mode but once that is done the Linksys will allow you to connect multiple computers.

:grin:


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

joedykie, there is NO way that two DSL modems would function on the same line. There is only bandwidth for a single connection, and the CO wouldn't deal with a second connection if there were bandwidth available.


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## joedykie (Mar 2, 2006)

*Oh yeah!*

johnwill

I'm sure you are right. I hadn't actually thought about the synchronization of the modems. I suppose my point was that it doesn't matter if we _could_ connect more than one modem because we really *shouldn't*.

Thanks though, and again i'm sure you are right. There's no way to DSL modem could have enough bandwidth to connect simultaneously. 

:1angel:


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## 70JUDGE (Jan 26, 2006)

Thank You all for the replies.Sorry I didn't write earlier!I have a few more questions.I hope I'm not bothering anyone with all these questions!Sorry if I am!In the manual for the Westell 6100 on their website,it says you can hook both the USB,and ethernet up at the same time to different computers so one uses the USB,and one the Ethernet.Which is faster,the USB,or the ethernet?Would I notice a speed difference?What about if I use USB 2.0 instead of the 1.1?Also,should I still get a separate router if I use the Westell 327W with the built in router?Thank You all very much!

Tyler


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

You won't see a speed difference, but I recommend the Ethernet connection, since it's almost always more stable and trouble-free.


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## daxumaming (Mar 21, 2006)

OK, here goes, I've been troubleshooting Westell modems for 1yr and 3mos already.

Westell 6100 IS a modem "slash" router. If you want to connect two or more PC's, you don't have to buy another router, which costs around $50-$150. You could just purchase a (Network) Switch (around $10-$30) so you can hook up more than one PC via Ethernet.

Now, if you want to hook up 2 PC's using both the Ethernet connection and USB connection, then do expect some problems. By design, it should work, but other ISP's flash it's chip so only one connection would work. If you use Ethernet, then USB won't work, and vice-versa. Now I'm not sure if your ISP does that, but I advise you not to use USB since that's just a headache to maintain. Again, if you hook up both USB and Ethernet, expect problems with the PC hooked up via USB.


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## Netserver (Mar 24, 2006)

*Hi westell 327w testing within private lan with wan ip*

Hi Have verizon dsl, westell 327w router/modem... Router coinfig with private Lan, everything works, ftp, WWW server ect. All clients can access services using domain name "us-recovery.com". The Only problem is when I'm writing software for the web I like using DN as the client would, other then using private lan name or ip"192.168.1.46" for my testing . I read somewhere the router stops the private lang from using the wan sides ip "71.105.117.110". Is there anyway arouind this

Thanks
Jerry Aka Netserver


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