Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

How do i stream from my DSL desktop to a different room?

by Apr 7, 2012 3:34PM PDT

First of all my apologies for my lack of knowledge, and i appreciate all feedback. I am running a Dell desktop from my spare bedroom using a DSL line and modem. In my living room i have a Panasonic HD tv and blueray player. Initially i hooked up to the back of the tv a Roku XS and used it for a short while. Also i connected from my DSL modem to my pc a wired Netgear router. I guess what i'd like answered is now i'd like to move the pc to another room. Do i have to call out the phone company to wire the DSL line in the room where i'd like to move it to? When i initially called the pnone companies tech support their answer was that it wasn't necarassary and to just purchase the router. But surely i can't just move the pc with the router to a different room right..the pc has to be wired to the DSL line / jack. Help please..!! ( and many thanks in advance! )

Discussion is locked

7 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Answer
Yes you can, and don't call me Shirley!
by Forum moderator Apr 8, 2012 12:24AM PDT

All you need to do with your DSL connection is to move the Modem, Router and computer to another room that has a phone line in it and plug the modem into the phone outlet.

DSL works by sending the data signal down the same pair of wires as your telephone uses. That means that DSL service is available at any of the phone outlets in your house.

Those filters that the Phone company gave you; they are what separate out the data signal from the voice signal and stop you from hearing high pitch screeching on your line.
Just move, and attach the relevant filter to the next phone outlet.

I'm surprised that the phone company made you purchase a router. Most DSL installations come with a modem which has a router built into it.

P

- Collapse -
Moving my DSL line..
by ukguyinlv Apr 8, 2012 2:36PM PDT

Thankyou for your reply and i will go ahead and try what you suggest when i move my pc to another room in a couple of days. I will say though that a few years ago the desktop was situated in the kitchen but i DID have to pay my local phone company to come and move the wires in the phone jack when i re-located the pc to my spare room. So naturally i assumed that i'd have to do the same thing each and everytime should i want to move it again to a different room in my home. When i called them recently to schedule a tech to come out i was told that it would cost me to have it moved to a different room, and it would be simpler to purchase the router. By the way there are no filters being used in my home..Does my desktop HAVE to be wired directly from my phone line via the phone company modem supplied and the Netgear router? Also additionally what would be the difference connecting my Roku xs straight to the router instead of directly into the back of my HD tv? One more question..( sorry! ) is there such a thing to purchase as a HDMI splitter to plug into the back of my tv, as i only have one HDMI plug-in in the back of my tv ??
Due to the distance from my spare room and living room i was also told to purchase a Netgear N900 wireless dual band USB adapter..will this help with the streaming speed as before when i viewed stuff on Hulu there was constant buffering. Do i REALLY need this and should i expect the same problem streaming movies from Netflix.??
Thanks once again in advance..

- Collapse -
Before we go there, can we establish
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Apr 8, 2012 10:04PM PDT

which country you are in?

P

- Collapse -
My location..
by ukguyinlv Apr 9, 2012 2:46AM PDT

I'm located in the U.S.

- Collapse -
OK, now to answer the questions.
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Apr 9, 2012 6:51AM PDT

Assuming that your house is wired in the same way as most other US houses, the phone sockets only have two wires connected in them.
They may have 4 but only two carry signals.
That said, there should be no reason why the phone company would be visiting your house to move or change anything.
In my neck of the woods, if you sign up for DSL, they send you the modem and the filters in a box and tell you to plug it in.
With the computer in the original location WITHOUT the router connected, find the IP address. You can do this by going to Start, Run, type CMD and press enter.
Now type ipconfig in the black window that appeared.
This will show you the IP address of your computer. If it starts with 192.168 or 10.xxx then you do not need a router as you already have one.

Let's start there

P

- Collapse -
HDMI Splitters are available from Amazon
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Apr 9, 2012 6:54AM PDT
- Collapse -
The ROKU device should be plugged into
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Apr 9, 2012 7:02AM PDT

the Router AND the back of the TV.

The computer must be directly connected in the way that you describe.

Phone outlet > Phone company provided modem > Router > Computer

Unless you purchased a wireless router.

P

Back to How To forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info