Internet connection settings in router

I have internet connection settings in my router.

Example, internet connection type, Automatic Configuration(DHCP), Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, etc etc.

Why are these here? There is no need for any of them(well... Except that it uses DHCP for connecting to the modem. But that is it's connection to the modem, not to "the internet" or the ISP). All of these settings are between the modem and the ISP... Everything on the inside of the modem, on my lan, has nothing to do with any of that.

At first I thought that maybe this was there so that I could use the router AS the modem, but this isn't the case. So I'm back to wondering why any of these settings are even there.

I did a little research on google and found a little tutorial on setting up a router. When it got to setting up the internet connection settings it said that it must be set to connect to the ISP and all of this... This is simply not the case. Not true at all. Entirely false.... For example, I have DSL. My modem uses PPPoE to connect to my ISP with the username and password that I give it. My router, on the other hand, does not need to connect to anything using PPPoE, it doesn't need any username or password, it doesn't need any of that. It simply connects to the internet through the modem.... Just as my computer connects through the router.

 

ok with beer goggles on, if you have PPPOE, once your router is configured you're good to go in YOUR network. Messing with those PPPOE settings will not bode well. Once the router is setup, then base your home network off of those settings. Not sure what you were asking.

THose other settings are there due to the various network configs out there, they put all those settings in there to adapt to all the variables out there

 

Because your modem does pppoe, doesn't mean all consumer modems do. Many dont, so xp has a built in pppoe connection, looks almost like a dialup connection, but instead can be used to authnicate pppoe wise. Some buy routers instead of using the windows pppoe and in fact windows 2000 and before required third party software to auth to that type of dsl, which often sucked imensly, so people use routers. Just because you dont see that need, doesn't mean its not there for millons of other customers to use.

 

my point was that users will see those options on their routers regardless of weather they need them or not

 

Same as my point, but i was trying to explain from the point of someone having to work with a pppoe shim connector program on an old os like win98. No fun!

 

Ok, then I guess that explains why I was confused.

What situation would require the router to authenticate with the ISP?

Would it be a situation in where the modem makes the "connection" but doesn't actually establish a connection to the internet because the ISP's server doesn't allow it due to no authentication, and then the router, through the modems non-authenticated connection authenticates and gains access to the internet?

I'm just trying to figure out how all of this works as pretty much every setup that I've seen is the same.

I've been working with/as a computer tech for a while and I noticed that pretty much every time we go to add a router or something of that nature, he/other techs always end up putting the internet connection information in everything, in the modem, the router AND the PC. This is far from necessary, is it not? Only one should need to do so, and in every setup that I've ever seen in person, the modem is always capable of establishing the connection and authenticating it. So, basically, the purpose of this thread is just to clear up my confusion and let me know if I'm right or wrong saying that it's unnecessary to set up the internet connection settings in the router or computer when you do so in the modem. Am I correct or still really confused?

 

your right, but some (mostly older modems) are dumb and do nothing but convert the signal into enthernet, leaving the authication upto the computer or what ever device falls next in line, this case being a router.

 

Ok, thank you for that answer. That is exactly what I was confused about. Makes a WHOLE lot more sense now. I was assuming that whatever "made the actual connection" also had to do the authenticating, which is obviously why I was so confused, because I always see the ability to make that authentication and stuff in everything else.

I also get annoyed at a lot of routers setup utilities because they force you to try to setup the internet connection, when most of the time now-a-days, or at least around here, it's all handled by the modem.