How to Connect a Cable Modem to Your Computer

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: September 27, 2024

Aside from telephone companies, cable companies are the leading internet service providers in the market. However, telephone companies use existing phone lines to distribute Internet, whereas cable companies use TV cable lines or satellites. These two different technologies require different types of modems to facilitate your connection to the Internet. If you need to set up and connect one of your computers to a cable modem, but don't know how, you can learn how to connect with ease.

1

Make sure you have all necessary accessories.

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Check your cable modem and its accessories. Take the modem out of the box and determine if what you have is indeed a cable modem. It should have a coaxial port, or a small cylindrical protrusion located on its back. A DSL modem won't have that; instead, DSL modems have telephone cable ports like those you find on telephones into which you can plug in the telephone line coming from the wall. Accessories should include the following:
- An ethernet cable for connecting the modem to your computer
- The cable modem's power adapter
- A coaxial cable for connecting the modem to the cable line

2

Power up the modem.

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Connect the modem to a power source and turn it on. Plug the power adapter into the power port on the modem (located along the area of the coaxial cable). Take the other end of the power adapter and plug it to a power outlet. If the modem doesn't come on automatically, press the power button to turn it on.
- Before you plug a modem, read the voltage rating on the adapter to make sure that it matches your outlet. Doing so will help avoid shorting any circuits.
- As it boots up, the lights on the cable modem will blink, telling you that it's trying to connect to the ISP's server. Once the cable modem establishes a connection, the lights will become steady.

3

Connect the coaxial cable to the modem.

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Tighten it securely by screwing the cable into the port.

4

Connect the computer to the modem with an ethernet cable.

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Take the other end of the internet cable, and plug it into your computer's ethernet port.^{[1]
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Luigi Oppido
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5

Browse the web.

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Question

Should we pay money to cable operators?

Allan Cramer

Community Answer

If you're meaning pay as in "tip" them, no. If they go above and beyond, then by all means, if you want to, and only if they accept. But any bills or operations are usually billed to you by the cable company directly.

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Tips

In most cases, you don't really need to set up the cable modem yourself. The cable company will send a technician over to connect your modem.

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Cable TV and Internet connection are two different kinds of service. Using a cable modem on your cable TV connection won't work unless you have subscribed to the Internet service.

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Cable modems you plug into a router and put the mac address of the modem into the router. Then the router will use the modem to access distant areas just like standard telecom modems do. A network enabled operating system will do the same.

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