It has arrived, it is big, it is beautiful, but I can't connect to the internet HELP!!

[gingerbear]

I need help. I have my lovely new iMac, but no internet. I have a sagem 800 ASDL modem provided by Tiscali. I have tried to install it on my new mac, but it wont work, and the tiscali helpline are useless. If it ain't windows or a PC, they can't help.
I will ring Apple in the morning.
Humpf!
Hub2dee, I know you have a lovely fragrant new babe and all, and I loved your pictures, could you be my personal apple helpline in the morning? Pleeeesssee??? How do Mac users get on the internet, should I ditch Tiscali and use an ISP who is more Mac friendly?

thanks lockets, I will look elsewhere.

I'm on mac and have internet service (dsl) through zen. They are brilliant.
Have you tried going onto the sagem website to see what settings you need for the modem.

bump, any other mac users here tonight? I don't really want to switch from Tiscali if I can avoid it.

blueyonder cable broadband before that virgin dialup

gingerbear you can have several accounts....

I bet you were seduced into this by Hub2Dee ( A Mac salesman in disguise!!!)

And where is he now ??

Nowhere.......

He made the sale, took the commission and scarpered

Rumours of Dee having had a baby ?????

Oh alright, we have all seen the photos, maybe he isn't a MAC salesman

Mrs G, I have lusted after a Mac for a long time before I even knew Hub2dee was a Mac geek.
Now I just want to play with it!!

Jimjams, we are in the sticks, so no cable for us here. If I swap ISP, then I have lots of people and companies to email & notify of change of email address (can't remember them all)

gingerbear, I can help if you give me a little more information about what exactly isn't working. You really shouldn't have to do anything. You shouldn't have to install anything. Assuming the modem is working, you should be able to plug your mac into it with an ethernet cable and just hook up. On the mac side you need to go to System Preferences, then go to Network and make sure that Built in Ethernet is set and that under Ethernet Configuration you set it to Using DHCP.

thanks SofiaAmes. Here goes; The modem is connected thus:

iMac & Modem connection by USB cable. Modem & telephone socket connection by RJ11 cable and ADSL filter.

I will have to check the Mac settings later, but I think it is set for PPPoE - and when it tries to connect it says 'cannot find PPPoE server'. Do I need a DHCP code number from Tiscali? What is an ethernet cable - my ADSL modem connects by USB cable to a USB socket in the back of the iMac, not the ethernet socket.

maybe I should set up for a dial up modem with a USB cable???

I will ring Apple when I get home.

Apple Salesman.

Hi ours de gingembre. We will sort you.

Find a comfy chair.

OK, firstly, USB modems, generally, suck. They sometimes need drivers geared to your PC / operating system, and thus have an extra layer of 'fudgability' / 'klunkiness' / 'krud' to go wrong IYSWIM.

My initial suggestion then (not terribly helpful, I know), is to get a cheap, Ethernet ADSL modem. Tiscali may sell them all set up with your password etc. (on the other hand, they are rather big and somewhat crap so am not sure their customer service would extend to this).

You could try www.dsl-warehouse.co.uk/ . You would want a single port unless you want to connect additional computers (in which case go for multiport).

If your Mac has a wireless card, or you wanted to set up a wireless network in your house, now would be a great time to be a wireless ADSL router.

I'll press post and go google your existing equipment and come back in a tick.

FWIW - a small, friendly, national, technically clued up ADSL provider is Andrews & Arnold - they will sell you a cheap router with your login / password pre-loaded so when it gets to you it will be plug and play with your mac.

PS - Congrats on your Big and Beautiful new toy. May you be blessed with hours of happiness together.

OK, mac OS X drivers for your modem appear to be here .

You would need to download and install these as Part 1 of our mission.

Part 2 will involve finding out if Tiscali support Mac connections, what the setup needed on your Mac is etc.

Can you post when Part 1 is Mission Accomplished ? (USB modem should have good green connect lights flashing / shining as per your user manual to indicate a good connection to Tiscali. You may need to enter a login name / password in the setup of your modem which will have been given to you by Tiscali.

YIPPEEE!! Hello Hub, thank you so much

I was looking at Airport Express basestation (why does it sound like it is from Battlestar Galactica?) yesterday, but they are expensive, and I can't really justify wireless connection (one computer (wondrous iMac, one elderly Toshiba laptop with windows 98). Don't think Tiscali will be able to provide an ethernet ADSL modem. The call centre is in India, and I found it difficult to make myself understood, or understand what they were telling me.

Oh, and I am at work now, so will have to try all this at home later, once DD is tucked up in bed.
I think the modem has been connected OK - two green lights on when Mac switched on, and an icon appears on the desktop.
The set-up may need changing to a dial-up modem, at the minute it is an ethernet connection & looking for PPPoE. (I sound like I know what I am talking about, but I haven't a clue really)

LOL. It is handy speaking to someone in Bracknell occasionally.

I would HIGHLY recommend moving to one of the ISPs posted below, or to Andrews & Arnold whom I continually recommend. They know their stuff and they offer old-fashioned geek-on-the-phone.

The manual for your modem is here (pdf). It seems to have several pages telling you exactly what to click to reach nirvana.

Try and get the modem playing ball with the ISP (ie the connection our of the Gingerbread Palace working) and then try and get the connection from your model to your Mac sweet as Part 2.

Try the driver and manual I've linked to and post how that goes. I should be around sporadically, depending on babba.

Modem your end sounds good. Green lights always nice. I'd still check the version of driver you are using, and upgrade if my link is to a later version.

Catch you later.

Bugger. My frog compatriots here think the driver doesn't work under OS X Tiger 10.4 - posts are a few months ago, but might still be relevant.

You'll just have to give it a spin when you get home and if it doesn't play ball, get a 'proper' Ethernet ADSL modem (the USB ones really aren't the easiest to get / keep going), and if you find the support from Tiscali rather poor, please consider moving to A N Other or A&A.

Don't know if this is still valid advice:

"Just to reiterate - uninstall the software that Tiscali gave you for the Sagem 800 modem. You do this in exactly the same way that you would install the software, but change 'Install' to 'Uninstall' in the drop-down menu.

Now, reinstall the software, or even better, get the latest driver software off the SAGEM website. The CRUCIAL thing, for which I have Jules to thank is that you choose PPoA VCMUXO38 from the list of very complicated looking options that appears halfway through the installation. "

HTH

Presume that quote is a translation from the french chat/website you linked to previously? I will give it a go when I get home.
Also found out that Tiscali won't issue a MAC (migration Authorisation Code) - I have to cancel my Tiscali first then sign up with another ISP. Senora recommended Zen for broadband- do you know them? Any comments?

The quote was a cut and paste from another board where people were trying to get that Sagem USB modem working on a Mac...

www.adslguide.org.uk is a good site to see how different ISPs compare. (the charts depend on people fillling out boring forms)...

I don't know Zen or their pricing. I do know A&A is very customer focussed, highly technically clued up, honest and quick about faults / problems. Probably not the cheapest around , but I've found them ultra-reliable.

zen aren't cheapest, but they are super reliable and have been extremely helpful the two times I called up with problems even when it transpired that the problem was with the modem and not them and in fact they still told me how to fix it even though they didn't have to.
We had zen at work too and same glowing report.
I recommend the netgear combo modem hub thing. Have it at home and work (all macs) and it's great.

Right, I have uninstalled the modem, downloaded and installed a new driver as per Hub2dee's instructions (worked fine - ADSL Monitor icon on screen and modem recognised.) BUT, not sure how to set up network - currently set up to use PPPPoE (Tiscali is PPPoA). Do I need ISP settings from Tiscali?
Not managed to ring Apple yet - the helpline is closed.