Looking for PPPoE host
 

I am here in Paris for three months and have just opened an account with France Telecom. Needless to say, no one on their help line speaks a word of English:

I have just opened an internet account here in Paris with France Telecom. They said it would take a week to activate, and the week is now up.
However, and very weirdly, I do seem to get an internet connection,
after several attempts at clicking on Ethernet Adaptor (en2) and
clicking on both Connect and Disconnect (randomly). Eventually, one
gets connected after about four tries (sometimes more). Across the
top , going into the Internet Connect icon is a message constantly
running across like an ad in Times Square NY saying "Looking for
PPPoE host".

Also every 55 seconds a pop -up comes up and says
INTERNET CONNECT
Could not find a PPPoE server

(this pop-up is particularly irritating, since it totally stops whatever you are doing)

Whenever I put the computer (iBookG4) to sleep, I then have to go through this whole routine of clicking for minutes on end. In other words, when the computer is asleep the internet connection turns off. The modem that I have installed is Sagem F@st 800.

Can any one help?

I'm not clear on whether you actually get connected to the net or not...? PPPoE is a technology that only the telecoms could have come up with, it does work, but it is very annoying to set up. Regardless of the language barrier, you should have a list of settings for the connection. You have to match that list with your System Preferences --> Network settings.

if you will place your modem behind a router it will maintain a connection for you, so you wont have to have it connect each time you go online.

Thanks for reply. Sherman, I do get connected to the net...it's just that it may take several attempts to get the connection. Furthermore, even when I am connected, I am disturbed every 55 seconds by a pop up which says what I wrote in my original query. The settings have been inserted according to the agreement with France Telecom and filled in during the installation with their CD.
The only discrepancy I can see in the configuration is that in the illustration (instructional)) for installing Sagem F@ast 800, it says "Adapteur ethernet (en3), whereas on the installed version it comes up as (en2), but I doubt that is significant.

You are right about the (en2) and (en3) wording, as long as there is an ethernet cable plugged in it makes no difference. The problem is very strange, the hardest part of PPPoE is making the initial connection, after that it tends to work great. Have tried starting the conversation with tech support in French? Even broken French, just make the attempt. I bet you'll find that they will speak English pretty well...!

Are you using the Internet Connect application?

I think what might be happening is that PPPoE is configured in your Network preferences, and it is connecting successfully. Then, the Internet Connect is trying to connect, and it of course is failing. If this is the case, try closing Internet Connect and see if you still have an internet connection.

Looking for PPPoE host
 

Are you using the Internet Connect application?

I think what might be happening is that PPPoE is configured in your Network preferences, and it is connecting successfully. Then, the Internet Connect is trying to connect, and it of course is failing. If this is the case, try closing Internet Connect and see if you still have an internet connection.
cwtnospam is offline Report Post Reply With Quote

If I go to Internet Connect, it opens up the box Ethernet Adaptor (en2), and then shows the Account name and indicates that the password is established, and there is a box, checked, for Show PPPoE status in menu bar.

At the bottom right is a box saying DISCONNECT.

Are you saying I should click on that? But wouldn't that simply ..well, disconnect me from the (present) connection? I mean, if I were to disconnect from the France Telecom ethernet connection, aren't I just going round in circles?

Thanks for trying though. Btw, I have not yet actually clicked on that DISCONNECT box.

Blazes

Looking for PPPoE host
 

Here is one further point:

Looking in System Preferences, and going to Network, what is highlighted is

Ethernet Adaptor (en2) is set up to use PPPoE. The cable for Ethernet Adaptor (en2) is not plugged in. (well, that's BS, since it is totally plugged in!!!)

If I go to Configure at the bottom of Network, and click, it shows that I am on TCP/IP , EVEN THOUGH I had previously locked myself into the box PPPoE.

There should not be this "slippage" surely, from PPPoE to TCP/IP?

But the question is: is this where the problem lies? I mean, I can access the internet even though it shows I am using TCP/IP.

Using PPPoE is a way of getting a TCP/IP address. They are not exclusive, sort of like using a dial up modem which uses regular old PPP to get a TCP/IP address. So that is not the problem. Using both Internet Connect and the Network Preferences to establish a PPPoE connection could certainly be redundant as cwtnospam points out. However, your Network Preferences should indicate that a cable is plugged in. Do you have a good cable?

They aren't exclusive, but they aren't exactly one either. Internet Connect is designed for tunneling through connections using VPNs. That could be what's it's trying to do here.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I wasn't trying to suggest that you tell Internet Connect to close the connection. I was suggesting that you quit the Internet Connect application, if that's what you've been using.

Just to clarify something in my weak mind, is this Sagem Fast 800 a USB-only DSL modem?
If so, then the en2 or en3 choice in Network prefs could be an important clue about how the driver install worked.

Thanks for all your various suggestions, you people. The cable is good. It is connected from the Sagem modem to the USB port. I should repeat (?) that the package from France Telecom had the CD for installing the software, plus an illustration of the steps (6 easy steps illustrated). In the illlustration it clearly shows En3, while the CD has installed En2.

To save you all from racking your brains further, let me say that I CAN get a connection, it's just that I both have to try several times to get on OR perhaps lose it randomly without any kind of indication why.

I am wondering if the fact that the Modem and the phone are coming out of the same outlet may have something to do with this instability.

As I remember DSL, it required a filter be put between every telephone and wall jack to prevent phone calls from interfering with the DSL signal. Do you have the filter(s)?

No,as far as I know (I am renting this apt) there are no filters. But, on the other hand, I am not getting a million calls a day either!!!

Blazes

The filters should have come with the modem. They plug into the jacks, and the phones plug into them. You should probably call your phone company and see if they are still required. If so, they should get you one for each phone that plugs into a jack.

Well, a week later, and all the old problems remain. If only France Telecom employed someone who spoke perfect English!
Going back to Cwtnospam's observations about Internet Connect: (remember I am using an iBookG4, and I have now noticed that there is some kind of correlation between clicking on Connect and Disconnect. In other words, if I ensure that it shows Disconnect I can then click on Ethernet Adaptor (en2) and will, after a short wait, get a connection.
HOWEVER, this connection is totally unstable. It may remain connected for hours, or, more likely, for mere minutes. There is nothing to indicate why it should act so randomly

Are you using Leopard? I'm not positive, but I think Internet Connect doesn't come with Leopard, but it might remain after an upgrade. It probably shouldn't be used at all with Leopard.

An unstable connection is to be expected if you don't have filters. I'd find a local phone company office and see if I could get some.

In going back over this thread, I realized that maybe the problem is that both your router and your Mac are asking for the PPPoE connection. It is sort of counterintuitive but the router itself makes the PPPoE connection with your broadband provider. Then your Mac uses plain old vanilla DHCP to connect to the router. In other words, don't use PPPoE on the Mac or any other clients to connect to the router. I assume that your router is configured correctly, otherwise you would have no connection to the net at all.

Not out in the open. Connect the modem, and look under "Network settings", and you will find the telephone dialer (Internet connect?) there.

I just found that, since I work part-time for a small ISP, that supports MACS.

Ah, well that would explain it, if they still have it in their Applications folder! If could be running from two locations and conflicting. Then again, it could be the network settings are conflicting with the router.

(size tag added)

Your computer is thinking it needs to make the connection via the ETHERNET port but you've got the DSL modem hooked up via USB which is a different port.

Change your settings.

Just looked at the Network settings and the following was highlighted: Ethernet Adaptor (en2) is set up to use PPPoE. Ethernet Adaptor (en2) is connected and has the IP address 82. etc.etc
You are connected to the Internet via Ethernet Adaptor (en2)..

Well, thank YOU France Telecom, but why do you take away my connection three times a day after meals?????

Router number is 193 etc etc

Does this mean anything to any of you?

To AHunter3

Change WHICH settings though?

In Network preferences, turn off the ethernet port.

Ok, but how do I actually "turn off" the ethernet port"??
When I go to Network preferences, I have three items:

1. Ehthernet Adaptor (highlighted)
2. Airport
3. Internal modem

What happens if I disconnect #1??

It should stop trying to use ethernet, and since you're connected through USB, that should be good.

To turn off the Ethernet port in Tiger (10.4.x):

1) Go to Network preferences

2) Select Network Configuration under the Settings menu

3) Uncheck the Built-in Ethernet. To just lower it's priority, drag it down the list.

To disable the Ethernet port in Leopard (10.5.x):

1) Go to Network preferences.

2) Select Built-In Ethernet.

3) Press the Delete key on your keyboard or press minus sign.

To just lower its priority, select "Set Service Order…" from the gear menu and drag to reorder.

Las Vegas: thanks for this, but what about OSX 10.4.8? Which is what I've got here?

The top of my message explains Tiger (10.4.8).

Sorry to come back at this thing, but it's driving me crazy.

I can get an internet connection, but it cuts out all the time. What usually happens is that once a minute, a pop-up will say "Internet Connect: Could not find a PPPoE server." I hit return (or OK), and the connection continues. So as long as I am around to click ok, all is well (if you can call such a POS connection "well").

Anyway, I was starting up Safari, and with the connection off, Safari came up with Network Diagnostics.

So, I go to Network Status.

I have the choice of:

Airport

Airport Settings (failed)

Network Settings (failed)

ISP

Internet

So, I go to Choose Network Port configuration

I now have the choice of

o Built-in Ethernet

o Internal modem

o Airport

o Other

If I choose Built-in Ethernet, the message is (the connection was ON): Your internet connection appears to be working currently

If I choose Internal Modem, I am asked to verify that my PPP settings are correct.

Does all this mean anything to you when it comes to solving this weird problem?

As I say, I can get the connection, but how can I stop this constant cutting out????

TIA

By the way, Las Vegas, I unchecked the Built-in Ethernet and dragged it down the list.