Even for those of us who have been around technology for a long time and consult others on their technology needs — I ADMIT that I am still a learner. I may still make mistakes in how I configure my own devices. Apple does not make the best computers (as products alone) in all categories. However, when you combine the product plus the customer experience they are very hard to beat.

Two days ago I posted the contents of my e-mail to Apple complaining about Safari and internet in general on my Mac since I upgraded to 10.7 Lion. However, I was having Internet issues before I upgraded to Lion and these issues were not related to my internet connection, because I had them before I changed internet providers in August.

So if it’s not my software and not my internet service — what could it be? Well there is always the possibility of it being hardware on my computer. However I did not have the same connectivity issues when using my MacBook outside of the home-office.

With a residential internet service, there are two primary ways the service will allow you to establish a connection 1) DHCP — no login required (for example – Comcast)
2) PPPoE – login required, programmed into your modem router, or computer (example – AT&T DSL)

Like many of us, I use a separate modem connected to a router. However, I know some of you use a DSL gateway (modems and router combined).

I had been very happy with my internet provider of 4 of the past 5 yearsThis DSL company was a local outfit; as I have shared the name with you many times in the past. They were unique in that they didn’t use a PPPoE connection, but used DHCP like the cable providers. However, I was able to take advantage of a faster speed for $20 a month with AT&T. It was a one year promotion.

At this point, I realized it has been 5 years since I used a PPPoE connection with a separate modem and router. I was an AT&T customer for one year between 08 and 09 but used a “gateway” device so I didn’t need to worry about connecting a modem and router together.

My internet slowdowns were giving me fits!! I was almost ready to give up on my MacBook. However, in the past 24 hours I’ve realized this was not a computer issue.

The problem had EVERYTHING to do with my home-office communication between modem and router.

Some of you have the basic DSL modem you received from your provider, ie. ATT. This modems can easily be flipped into “bridge” mode to provide the proper connection to the router. Unfortunately, I had an advanced DSL modem from my previous provider which didn’t bridge easily to my router.

However, through some friends in the Mac community, I learned that the router can also be set as a bridge, aka. an Access Point. In fact, I believe this is how routers are commonly configured when you connect via WiFi in a public place.

Once I did this, my problem with internet connectivity was solved!!! There is no Macintosh crisis. Furthermore, I learned one other benefit of setting up the router as the “bridge” and not the modem. When you call ATT, or other PPPoE DSL provider for help, you simply need to plug an ethernet cable into your modem (connected to your computer) to allow them to do troubleshooting. Then they can’t blame YOU for the problem and evade responsibility.