3com/cable(NTL) wifi connection

[wingnut]

hi there please can anyone help?!!
i have a MAC desktop/PC laptop/3com wireless cable/DSL Gateway......and i want to connect the MAC via the gatway (wired) and the laptop by wifi.
not knowing too much my cousin helped set up the settings on the MAC with the ip addess/subnet details etc and the laptop seemed to pick up the settings and signal ok when plugged everything in.....the only thing is on both desktop and laptop it comes up that can't find remote server.
The way everything was connected was wifi gateway into cable 'set-top' box (NTL) with ethernet. then the MAC desktop into one of the gateway's ports via ethernet. The laptop using IEEE802.11B 11Mbps wireless card ,external, (which does work in wifi cafes). the laptop shows that the signal is picked up and says connected....just cant connect to any websites.
speaking with a couple of people - it does seem that NTL do not make it easy to connect in this way and they dont support/give info on how to do this. I'm not very good with all the jargon - but please can anyone help with info of what need to do or if it can be done...in quite simple terms!
cheers.......wingnut

[M/Q]

Sorry for the problems. And it is going to be hard to specifically help you on this one. The 3com installation manual is a very good one for the most part and you need to follow that to the letter. It has to be setup using a wired connection initially, so that will be through the MAC. Follow the instructions, then you have to setup the notebook as the wireless client, again following the manual instructions. The step by step instructions say it better than I could. Once that is working and you know you have a connection, then you can work on Internet access. It appears that the MAC does not know what the default gateway is. It needs to know that in order to find the Internet. Same with the notebook. Not knowing is operating system, makes it hard to help with that.