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Topic: DSL Questions |
Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 9 Aug 2000 1:58 pm |
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I got an e-mail from my ISP (Earthlink) about "free" DSL installation. I've got a couple of questions from those that have it now. (1) what additional charges from the local telco were involved with the DSL line? (2) I saw a comment by the CEO of an alternate connect company that you had to be within 3 miles of the telco office for DSL service???
I'm interested in it but not if it's going to cost me above the ISP's monthly charge.
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David Pennybaker
From:
Conroe, TX USA
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Posted 9 Aug 2000 5:06 pm
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You'll need to contact your ISP (and possibly the telephone company) to determine the charges.
There is a limit on how close you have to be to the telco. They should be able to tell you (either your ISP or the telco) whether or not you're able to get this service.
Here's an interesting link I dug up. I've never used them, so I can't exactly recommend them.
http://www.winfire.com/products/serviceplans.asp
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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://members.xoom.com/dpennybaker/index.htm
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Ken Lang
From:
Simi Valley, Ca
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Posted 9 Aug 2000 8:05 pm
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One of the guys at work got this Earthlink offer and ordered it online. I'm not sure of the upfront payment, maybe 40$. I'll ask him. He installed it himself, no big deal. The monthly charge is 39.95 He loves it now that it finally was connected by Earthlink after two months and mega phone calls later. His comments were the tail and everything up to the head has not the foggest idea what anyone else is doing and requires phone calls between multiple involved departments everywhere you can imagine.
I assume this confusion will be sorted out time goes on. |
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Jeff Agnew
From:
Dallas, TX
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Posted 10 Aug 2000 12:12 pm
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Jack,
| Quote: |
| (1) what additional charges from the local telco were involved with the DSL line? |
In most areas, no additional charges other than installation and taxes. Your monthly telephone bill will go up in proportion to the level of service you select. Many folks can offset this charge because they no longer need a second line just for dial-up access.
Also, find out if the "free" offer includes the modem. If not, you'll need to purchase it from the DSL provider. Of course, you'll also need an Ethernet card in your PC unless you already have one.
| Quote: |
| (2) I saw a comment by the CEO of an alternate connect company that you had to be within 3 miles of the telco office for DSL service??? |
Correct, although there are proposals under consideration for adding repeaters, which would extend DSL's maximum distance limitation. It's not going to happen any time soon, though. Most telcos are swamped by new service requests. They have a hard enough time finding qualified techs to keep up with installations, much less pulling them off to make improvements in the local loop.
| Quote: |
| I'm interested in it but not if it's going to cost me above the ISP's monthly charge. |
Your total telecom bill (ISP+telco) will go up, but you'll be getting far more bandwidth. Once you've experienced it I doubt you'll want to go back.
Be aware that getting DSL properly installed can be a major headache, depending on your local telco. There are lots of horror stories about BellAtlantic and TheCompanyFormerlyKnownAsNynex, for example.
To find out what's available in your area, and read about other customers' experience with it, go to DSL Reports. There's a wealth of information for new and current DSL users.
Here's a cover story from America's Network about the customer service complaints. It's a bit strident but an interesting read. I completely disagree with their comments about poor performance, however. My experience has been that anyone who has a properly configured installation is very satisfied with the speed. I've never had a connection dropped and performance never sinks to the levels mentioned in the article.
Most of those complaints probably come from people who are blaming slow surfing on their own connection rather than the more likely cause of network congestion.
[This message was edited by Jeff Agnew on 10 August 2000 at 01:14 PM.] |
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John Gretzinger
From:
Canoga Park, CA
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Posted 11 Aug 2000 8:55 am
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Jack - As others have said, you will pay additional for the DSL line, but you don't have to have a second phone line, so that helps. There is a sort of known problem with Earthlink's DSL if you need to remotely access a server through a firewall (for those of us still too young or stupid to retire). Earthlink seems to do something a little different which makes their service incompatable with several of the major firewall vendor products. If this is not a problem for you, then go for it. You will love the change.
jdg
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MSA D-10
'63 Gibson Hummingbird
16/15c Hammered Dulcimer
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 11 Aug 2000 11:33 am
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Thanks, guys. I knew I could get the info I wanted. Just have to "axe".
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