Broadband Access

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I'm going to finally take the plunge and get ADSL (an expensive option in the UK currently, which hopefully will change come April 1st when the price drops), and I was wondering which course of action to take.

Since my Mac is pretty much out the back of the house, and the phone line comes thru the front, I'm planning on buying an Airport Base Station/card setup. The problem is, I don't know what types of ADSL Ethernet Modem are available, and if there are OSX drivers for them. Can you shed some light on this for me, because I want to connect the modem to the Ethernet port of the Base Station, and therefore surf the web effectively "wireless" (I hate the thought of using up a USB port, AND having to cable up an extra thread of phone cable through the house...and it would be nice for when friends with Airport-laden Powerbooks & iBooks come over for a "Fragfest").

P.S. - Excuse my ignorance on such matters...

 

[AlphaTech]

You configure the base station to talk with the modem.. no drivers are needed since your computer doesn't communicate directly with the modem. It is sort of like your car... your engine doesn't connect directly to the tires, but you still move when you press on the gas pedal... the transmission does the communicating (just like the base station will).

Once you have the Airport software, and hardware, installed, you shouldn't have much trouble in getting it set up to go through the dsl modem. I have heard that some modems like to be 5'+ away from the base station (something about radio frequencies). I would suggest using a 6' or longer ethernet patch cable to connect them to each other and place them as far apart as you can. The base station won't care where it is, as long as it is connected to the modem.

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Cheers, Alpha...

Any ideas on popular makes of ADSL Ethernet Modems available?

(Just call me a lazy sod for not doing his homework...)

 

[me hate windows]

get cable modem if you can
normally it is cheaper, and I think it is way faster. I live right by the phone place(dsl is faster if you are really close) and it sucks compared to cable, and that sucks compared to T1(what I currently have). Try to go with the cable modem.

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
Cheers, Alpha...

Any ideas on popular makes of ADSL Ethernet Modems available?

(Just call me a lazy sod for not doing his homework...)

Ok, lazy sod (j/k) lol...

Just go with whatever your ISP sends you... I didn't purchase mine, since it was provided.

As for speeds... It all depends on what the provider is going to give you. I have been jumping all over mine since my speeds were sweet for a while (close to the 1.5Mb that I was promised) but recently they have dropped to about 1/3 of that.

They are supposed to be looking into it, and should be getting back to me before Monday (they better). I checked with my cable company (they offer the broadband) and essentially, I would get the same speed or worse, depending on traffic, time of day, phase of the moon and such.

Go with whatever makes you happy...

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Unfortunately, there's a big push for USB ADSL Modems over here, so I have to buy my own (I'm opting for a self-install job thru British Telecom which makes it cheaper, so it's up to me to provide my own modem anyway). One of the cable service providers are offering Ethernet modems, but their systems currently "don't support Macs".

The inconsiderate pigs...

 

[AlphaTech]

why would you want a USB DSL modem???? A standard modem will work just fine, that is what I am using with my Airport base station and all my other computers and network printer...

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

ignorance, I guess...

To be perfectly honest, Alpha, I really didn't know until recently that there WERE any other type of DSL Modem available.

You see - because Broadband is still in it's infancy over here in the U.K. (think: Middle Ages!), ISP providers aren't offering us the choice, and the only option to-date is USB DSL Modems.

Basically, we get what we're given, unless we buy from an international source, of course...

 

[irmongoose]

Here in Japan, ADSL has been around for a while...

Currently, the average ADSL is at 8mbps, and cable is at 1.5mbps, and Cable is planning to go to 30mbps in April.

Also, the optical fiber (T1?) goes at 400mbps... (I WANT THAT NOW!)


And now I have a question... does optical fiber (T1?) use a ethernet port? Or do I have to get some converter to connect to my ethernet port?




irmongoose

 

[kansaigaijin]

london dsl

hey kiwi,

the guys down at that shop on Tottenham crt Rd probably have what you need, they were across from Burger King and next to Muji and Easyeverthing internet last time I looked. Unfortunatly sometimes the DSL modems are really specific to the providers . . .depending on how they configure their systems, Some register the MAC address of the computer's ethernet card some recognise the modem itself. YahooBB in Japn just seems to allow access to anything pluged into the phone line, afterall, you are the only customer on the line.If you want to share with guests you will need NAT, ala the airport setup. Shop around there are other wireless setups that can be cheaper and include routers. Here in Japan there is a plethora of resellers, and your speed really depends on how far from the NTT (BT) office you are. If I go to the big PC store there are quite a selection of wireless and router units. check them out there it is probably similar, a lot of them are Mac and windows compatible.
Good Luck
oh and try the MacObservor site, they are a UK publication right?

 

[OSeXy!]

Hey Kiwi:

As a fellow resident of the Dark Ages I would be very interested to know what you decide to do in the end, and how it works for you. BT and all the others seem to make faster access more complex than it needs to be. I'd like to do what you're planning in my flat, but am worried that I'll have to shell out loads of dosh just to get a connection that's a little faster than the (crap) dial-up I've got at the moment, only to be told in a few months that the 'next generation' of ISP has arrived...

That's not to put you off. You're obviously more brave and (probably) more rich than I am!

So, I'd be grateful if you can be bothered to revive this thread when you've got it up and running to report your findings.

thanks

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by OSeXy!
You're obviously more brave and (probably) more rich than I am!

Brave?!? You MUST know of my Wife (her reputation precedes her...). Hell hath no fury when I tried to present her with this plan - one must tread carefully...

And as for being rich - well, maybe not. I just think that paying £14.99 per month for a 56kbps access that cuts off every 2 hours is outrageous, when paying an extra £10 would get me 24 hour access to an always-on Broadband connection.

I'll keep you all posted...

 

[AlphaTech]

Be carefull of that 'always on' claim... I have had to power cycle my DSL modem more then once, and the host that it connects to has been known to go down when I am in the middle of an email, or chat.

It sucks in a major bad way when that happens...