About to get BB advice needed

Rather long I'm afraid:
I'm about to take the plunge with a self-install home-user package. I have
downloaded loads of posts from this ng and I think (!) I now know what's
required; but I have probably missed something, hence this post:

As I understand it, the ISP I choose will send a BT Engineer to test my line
(it is supposed to be OK, I have checked) and then install a double socket
(Fone + ADSL). I have to fit a filter to the Phone part of the box if I
understand procedure correctly.

Do I then use separate wiring for each service? At present I have about 5m.
of thin phone cable to a piggy-back double socket, from whence I have a
handset plugged in directly (via OneTel box) and another 10m extension, from
which I run either a Mac (internal modem) or a PC (swapping the cable
over -- really primitive I know) and a digital cordless phone connected via
the 56k. modem attached to the PC.

As I want to run both a Mac OSX and a PC Win98 from the same ADSL line (but
in different rooms) is my best option to buy a suitable router+modem which
will serve both machines and ditch the existing 56k.modem? The Mac will need
an ethernet connection (USB ports are all filled) but the PC has spare USB
ports. But I want to keep the digital phone plugged in somewhere (I think
with another filter) and the 56k.modem is rather good for FAX and
Answermode. I could consider wireless operation (the machines are about 8m.
apart) if it's reliable and won't interfere with the cordless phone or a
mobile phone.

This all stems from BT having put the main box in a useless place for either
phone or computer. They won't move it (for free), I've asked.

I had thought I would need to install new wiring of much better quality but
after reading some posts I'm not so sure. Is foil-wrapped Cat5 cable worth
the money?

It may be easier to do a pictogram for my present setup:

Main Box ----4m------ Piggy Back --- OneTel box ------- Handset phone
|
10m
|
Cordless Phone ------PC or Mac

--
Any help TIA
Please reply to Newsgroup

> As I understand it, the ISP I choose will send a BT Engineer to test my line
> (it is supposed to be OK, I have checked) and then install a double socket
> (Fone + ADSL). I have to fit a filter to the Phone part of the box if I
> understand procedure correctly.

I`m no expert, but i`ll have a go at replying :-}

Self install usually means just sending you a couple of filters and a USB
modem. No engineer visits required.

The filter has two sockets - one for the phone, and one for the adsl
connection. You only need to filter phone phone points where you use a
phone. You *may* need a filter where the computer is, because many modems
come with a smaller plug as found on the filter.

> Do I then use separate wiring for each service?

As long as you have enough filters as you need for phones, you`ll
probably be OK. It`s not that expensive to buy more filters if required.

> As I want to run both a Mac OSX and a PC Win98 from the same ADSL line (but
> in different rooms) is my best option to buy a suitable router+modem which
> will serve both machines and ditch the existing 56k.modem? The Mac will need
> an ethernet connection (USB ports are all filled) but the PC has spare USB
> ports. But I want to keep the digital phone plugged in somewhere (I think
> with another filter) and the 56k.modem is rather good for FAX and
> Answermode.

Why not push the boat out and get a router then - a spare network card
for the PC shouldn`t be any more than a tenner, and it`d probably be
more reliable... the normal 56k modem should in theory work fine at the
same time as an adsl net connection (I had problems on my system last
time I tried, but i`m reliably informed it should work)

> I had thought I would need to install new wiring of much better quality but
> after reading some posts I'm not so sure. Is foil-wrapped Cat5 cable worth
> the money?

I cobbled together my phone extensions and it even runs parallel with the
ring main for parts of the run (I know, it should be physically seperated
due to the differences in voltages etc) and mine works just fine. You`ll
probably find bog-standard cat5 cable does the job without any problems.

HTH :-}

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

On 27/10/03 11:27 am, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"mutley" <mutley> wrote:

[snip]

If you don't get help, its because your computer clock is set 12 hours slow
- so your post appears, not at the top with the new questions, but buried
several pages down.

Suggest you sort clock and re-post !

Hi Mutley,

Have a look at this site: www.adsl-filters.co.uk/tutorial.html. It explains
clearly the various setups you can have.

Ray

<mutley> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
| Rather long I'm afraid:
| I'm about to take the plunge with a self-install home-user package. I have
| downloaded loads of posts from this ng and I think (!) I now know what's
| required; but I have probably missed something, hence this post:
|
| As I understand it, the ISP I choose will send a BT Engineer to test my
line
| (it is supposed to be OK, I have checked) and then install a double socket
| (Fone + ADSL). I have to fit a filter to the Phone part of the box if I
| understand procedure correctly.
|
| Do I then use separate wiring for each service? At present I have about
5m.
| of thin phone cable to a piggy-back double socket, from whence I have a
| handset plugged in directly (via OneTel box) and another 10m extension,
from
| which I run either a Mac (internal modem) or a PC (swapping the cable
| over -- really primitive I know) and a digital cordless phone connected
via
| the 56k. modem attached to the PC.
|
| As I want to run both a Mac OSX and a PC Win98 from the same ADSL line
(but
| in different rooms) is my best option to buy a suitable router+modem which
| will serve both machines and ditch the existing 56k.modem? The Mac will
need
| an ethernet connection (USB ports are all filled) but the PC has spare USB
| ports. But I want to keep the digital phone plugged in somewhere (I think
| with another filter) and the 56k.modem is rather good for FAX and
| Answermode. I could consider wireless operation (the machines are about
8m.
| apart) if it's reliable and won't interfere with the cordless phone or a
| mobile phone.
|
| This all stems from BT having put the main box in a useless place for
either
| phone or computer. They won't move it (for free), I've asked.
|
| I had thought I would need to install new wiring of much better quality
but
| after reading some posts I'm not so sure. Is foil-wrapped Cat5 cable worth
| the money?
|
| It may be easier to do a pictogram for my present setup:
|
| Main Box ----4m------ Piggy Back --- OneTel box ------- Handset phone
| |
| 10m
| |
| Cordless Phone ------PC or Mac
|
| --
| Any help TIA
| Please reply to Newsgroup
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003, it was written:

> As I understand it, the ISP I choose will send a BT Engineer to test my line
> (it is supposed to be OK, I have checked) and then install a double socket
> (Fone + ADSL). I have to fit a filter to the Phone part of the box if I
> understand procedure correctly.

Most ISPs now offer wires-only (self install) services rather than
engineer assisted installs.

This means that you wont get an engineer visit at all for most users. The
line test and activation is carried out at the exchange rather than your
home.

You then purchase your splitters and router or modem yourself - installing
them is trivially easy.

> Do I then use separate wiring for each service?

The splitter presents a socket for your phone and a different socket for
your Internet connection. You simply plug in the appropriate cable (they
are obviously different) to the relevant socket.

> handset plugged in directly (via OneTel box) and another 10m extension, from
> which I run either a Mac (internal modem) or a PC (swapping the cable
> over -- really primitive I know) and a digital cordless phone connected via
> the 56k. modem attached to the PC.

If you have more than one box spend the extra £10 or so and get a router
rather than a modem.

Ebuyer (and others) offer routers for less than £40.00

> As I want to run both a Mac OSX and a PC Win98 from the same ADSL line (but
> in different rooms) is my best option to buy a suitable router+modem which
> will serve both machines and ditch the existing 56k.modem?

If you have ADSL yes. The 56K modem will be irrelevant anyway for
Internet access.

> The Mac will need
> an ethernet connection (USB ports are all filled) but the PC has spare USB
> ports. But I want to keep the digital phone plugged in somewhere (I think
> with another filter) and the 56k.modem is rather good for FAX and
> Answermode. I could consider wireless operation (the machines are about 8m.
> apart) if it's reliable and won't interfere with the cordless phone or a
> mobile phone.

It *might* have issues with your cordless phone - that depends upon the
phone you have etc.

If the two computers are in the same room or adjacent rooms a 10M run of
CAT5 is simple and cheap.

Jason Clifford
--
UKFSN.ORG Finance Free Software while you surf the 'net
http://www.ukfsn.org/ 1Mb ADSL Broadband - just £27.50 / month

"Jason Clifford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.44.0310281143140.6001-(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2003, it was written:
>
> > As I understand it, the ISP I choose will send a BT Engineer to test my
line
> > (it is supposed to be OK, I have checked) and then install a double
socket
> > (Fone + ADSL). I have to fit a filter to the Phone part of the box if I
> > understand procedure correctly.
>
> Most ISPs now offer wires-only (self install) services rather than
> engineer assisted installs.

Only one very tiny mistake with "wires only" the isp don't supply a modem
or router with "self-install" they do either for so called special deal
price or for free..

For anybody with a little bit computer hardware experience going wires only
with a router is the best way, but if the user has only installed nothing
more that a printer before then self install should be OK.

Ray wrote in message ...
>Hi Mutley,
>
>Have a look at this site: www.adsl-filters.co.uk/tutorial.html. It explains
>clearly the various setups you can have.
>
>Ray
>
Thanks very much for the replies from everyone! There's no substitute for
asking a Q to people who have done it themselves.