Wireless BB Mac setup

We're finally (apparently) able to get BB here, so its time to get off
the pathetic dialup connection and get an injection of speed! I have a
Mac (15" 1.5Ghz G4 Powerbook) with a built in Airport card running OS
10.3. I'm thinking of signing up with Plusnet as my ADSL ISP (1MB
connection) as I've heard some good things about them, and the price is
right. Their support seems pretty good (I know they check this ng), but
does anyone have any comments on their support from a Mac users
perspective?

As for the hardware, I want a wireless connection so was thinking of
getting a 3 Com Wireless ADSL Router with Built in Modem, I've found one
at a good price here:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...2hvd19wcm9kdWN
0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=59013

Again, has anyone used this model with a Mac, does it work OK, is setup
easy etc. Any other recommendations concerning ISP or hardware would be
appreciated.

Finally, I'm not convinced that BB will be available here (we live out
in the sticks a bit). All the online checks of my phone number say it
is, but what happens if I pay the £58.75 connection fee but when the
engineers actually come out they decicde that we are too far from the
exchange and BB isn't available. Do I lose my connection fee??

TIA

Al.

--
Alan Cole
(E-Mail Removed)
http://www.forces-of-nature.co.uk [Coastal Sports]
http://www.tsunami-site-design.co.uk [Website Design]

On 13 Oct 2004 in uk.telecom.broadband, Alan Cole wrote:

>We're finally (apparently) able to get BB here, so its time to get off
>the pathetic dialup connection and get an injection of speed! I have a
>Mac (15" 1.5Ghz G4 Powerbook) with a built in Airport card running OS
>10.3.

Is Airport offering 802.11 or some other standard for Apple ? Just that
I remember AppleTalk running at under 200 kbps and later they had options
to interlink with 10 Mbps ethernet, but Apple went down another lane in
computing, for networking.

>I'm thinking of signing up with Plusnet as my ADSL ISP (1MB connection)
>as I've heard some good things about them, and the price is right.

Seeing your sig, I trust you're not working from home on one of their
residential accounts! Metronet is competitive on both 500 and 1000
kbps and you're likely to be independent of any ISP for webspace/mail
and unlike Plus.Net some other ISPs are very teleworker friendly :-)

>Their support seems pretty good (I know they check this ng), but
>does anyone have any comments on their support from a Mac users
>perspective?

Sign up via the website for a dial-up account with some username you're
not planning to use, and then use the portal and USENET link to post a
query direct into plusnet.service.customer-feedback to ask any Mac user
to contact you direct... A friend of mine has been using Plus.Net for
over a year connected with a router (still on loan from me, grrrr :-)
but I don't think he has ever spoken to Plus.Net for support, as the
connection is pretty good (he does suffer disconnections, but this is
either down to some unfiltered phone or a noisy location/poor line).

>As for the hardware, I want a wireless connection so was thinking of
>getting a 3 Com Wireless ADSL Router with Built in Modem, I've found one
>at a good price here:

(probably easier to say item code 59013 on Ebuyer.com !! )

Someone else recently posted about getting the same bundle from Misco.co.uk
at 69.99 +VAT with free delivery. Might be worth comparison. Hope you've
already got an ethernet patch cable - setting up initially (and if any of
the firmware upgrades was needed) tends to be best done plugged into the
box - changing something on the wireless settings could drop the link!

>Any other recommendations concerning ISP or hardware would be
>appreciated.

>Finally, I'm not convinced that BB will be available here ...
> Do I lose my connection fee??

No. They'll make every effort, but you should only be charged if it is
left in a working state. There's a possibility of it (if it is claimed
to be working but you never have any success) of compensation/refund if
it is later classed as an ELF (Early Life Failure) but hope that's last
thing you should be considering at this stage... Have fun !! Peter M.

--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

In article <justal-(E-Mail Removed)>, Alan Cole
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Their support seems pretty good (I know they check this ng), but
> does anyone have any comments on their support from a Mac users
> perspective?

Don't worry about Mac support from any ISP. You will get all you need
here <http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=mac>.

--
Adrian
Adrian 'at' therefuge dot co dot uk

"Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice"

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
Peter M <us-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On 13 Oct 2004 in uk.telecom.broadband, Alan Cole wrote:
>
> >We're finally (apparently) able to get BB here, so its time to get off
> >the pathetic dialup connection and get an injection of speed! I have a
> >Mac (15" 1.5Ghz G4 Powerbook) with a built in Airport card running OS
> >10.3.
>
> Is Airport offering 802.11 or some other standard for Apple ? Just that
> I remember AppleTalk running at under 200 kbps and later they had options
> to interlink with 10 Mbps ethernet, but Apple went down another lane in
> computing, for networking.

Yep, AFAIK Airport is compatible with 802.11g standards.
>
> >I'm thinking of signing up with Plusnet as my ADSL ISP (1MB connection)
> >as I've heard some good things about them, and the price is right.
>
> Seeing your sig, I trust you're not working from home on one of their
> residential accounts! Metronet is competitive on both 500 and 1000
> kbps and you're likely to be independent of any ISP for webspace/mail
> and unlike Plus.Net some other ISPs are very teleworker friendly :-)
>

Not really, I have a day job and build a few websites here and there for
people in the evenings. Are Plusnet likely to be funny about that if I
get a residential account?

>
> >As for the hardware, I want a wireless connection so was thinking of
> >getting a 3 Com Wireless ADSL Router with Built in Modem, I've found one
> >at a good price here:
>
> (probably easier to say item code 59013 on Ebuyer.com !! )

Sorry!
>
> Someone else recently posted about getting the same bundle from Misco.co.uk
> at 69.99 +VAT with free delivery. Might be worth comparison. Hope you've
> already got an ethernet patch cable - setting up initially (and if any of
> the firmware upgrades was needed) tends to be best done plugged into the
> box - changing something on the wireless settings could drop the link!

Ok, thanks for the misco.co.uk tip and I have got an ethernet cable here
somewhere... I'll use it for the setup.
>
>Have fun !! Peter M.

Cheers.
Al.

--
Alan Cole
(E-Mail Removed)
http://www.forces-of-nature.co.uk [Coastal Sports]
http://www.tsunami-site-design.co.uk [Website Design]

> > Seeing your sig, I trust you're not working from home on one of their
> > residential accounts! Metronet is competitive on both 500 and 1000
> > kbps and you're likely to be independent of any ISP for webspace/mail
> > and unlike Plus.Net some other ISPs are very teleworker friendly :-)
> >
>
> Not really, I have a day job and build a few websites here and there for
> people in the evenings. Are Plusnet likely to be funny about that if I
> get a residential account?
>
Just checked the Terms and Conditions on the Plusnet site:

' For guidance, we consider commercial use to be at a level above that
which is running a part time business or supporting any kind of hobby.'

As any website design I do from home is only part time and pretty
irregular at that I'm sure I'll be Ok on a 'Home' account.

Al.

--
Alan Cole
(E-Mail Removed)
http://www.forces-of-nature.co.uk [Coastal Sports]
http://www.tsunami-site-design.co.uk [Website Design]

Alan Cole <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> We're finally (apparently) able to get BB here, so its time to get off
> the pathetic dialup connection and get an injection of speed! I have a
> Mac (15" 1.5Ghz G4 Powerbook) with a built in Airport card running OS
> 10.3. I'm thinking of signing up with Plusnet as my ADSL ISP (1MB
> connection) as I've heard some good things about them, and the price is
> right. Their support seems pretty good (I know they check this ng), but
> does anyone have any comments on their support from a Mac users
> perspective?
>
> As for the hardware, I want a wireless connection so was thinking of
> getting a 3 Com Wireless ADSL Router with Built in Modem, I've found one
> at a good price here:
> http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...2hvd19wcm9kdWN
> 0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=59013
>
> Again, has anyone used this model with a Mac, does it work OK, is setup
> easy etc. Any other recommendations concerning ISP or hardware would be
> appreciated.

I connect using a PB G4 12" with Airport Extreme through to a 3Com
Wireless ADSL Router. Works Fine. I run the Wireless as WPA-PSK
encrypted. Airport Extreme is 802.11g.

Don't know anything about plusnet support (I use demon), but the
equipment that is connecting to the DSL line is the Router. The Mac is
incidental.

You just need to know how to connect to the web page for inital config
of the router using ethernet cable as the wireless is enabled out of the
box.


> Finally, I'm not convinced that BB will be available here (we live out
> in the sticks a bit). All the online checks of my phone number say it
> is, but what happens if I pay the £58.75 connection fee but when the
> engineers actually come out they decicde that we are too far from the
> exchange and BB isn't available. Do I lose my connection fee??
>
> TIA
>
> Al.