Wireless Service Recommendations??

Hi,

I need to set up a wireless DSL network in my parents home. They live
in California, south of San Jose. I was wondering if anyone know of a
DSL service that will provide a wireless router service?
All I've found so far is basically the DSL service will provide you a
basic
router etc.

I need to hook up a P4 Windows PC and a G4 Mac PC, plus have a PCMCIA
or 2 for XP and MAC OS PC laptops.

I was looking into SBC/YAHOO SBC but couldn't get a fix on what they
offer.

In either case, I was thinking it was necessary to grab a linksys
wireless router.

Anyways, can someone please advice on either a good service or a good
wireless router that meets those needs?

Thanks much!

Mike

In my area, SBC offers a DSL modem integrated into a wireless router. It's
made by 2Wire.

If I were you, I would get a DSL modem and a separate wifi router. If your
parents ever switch to RoadRunner, they'll only have to replace the modem.

"Mike" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Hi,
>
> I need to set up a wireless DSL network in my parents home. They live
> in California, south of San Jose. I was wondering if anyone know of a
> DSL service that will provide a wireless router service?
> All I've found so far is basically the DSL service will provide you a
> basic
> router etc.
>
> I need to hook up a P4 Windows PC and a G4 Mac PC, plus have a PCMCIA
> or 2 for XP and MAC OS PC laptops.
>
> I was looking into SBC/YAHOO SBC but couldn't get a fix on what they
> offer.
>
> In either case, I was thinking it was necessary to grab a linksys
> wireless router.
>
> Anyways, can someone please advice on either a good service or a good
> wireless router that meets those needs?
>
> Thanks much!
>
> Mike

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the info. I'd like to follow up with some questions and
hope you and or someone else can address them.

The DSL from SBC may or may not be possible depending how far out my
parents house is from the CSO or a DSL gateway. This I need to
determine. I'd prefer to have a guarentee from SBC about if their
location falls within 20,000 feet of either one of those, rather than
get a blanked term of "Sure, you're covered" and then go out and buy
all that equipment just to find out that there is a Loading Coil or
Bridge Tap in the way.. I've heard horror stories about this..
Hopefully it can be prevented. How is SBC's rep regarding up front ya
or nay service?

Also, I haven't really been able to find any reference sheet showing
which Linksys or other wireless routers are compatible with SBC DSL.
Do you happen to know of a URL to that?

Lastly, I've heard Linksys is a bit flakey with the Windows XP OS, and
perhaps the drivers aren't so good. Any truth to that?

Appreciate the responses. Hopefull I'll be able to get the ball
rolling soon on this.

Regards,

Mike


"gary" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<ftQqb.2089$(E-Mail Removed) igy.com>...
> In my area, SBC offers a DSL modem integrated into a wireless router. It's
> made by 2Wire.
>
> If I were you, I would get a DSL modem and a separate wifi router. If your
> parents ever switch to RoadRunner, they'll only have to replace the modem.
>
> "Mike" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I need to set up a wireless DSL network in my parents home. They live
> > in California, south of San Jose. I was wondering if anyone know of a
> > DSL service that will provide a wireless router service?
> > All I've found so far is basically the DSL service will provide you a
> > basic
> > router etc.
> >
> > I need to hook up a P4 Windows PC and a G4 Mac PC, plus have a PCMCIA
> > or 2 for XP and MAC OS PC laptops.
> >
> > I was looking into SBC/YAHOO SBC but couldn't get a fix on what they
> > offer.
> >
> > In either case, I was thinking it was necessary to grab a linksys
> > wireless router.
> >
> > Anyways, can someone please advice on either a good service or a good
> > wireless router that meets those needs?
> >
> > Thanks much!
> >
> > Mike

"Mike" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) m...
> Hi Gary,
>
> Thanks for the info. I'd like to follow up with some questions and
> hope you and or someone else can address them.
>
> The DSL from SBC may or may not be possible depending how far out my
> parents house is from the CSO or a DSL gateway. This I need to
> determine. I'd prefer to have a guarentee from SBC about if their
> location falls within 20,000 feet of either one of those, rather than
> get a blanked term of "Sure, you're covered" and then go out and buy
> all that equipment just to find out that there is a Loading Coil or
> Bridge Tap in the way.. I've heard horror stories about this..
> Hopefully it can be prevented. How is SBC's rep regarding up front ya
> or nay service?

Don't buy any equipment before the install. Order the service and let them
install their modem. If it doesn't work, for whatever reason, I'm 99% sure
you won't be out a dime.

As for load coils & bridge taps, SBC will remove those, hopefully before the
install date.

> Also, I haven't really been able to find any reference sheet showing
> which Linksys or other wireless routers are compatible with SBC DSL.
> Do you happen to know of a URL to that?

Linksys gear is certainly compatible. I've used it with SBC DSL before,
with no problem. If you go to their Knowledgebase and do a search on SBC,
you WIKK find specific instructions for setting up the router's PPPoE. I'm
sure other manufacturers have a similar resource.

That brings up another point. If you follow my first piece of advice, they
will install some PPPoE client software on the PC. That will be required to
connect UNTIL you put a router between the computer and the DSL modem. Then
the router will handle PPPoE and you can (and should) uninstall their
software from that PC.

> Lastly, I've heard Linksys is a bit flakey with the Windows XP OS, and
> perhaps the drivers aren't so good. Any truth to that?

Works just fine with my work XP Pro laptop with built-in Prism 2.5 wireless.


Hope this helps,
Bob

First do you have a DSL Phone line if not contact your phone company and see if
they can switch you over to DSL Lines otherwise you might not have DSL with
that phone company and your other phone companies might have to provide you
with service and they are not in your area so your out of DSL range.

Thanks for your info.

Now it's coming down to either ComCast Internet or SBC DSL.
I'm a little nervous about cabe internet, for a few reasons.
Please correct me or give me your opinions.

First reason is, that if Cable service is down, as in wires or
tech difficulties, most likely you're internet down as well.

Second reason, is it's my understanding that not only are you
subject to the lag/bandwith of the internet, but also subject to
how well comcast has their servers set up, as I believe you're
just a node on their network

ComCast is a bit cheaper in the long run, for the basic same service.

Can anyone comment on the pro's and con's of either SBC compared to
ComCast?

Also, mother wants to buy an eMac g4, which has the Mac 10.0 Os system
I believe, which is stated specifically that it's not compatible with
SBC DSL service on their website *laugh*

Pretty soon I'll know enough about this stuff to work for MaBell. !!!

"Bob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Don't buy any equipment before the install. Order the service and let
them
> install their modem. If it doesn't work, for whatever reason, I'm 99%
sure
> you won't be out a dime.

Excellent advice. But don't have them install - that costs money. Do
self-install. They will send you the modem and a CD by FedEx. You can get
help if you need it by phone or online (if you have a dialup ISP). My
experience was that the install is trivial. Note that they will negotiate an
activation date with you - you can't install before that date.

>
> As for load coils & bridge taps, SBC will remove those, hopefully before
the
> install date.

Goto

https://dsliot.sbc.com/dsliot/servlet/XMVCController

This will give you a first-cut idea of availability of DSL at your parents'
house. I wouldn't worry about load coils, unless your parents live in the
woods miles from the CO. Bridge taps are easy to find and remove. The
biggest issue will be distance to the nearest DSLAM, which is usually a lot
shorter than distance to the CO.

SBC is offering incredibly cheap Yahoo/DSL bundles. $26.95/month for Basic
or Standard Plus, activation fee rebated. You're locked in for a year, as
you would be with a discounted cable contract, but it's a very attractive
offer. Basic offers "up to 384 kpbs", Standard Plus offers "384 - 1.5 Mbps".
That's a no-brainer. I have Standard Plus and I get 1.2Mbps as measured by
www.pcpitstop.com.

When the contract expires, you have another choice to make. Basic is
$40/month, and offers abysmally slow max bitrate compared to cable. Standard
Plus is $50/month, but at $45/month Roadrunner (at least in my area) offers
superior datarate for $5/month less.

One downside of cable is that they are extremely concerned about how you use
your bandwidth. They only grudgingly support the concept of a household
network running behind a firewalled router, and they monitor your usage
patterns. You can undertand the concern - the "last mile" between you and
the cable headend is shared by a multitude of subscribers. If the
neighborhood node is overloaded, they have to install a new one and split
the load, which costs money. They plan based on statistical estimates of how
much traffic is expected to go through a neighborhood node. If you and a few
neighbors hog it, it might throw the estimate off. DSL doesn't have this
problem - it's a dedicated circuit to the ATM network in the CO. Well, it
goes to fiber at the DSLAM, but there is so much capacity that it doesn't
matter. Security may be another cable issue. I've heard, but not verified,
that it is possible in some cases for subscribers to "see" each directly
through the neighborhood node - for example, mount a neighbor's share, or
use his printer. I do not know that this is true today, but I believe it was
true at one time.

>
> > Also, I haven't really been able to find any reference sheet showing
> > which Linksys or other wireless routers are compatible with SBC DSL.
> > Do you happen to know of a URL to that?
>
> Linksys gear is certainly compatible. I've used it with SBC DSL before,
> with no problem. If you go to their Knowledgebase and do a search on SBC,
> you WIKK find specific instructions for setting up the router's PPPoE.
I'm
> sure other manufacturers have a similar resource.

D-Link is also compatible. For DSL, you need dynamic PPOE support. I'd guess
most vendors support this.

>
> That brings up another point. If you follow my first piece of advice,
they
> will install some PPPoE client software on the PC. That will be required
to
> connect UNTIL you put a router between the computer and the DSL modem.
Then
> the router will handle PPPoE and you can (and should) uninstall their
> software from that PC.

Yes, "there can only be one!" (connection manager, that is).

>
> > Lastly, I've heard Linksys is a bit flakey with the Windows XP OS, and
> > perhaps the drivers aren't so good. Any truth to that?
>
> Works just fine with my work XP Pro laptop with built-in Prism 2.5
wireless.
>
>
> Hope this helps,
> Bob
>
>

On 8 Nov 2003 11:49:10 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
(E-Mail Removed) (Mike) wrote:

>First reason is, that if Cable service is down, as in wires or
>tech difficulties, most likely you're internet down as well.

If you're using ADSL, then if your phone line is down, your internet
is down. If you're using wireless and the transmitter dies, again...
Same difference.

>Second reason, is it's my understanding that not only are you
>subject to the lag/bandwith of the internet, but also subject to
>how well comcast has their servers set up, as I believe you're
>just a node on their network

This is again true with any service provider. Can't comment on Comcast
in particular.

>Also, mother wants to buy an eMac g4, which has the Mac 10.0 Os system
>I believe, which is stated specifically that it's not compatible with
>SBC DSL service on their website *laugh*

Probably they provide a wireless card that has no mac drivers. You may
find them on the 'net somewhere if you know what the card is.
Mark McIntyre


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"gary" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
newsPcrb.2341$(E-Mail Removed) m...
>
> Excellent advice. But don't have them install - that costs money. Do
> self-install. They will send you the modem and a CD by FedEx. You can get
> help if you need it by phone or online (if you have a dialup ISP). My
> experience was that the install is trivial. Note that they will negotiate
an
> activation date with you - you can't install before that date.

Also good advice. I had a momentary memory loss. I've had cable internet
twice since I had my SBC DSL. Neither cable company allowed self-install,
but their installation was free.

> > As for load coils & bridge taps, SBC will remove those, hopefully before
> the
> > install date.
>
> Goto
>
> https://dsliot.sbc.com/dsliot/servlet/XMVCController
>
> This will give you a first-cut idea of availability of DSL at your
parents'
> house. I wouldn't worry about load coils, unless your parents live in the
> woods miles from the CO. Bridge taps are easy to find and remove. The
> biggest issue will be distance to the nearest DSLAM, which is usually a
lot
> shorter than distance to the CO.

Just keep in mind that SBC might not agree with what that website says. The
phone company's opinion will win. After all, it's their cable.

> One downside of cable is that they are extremely concerned about how you
use
> your bandwidth. They only grudgingly support the concept of a household
> network running behind a firewalled router, and they monitor your usage
> patterns. You can undertand the concern - the "last mile" between you and
> the cable headend is shared by a multitude of subscribers. If the
> neighborhood node is overloaded, they have to install a new one and split
> the load, which costs money. They plan based on statistical estimates of
how
> much traffic is expected to go through a neighborhood node. If you and a
few
> neighbors hog it, it might throw the estimate off.

That has not been my experience. First I had @Home (later ATTBI). They
were fairly non-comittal about home networks. I'm with Charter now and they
will even sell you the equipment to build a home network.

> DSL doesn't have this
> problem - it's a dedicated circuit to the ATM network in the CO. Well, it
> goes to fiber at the DSLAM, but there is so much capacity that it doesn't
> matter. Security may be another cable issue. I've heard, but not verified,
> that it is possible in some cases for subscribers to "see" each directly
> through the neighborhood node - for example, mount a neighbor's share, or
> use his printer. I do not know that this is true today, but I believe it
was
> true at one time.

Not all DSL goes to fiber at the DSLAM. It can also feed into 10 or 100BT
ethernet, T3 (45Mbps), or even a T1. I have worked on (inside the CO) two
DSLAMs, with 48 subscribers each, sharing a single T1. I would not want to
be on that pipe.

Bob

"Mike" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Thanks for your info.
>
> Now it's coming down to either ComCast Internet or SBC DSL.
> I'm a little nervous about cabe internet, for a few reasons.
> Please correct me or give me your opinions.
>
> First reason is, that if Cable service is down, as in wires or
> tech difficulties, most likely you're internet down as well.
>
> Second reason, is it's my understanding that not only are you
> subject to the lag/bandwith of the internet, but also subject to
> how well comcast has their servers set up, as I believe you're
> just a node on their network
>
> ComCast is a bit cheaper in the long run, for the basic same service.
>
> Can anyone comment on the pro's and con's of either SBC compared to
> ComCast?
>
> Also, mother wants to buy an eMac g4, which has the Mac 10.0 Os system
> I believe, which is stated specifically that it's not compatible with
> SBC DSL service on their website *laugh*
>
> Pretty soon I'll know enough about this stuff to work for MaBell. !!!

The advice Mark has already given you is 100% on target, so I won't re-hash
it.

As for the Mac not being compatible, it is most likely that they don't have
a version of "Enternet" (or whatever PPPoE client they're using now) that
runs on Mac OS 10.

If you're going to hook her up with a router and plug the Mac into it, that
shouldn't be a problem at all. The router will handle the PPPoE stuff.
Another advantage is that you won't have to load that junk software on any
of your computers.


Bob