How Napster helped get me DSL.

[AMDJunkie]

[brag]My friends, this is dumb luck at its finest. My parents just recieved the Internet bill two days ago from Verizon. $127.99 due. It seems with my family leaving Napster connected through the night, me, my forum visits, downloads, and emails, we had spent 109 hours over the 150 hour limit (I account for at least 50 hours over the limit, I'm sure).

So when I print out an offer from Verizon offering unlimited DSL access for $39.99 with free modem and installation, they fell for it. Who would of thought that by running up the hours my parents would, instead of throwing the computer away, saying it was wasting their money, get me high-speed Internet access? Not I. But I'm not complaining. [/brag]

 

[Duckers]

+ $5 a month (soon)

 

[RipRidah]

so you were on 56K before?
why would you leave it on overnight when you're not on an unlimited plan?

 

[snow patrol]

Lol, sneaky one, but well done!

 

[breakit23]

Silly goose

 

[AMDJunkie]

I don't leave it on during the night, I'm smart enough not to. My parents weren't though.

 

[ltk007]

Hahahaha! Way to go man, con the parents into DSL

 

[StageLeft]

HAHA nice amd

 

[reitz]

DO NOT, I repeat do not, under any circumstances, use the Speedstream 3060 internal DSL modem. The Speedstream 4060 USB modem is better, but still is a pathetic POS. You will be much happier if you go with the Westell modem. It regularly costs $325, but it is well worth the money. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

 

[AMDJunkie]

Thanks for the tip reitz. I have to see what options I have first though. Anyone know if Verizon DSL is good?

 

[Mday]

it depends where you are junkie...

verizon sucks in NYC, including boroughs... the phone lines are a mess...

some users like it here, but most don't.

elsewhere, verizon has been satisfactory.

DO GO FOR THE EXTERNAL WESTELL... get any PCI, repeat PCI network adapter.

and consider getting a PPPoE router if you have multiple users\computers... that way you don't have to log in which pppoe requires... if you don't have multiple computers, don't get it, just log in and what not...

go to dslreports.com, as if i had to tell you ;-)

and here's a comment, dumbass, going with a limited dial up account... that is all...

 

[IBhacknU]

I cannot beleive people still get plans without unlimited hours. How much money do people think they can save going with these plans?

 

[Tetsuo316]

that can of worms icon is rad. i just can't bring myself to change though.

 

[IBhacknU]

<< . i just can't bring myself to change though. >>

Make my day!

 

[reitz]

AMD, my thoughts on Verizon will make you cringe, so I'll save them for another time

Thoroughly research your options, and if possible, go with a local ISP offering DSL over Verizon's lines. You're still subject to Verizon's incompetance, but the outtages are much less frequent, and you aren't forced to use the crappy WinPoet software.

In all major cities, you should be able to find a local or regional ISP that offers DSL at or near Verizon's price.

Again, avoid the Speedstream modems at all cost.

 

[Pretender]

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, get the external Speedstream 4060 USB modem. To be honest, it sucks. The internal 3060 modem is better and more reliable, but if you have the choice, get the external Westell, or find a better external modem.

 

[Viper GTS]

My thoughts in general:

Avoid internal modems, they suck ass. They connect using DUN.

Avoid PPPoE, it sucks ass as well. Straight PPP is OK, as is bridging, but PPPoE sucks ass.

Depending on what type of DSL Verizon uses, consider picking up a Cisco 675 (CAP) or 678 (DMT, CAP, or GLITE). While it serves the exact same functions as other external modems, it has one distinct advantage: Cisco experience. The CBOS command set is remarkably similar to Cisco's powerful IOS, &amp; it can't hurt to get the experience configuring it. If they offer a 675/678, I'd get it. Even if they don't, you might look into getting one off Egay. You probably won't have support for it, but as long as you match the appropriate standard, it should work just fine.

Viper GTS

 

[Gatsby]

Ohh if you are in the Baltimore region of verizon good luck getitng DSL.
My friend have had 3! appointments for activation missed. The signed up for in late june and they still do not have it. One ativation date was nov 1st.. both of them are now late novemeber.
I personally have them but they are not that good.. Oh well.. its take what you can get.

Gatsby

 

[MrBond]

I bet if you look, most so called &quot;unlimited&quot; dial up plans are actually limited at 150-250 hours a month. It's very hard to find a truely unlimited plan anymore.

 

[Pretender]

<< Avoid internal modems, they suck ass. They connect using DUN >>

I hate to say it, but you're wrong. While I admit they do suck because they emulate ATM, they don't need to use DUN to connect. Bell Atlantic's sh!tty PPPoE requires DUN, not the modem itself. When you get to a DSL ISP which doesn't need PPPoE (like the one I use now), you don't need Dialup Networking at all.

BTW, I don't have any facts behind this, except for one unbiased source I read a while back, so I'm shooting in the dark here, but USB modems are supposedly worse than internal modems. However, external modems which use NICs own USBs and internals. Can anyone find any resources which back up or disprove this?

 

[reitz]

Pretender, I have no resources to back it up my opinions on the modems, but I work for an ISP wich used to offer both the internal and USB Speedstream modems. As horrible as the USB is, the internal Speedstream is far worse. Verizon still sells both of those models, but my ISP dumped them both and only offers the Westell.

The USB is terrible. It is a complete nightmare to install, and nearly impossible to do correctly the first time. Once installed, you're lucky if the modem will still be detected the next time you boot up. The drivers are just horrendous, and most users have to completely uninstall and reinstall the modem every few weeks just to keep it working. It also regulary loses its connection and must be powercycled (along with rebooting the computer)

The internal is even worse. It introduces so much instability into the user's system that my company replaced most of what we sold with Westells at no extra charge. The drivers for the internal are just as bad as the USB Speedstream. For many customers, it would lose connectivity every few hours, requiring a complete shutdown and restart. Its data transfer rate seems to also be much lower than the alternatives. At $99, it costs about triple what it's worth.

 

[Ultima]

My internet is truly unlimited and always has been...

 

[lsd]

oh man, you got verizon dsl?
i feel sorry for you
buy asprin.. your gonna need it

 

[Viper GTS]

Pretender...

Yes and no. A standard PPP or PPPoE connection usually uses DUN, while a bridging connection can avoid it. The one advantage of the internals, of course, is that your machine picks up a valid global IP, which makes them good for gaming straight out of the box.

When I say &quot;external,&quot; I do NOT mean USB models. I'm talking about external routers that connect via a NIC. The advantages are, of course, an always-on connection. You don't even need the computer on to have a connection. Also, you can generally plug them into a hub &amp; provide access to a full network. However...

Unless they're running in bridging mode (which would eliminate the network possibility without the use of another router, such as a broadband router), they utilize NAT. Which means programs like ICQ, NetMeeting, &amp; many games won't function through them unless you configure NAT &amp; open all the ports. No big deal if you're technically savvy, but for the average consumer it's too big a hassle. Plus some ISPs won't help you do it, so you're on your own.

Viper GTS

 

[cgclausen]

I had DSL before cable and the reason I got DSL was because it was the same price as getting another phone line and unlimited 56k service, only it was faster. Eventually I went over to cable from DSL though, and haven't regreted it.