Is ISDN worth it??

[seewhy]

Hi all,

I am probably going to get ISDN connection for telecommute. I cannot get cable, DSL or wireless in my area. I am pretty much stuck with ISDN, Satellite, or one of the T1 variations. Of course, T1 is too expensive, and satellite such as Starband is probably gonna give me more headache.

So my question is, is ISDN at 128k going to be significantly better than my 28.8 modem (slow connection because of line condition)? Since ISDN is digital, is it going to be better quaility, meaning consistent connection speed? How much more speed will I get in real world appliaction?

Yeah I know 128k > 28.8k, but from what I heard, people are saying ISDN don't FEEL faster....just want to see if any one can confirm that.

Thanks

 

[spidey07]

ISDN is considerably faster than a 28.8 modem. 128 kbit/28.8 kbit = 4.5. but the ISDN will actually be closer to 6-7 times faster just because it is a digital connection. Given the fact that you don't have broadband alternatives...ISDN would be a great choice.

<edit> To me ISDN feels like night and day compared to a modem. 128 kbit really is pretty fast. I've run 100 person offices on ISDN.

 

[Damaged]

spidey is right on here. I've experienced modems from 300baud up to 56k, I can tell you that ISDN &quot;feels&quot; faster than even 56k. Probably because it is faster. Even compared to a 56k modem you're talking 3-3.5 times as fast, as most people are only gonna connect somehere in the 40's anyways.

We gather data and analyze connection statistics from about 16,000 modems. You'd be surprised how few people connect at anything above 50Kbps. It's like 1% of the user base. Probably more of a testament to the poor quality of analog lines in general than anything else. It certainly isn't our equipment as we're all digital on our side.

 

[StoneG]

yes ISDN it's a great choice

im stuck with ISDN as you and it's way faster than an analog modem, 'cause it's digital you'll allways connect at that speed, online games run very well 'cause of the low ping rates, etc.

i configured it to use only one B channel so most of the time it's 64kb only but it feels great i even downloaded a 120mb game demo yesterday and it was only 4-5 hours the last time i downloaded a big file with my analog modem the file it was about 25mb and i had to be downloading a full nigth and part of the next day morning.

if you can't get dsl or cable, ISDN it's the way to go.

 

[esung]

Can you get IDSL(DSL over ISDN)? It'll be cheaper then regular ISDN, if I recall correctly, most ISDN is not flat price, and charge you per minutes on the peak hours (8am-5pm I think). but IDSL will be a flat rate just like DSL. but you are getting 144K instead of the 384K+ bandwidth for DSL. (well, if your company is paying for it.. there's no problem on the cost then..)

 

[seewhy]

Thanks guys for the info,

I tried to order IDSL from two different companies but they both wasted my time by telling me its available in the beginning and not after two weeks. I guess Covad, Rythem and other whole sale DSL companies are closing their facilities in many Central Office, and creating lots of confusion. So any form of DSL is out for me.

That's good to hear ISDN is a good option....just order the line from Ameritech, pretty expensive at $92 for flat rate. Probably gonna go with Earthlink for ISP, for another $30.

Oh well, not like I have any other choice.

Thanks again.

 

[Dually]

isdn is old and slow, get satilite.

 

[CTR]

ISDN is great if you get a router. If you use an ISDN modem then you introduce some fantastic latency and it feels just like a dialup modem. ISDN latency with a router is like 30ms rock solid from your router to the NAS you dial into. With an ISDN modem I've seen anywhere from 120ms to 350 ms. Go figure.

 

[Shadow07]

If ISDN is the only option for you, it is better than getting Satellite. With satellite, all you get is download. To get upload, you will still use a 56K modem. And, it can be cheaper than satellite. But, do as CTR says, get an ISDN router, not a modem. The router is much better, and you can support multiple machines at the same time.

 

[doug]

Shadow07: Two way satellite is now available, you don't need a phone line to upload anymore.

 

[Shadow07]

Yeah, I forgot. There is a local company here that has T1 wireless access. But it only available in certain areas, like DSL and CABLE. And, it only costs $50/month.

 

[Damaged]

I see you'll have Ameriwreck in IL. ISDN is tariffed at a flat rate in IL now. I think it's like .06 per call, per channel. You will pay per call, which is usually cheaper unless you have a router that freaks out and dials a lot. I've seen it happen so be careful!

 

[seewhy]

Actually I've been to several Starband/Satellite forums, and 90% posts there are complains. There are problems with uploads, even with 2-way satellite, many times it is even worse than dialups. Plus there are incompatibilities with VPN and SSL websites, since I will be using this line for work, don't think Satellite is gonna cut it.

Sprint just introduce the wireless internet service in Chicago, and they cover up to 2 miles from where I live...@!@#!$#@#$!!!

T1 sharing through wireless is hard to get, you have to be lucky enough that someone near you is offering it, I am not that lucky.

I am convinced that I need a router...but should I just get whatever Earthlink is offering?? What is a good ISDN router out there price/performance ratio wise?? Is any router compatible with whatever line/isp I am getting?? Sorry for asking but I am a total newbie in ISDN.

Thanks

 

[kohutek]

I work for an ISP, and we use Ascend [lucent now] Pipeline 75s, 130s and 150s - they are really, really easy to setup, and are high quality. 3Com also makes excellent isdn routers.

randal

 

[Damaged]

The Ascend gear is fine. I haven't found the 3Com stuff to be all that great in that area. The worst though is probably a tie b/w the Eicon Divas and Cisco 7xx series. Ack! Too many nightmares on that stuff. Webramps are alright execpt that they refuse to fix a compatibility issue b/w their equipment and 3Com Total Control boxes. Cisco 8xx, 25xx, and 26xx series are fine as well, but harder to support from a technical support perspective.

IMHO, the best out there for ISDN is the Netopia R3100-U. Nice box, reliable, and loaded with features. I can walk anyone through some basic troubleshooting on those things.

 

[spidey07]

die cisco 700...die. roll over and die you piece of sh!t.

 

[Shadow07]

I personally would not get a Netopia router. They are the piece of sh!t. I have dealt with the ADSL Router and have had SOOOOOO many problems. The one area of the router that I HATE is the WAN Profiles. Once you configure one profile and APPLY it, if something happens, oh I don't know like a power failure or someone reboots it, the profile does not get reloaded or applied on reboot. I have talked with thier tech support and they are just as stupid as the router. Believe me when I say this, I tried EVERYTHING to get the router working. I just swapped it out with a Flowpoint router.

If you are going to get an ISDN router, go with the 800 series from Cisco or from 3COM. They are probably the best IMHO.

 

[Damaged]

Just to put something in perspective on the netopia here: shadow has had a problem with one router. We have over 1200 deployed in the field and have had very few problems. In fact I think we've had to RMA like 6 of them over the years.

<edit>hmm, okay, maybe not one. I misread something there and hence responded to it accordingly. Sorry. The ADSL router is based on the same platform as the ISDN, but who knows what may be changed there as well. Though the WAN profiles thing is there, but we've NEVER had a problem with the profile not reloading on them.</edit>