(no subject)

[shinytoaster]

It's Full Of Flatty Goodness!

So. New flat. My room is so purple.

Overall, it's been great. The commute is a dream - seven stops on the tube and always a seat. We've been stocking up on furniture down at Ikea and have gone for a kind of dark cherry wood look, only Billy doesn't come in cherry, oak is as good as we can get. Hopefully by tomorrow evening I will also have a bed set up, as I've been sleeping on a blow-up mattress on the floor, and it's lumpy in all the wrong places, and also seems very large without the boy. On Wednesday, we had Ben for dinner - a rather pleasant chicken balti - and Bloody Marys were consumed. It was very civilised.

In Which I Lose At The Internets

But there is one big problem. The Internets are not working. I've signed up with Onetel and, instead of the two to three days I had hoped it would take to get Broadband fixed up, it's going to take 14 to 15 days. I'm on the parental's computer right now and it feels like I'm clutching my crack pipe getting my LJ fix. There's nothing we can do about how long it's going to take, but I could really use some assistance to smooth everything over once we've got it set up. Any help from the techies among you at this point would be greatly appreciated, and here's what I want to know.

The Nature Of The Beast

Cyg and I are setting up a wireless network over an ADSL connection, but AFAIK Onetel only sends out USB modems and not Ethernet modems. Now, my understanding is with a USB modem I'll have to have the main computer (mine) on constantly for whenever Cyg wants to access the net, and this is frankly not acceptable - my computer is in my bedroom and it has a noisy fan and I am not having people coming in during the night to power up the net when I'm sleeping. I categorically refuse.

Does anybody know if I'll be able to acquire an Ethernet modem in place of the free one Onetel are sending and use that? I have my eye on a nice one from Linksys which Lowell kindly directed me at the other day.

My second question is basically regarding the timescales for setting this up. Does it usually take as long as a fortnight to get Broadband? Is this just the 'maximum' timeframe and it'll actually happen early next week? Does anybody know? Anyone?

A Plea To You Good Friends

Greg? Anyone? Please, I'm really frustrated over this so, yes, pleasepleaseplease help me out here. Join the Get Alex and Cyg Online Campaign today. We'll make buttons if you want. I can check email and LJ comments at work so, yes, any offers of help, back massage, guilt-free sex or just parcels containg free alcohol to the usual place, please.

Comments

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Does anybody know if I'll be able to acquire an Ethernet modem in place of the free one Onetel are sending and use that? I have my eye on a nice one from Linksys which Lowell kindly directed me at the other day.

You should be able to use an ADSL modem with ethernet as well as a USB modem. You may have some issues with technical support from OneTel since they hadn't supplied the equipment, but I think that's unlikely. You should also check with OneTel to see if they offer a "wires only" service, in which they don't give you the USB ADSL modem and you get to use your own kit, since those are sometimes cheaper.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

An ADSL modem with ethernet in addition to or instead of a USB modem? This may be me being really stupid - I am the kind of chap who turns on a machine and thumps it when it doesn't immediately work.

The modem is actually free of charge because I've signed up for a bundled package (if just broadband sans landline it would have cost me twenty squid more), but it may be worth saying I don't want the modem as nobody's actually losing any money over it in those circumstances. I will call them and ask. Thanks so much for your help.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Instead of. The setup we have at Gark Towers is a wireless access point and router which is also a four-port ethernet hub (wireless for the laptops, ethernet for the desktop). We then have an optical terminal adaptor for the fibre running into the house (we're going to miss that!) which is connected to the access point over ethernet.

You're likely to have a similar setup - a wireless access point and router, with an ADSL modem connected to it by ethernet. There are some integral boxes out there that do everything in one box (wireless AP, router, ethernet hub, ADSL modem), so it's worth looking for those.

If you're not paying extra for the USB modem, I'd take it and flog it on eBay if necessary (they may be giving them away with boxes of cereal, however)

[folk.livejournal.com]

they may be giving them away with boxes of cereal

Last week, WHSmith offered them for half price with purchase of Teh Grauniad. Or was that a packet of Smints? Hmm.

[owlman.livejournal.com]

On Wednesday, we had Ben for dinner - a rather pleasant chicken balti - and Bloody Marys were consumed.

Ben tastes of chicken balti! :O


Broadband.
14 days is the usual set up time. Basically BT is to blame. You may be lucky and get connected earlier than this - it depends on how busy they are.

To get Cyg also connected you need some sort of broadband router thinger.
First question is if you want to do wireless?
If not then you will have to have a cable from one room to the other.
If wired then it used standard network sockets to connection to the computers.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

The modem I have my eye on is cunningly also a router. I could live with a cable to my desktop because it's pretty static, but for the benefit of the laptop lugging Cyg, and also because my machine is some way from the phone jack we think wireless is better.

And wah for 14 days. I want to smack BT now.

[folk.livejournal.com]

wireless is better

Also, for having t00bs over. You can always run a router on a long piece of cat-5 cable through the house into the living room if people don't have wireless laptops. At Abusefest (LJ Abuse equivalent of MacT00bage), we had twenty laptops running off one AirPort wireless network. It rocked.

[owlman.livejournal.com]

If you are going with wireless router/whatever make sure you consider securing it. Else anyone in the neighbourhood will be able to access it and use your internet connection. Do the following:
Change the default password.
Make sure that you have to give a key (like a password) to connect through it.
Make it so that only selected MAC addresses (a MAC address is the unique identifier of the network adapater) can connect to it.

[folk.livejournal.com]

Also, turn off the network's ID broadcasting, so you have to type in the name of the network manually, which acts sort of like a password. Also, make sure that you reset the settings of your wireless box every month, in case someone has broken your security. And avoid sending stuff like bank details over the wireless. Beware of dog. Not valid in Papua New Guinea or Herts. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate. All rights reserved. E&OE.

(In other words: get Simon and me there at the same time and watch us set the blasted thing up for you in about three minutes.)

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

Eep. We're almost in Herts. That's a worry.

I am taking copious notes and thinking of offering some sort of cocktail based incentive for the very useful advice.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Alternatively, consider opening your wireless network up under one of the schemes like consume.net.

[benjj.livejournal.com]

I was waiting for someone to say that #rolls eyes#

I only taste of balti when I have curry paste smeared over me. No.

[owlman.livejournal.com]

And you did not have long to wait ;)

[reservoir.livejournal.com]

Glad you're getting somewhat settled! And...how purple are we talking? Lilac? Plum? EGGPLANT? The color whore in me needs to know.

And sadly I am not much of a techie, so cannot help you out on that end, but can sympathize with the pain of sleeping on an inflatable mattress.


And I will give you a back massage...with my mind? Ask Lowell, I give good massages ^_^

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

Kind of lilac, really. Looks good with dark furniture.

[folk.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for new flats!

On the Internets...drop the eighty quid or so that an ADSL modem with wireless router will cost you at PC World or wherever. Avoid Belkin; I hear good things about Linksys. I'd be happy to come over and help you select a modem and set it up for you when you've been Activated and whatnot.

It took me five working days to get BT broadband; your mileage may vary, particularly over a bank holiday when the dossers are all in Muh-Jor-Kuh or wherever. Also, Onetel = teh sux0rz, but not as much sux as Bulldog.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

I went with Onetel before in Brighton and never had any issues. We'll see how it goes, but I want the unlimited downloads, see, for anime and stuff, and BT is teh sux0rz inasmuch as it doesn't offer that option on any packages. I hear Bulldog are so much shit, though. Anyhow, you'd be most welcome to drop by - all help is appreciated sosomuch. You still have my mobile number?

I interviewed the CFO of Linksys the other week after they acquired a Danish networking company called KiSS, and he was really nice to me and also, I think, a gayer, so I like Linksys.

[folk.livejournal.com]

Ah, you have to ask for BT Business Broadband for uncapped. I harangued/flirted with the nice BT muppet until they gave it to me. What date is good for you on the setup? I may not have your mobile number -- my mobile is somewhere under a pile of parental unpacking. Can you email it to me?

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm pretty sure it changed, so am off to email now.

[aegeus.livejournal.com]

So, looks like you might be helping my Alexy. I've just emailed him with more details of what he should do. Basically am having him get a ADSL Modem and 802.11g combo from Linksys. So after Ontel sets/up sends him a modem, he can just forget that and use the router. To save money on a wireless adapter am thinking he should just do a wired connection to his desktop, and then leave wireless for laptops (Cyg's laptop has wireless built-in).

From Ontel's site it looks like they use a PPPoA connection for their DSL, which the modem I'm having him get supports. Also, if Cyg's laptop supports it, can you set up WPA security on their wireless network so they get no snoopers? As WEP is shit. Cyg may have to go through all the Windows updates (SP2 + a million security ones) to get WPA to work, as I know all the Windows computers in my house did (but not mine! w00t PowerBook!).

Thanks John! I'd do this myself, but am not getting there for another four weeks, and don't want Alex to die without internet. Also Linksys routers tend to have some issues with DSL and wireless, which are solved by setting the MTU down to 1400 to allow for all header information.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

My one concern about wiring my PC is that the connection will need to run round my room, out the door, round the corner and down the opposite wall in the front room to get to the phoneline. I'm not allowed to go through the wall to carry it. I haven't measured but expect it would easily come to about 6 or 7 metres. Are there wires long enough?

*smooches snoo*

[earth-magic.livejournal.com]

When I joined Tiscali, I think it was scheduled to take 14 days but my modem arrived a bit quicker than that.

Congratulations at being in the new house.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping 14 days is the absolute maximum, really hoping that.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to contribute on the broadband front, as I just throw a bit of a queeny fit if ours doesn't work and Marc gets it sorted, because I am an enormous brat. But that's a drag that you couldn't get the Billy in something a little darker. They had what they were calling 'medium brown' here (it strikes me at the moment as very hair-colorish, actually) and it looks cherry enough to be used with it - we have a cherry thing going on in the living room and it works. I will say too, though, that I think a lot of cherry finish can get quite overwhelming and now I'm starting to wonder if we haven't gone too dark, so maybe a little oak to break it up is not such a bad thing.

Also, I have paint envy. We decided not to paint here and wah. Not a big fan of white walls.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

I kind of wanted a big Billy but the smaller ones were way cheaper and my books all seem to fit into him. I may try and get some glass cabinet doors for him when I have a bit more money.

Magiker is better for cherry. Have you got the new catalogue yet? Ours came Tuesday.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

I heard a dread rumour from an american fan at the worldcon that IKEA (in North America at least) are discontinuing Billy in all styles but white.

[folk.livejournal.com]

But that's really silly! (Silly billies. A-hyuk.) They already HAVE a budget bookshelf option (one that isn't the nailed-together-planks of IVAR or whatever it's called) -- I got three of the five-foot FLARKEs the other day, in nondescript beech, to use as a five-foot shoe/boot rack. Silly IKEA.

[meggitymeg.livejournal.com]

As others have said, you are probably just better off buying a separate modem (especially if you've found one that is a combination modem/router) than using the one that your ISP is providing. The basic difference between an Ethernet and a USB modem is in the way the modem connects to the computer/router, not in how it connects to the actual internet connection cable - so you should be able to buy *any* modem designed for broadband/ADSL. What Onetel is telling you is that once you've hooked your modem up to their cable, you'll have to use a USB cord to connect the modem to your router or computer. If you buy a modem with both types of ports, you can either use an Ethernet cord or a USB cord to connect the modem to the router/computer.

Does this make sense? It makes sense in my head, but we all know that's an odd place these days.

[tobymalfoy.livejournal.com]

Over here, you get a free DSLmodem/wireless router thingy for free with almost all DSL carriers and plans. :>

...

I know, I know. Not much with the helping. Sorry.

I agree with whoever said above to give the modem to some homeless person and buy a modem/wireless router. We have a Siemens 515 and after I kicked it a few times, it seems to work fine.

Oh, and, it takes about two weeks to get DSL setup here too. -.-

[zorac.livejournal.com]

As everyone else has said, a combined ADSL router/WiFi access point is the way to go - although do go with owlman and folk's security advice if you want to avoid people stealing your bandwidth.

As regards setup time, BT wholesale take five working days from receiving the order from an ISP to ADSL being live (unless they have to dig up the road). Sometimes there are other things that can slow it up, but if the ISP is quoting 14-15 days as standard, it's most likely them being slow.