INTERNET ACCESS - Thoughts Folks

[fish]

Right,

To enable Lisa to weld herself to PH even more I'm thinking fo getting ISDN in. Do you need a special ISDN ISP package or can you use the normal dialin and get 128k speeds etc

Any thoughts on good providers and is ISDN really worth it.

[Stig]

BT Homehighway. You'll need them to come and install the box (assuming you're with BT?) and the service is pretty good. Not cheap though aat 29 quid a month.

My only other advice would be to use a terminal adaptor rather than the USB option that they supply as it's a bit quicker.

[pdv6]

Also usually need your provider to give you an ISDN dialup number, so that you don't try to connect to a cr4ppy analogue modem at their end.

[pdv6]

You'll need to link 2 ISDN channels to get 128k, which attracts 2 lots of call charges.

If its available in your area, go for ADSL or cable broadband IMO.

[salty-nlv]

Providing your in the right postcode why not go for ADSL broadband, you can get speeds of up to 512K download and 128-256K upload.
Plus it's a fixed monthly fee usualy no more than £30, no call charges.(NB. Ensure you install a local firewall)
Apologies if you have already checked this out and cannot get this service.

Try, BT, Demon,Tiscali, or via cable NTL, Blueyonder etc..

[salty-nlv]

Grrr PDV6, beat me to the post

[pdv6]

[mrs fish]

We are too far out in the countryside to get ADSL or broadband hence the ISDN route

[CarZee]

We have ISDN... here's the deal:

BT Home Highway £30 PCM with about Q£7 of bundled calls.

Anytime Internet service £14 PCM - single channel ISDN - gives 64k (almost twice what you get from a modem in real terms with 7.5Kbps av. thruput.)

This leaves the second channel free for phonecalls etc.

there are a couple of ISPs that offer 128k packages but they're not cheap and none of them (unless you wanna pay £100+ PCM) are actually anytime services - you have limited minutes.

Just use a single channel. In the meantime, change to an anytime package with your ISP so you're not paying call charges for Mrs F's incessant blathering

Drop us a mail if you want more details.

>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Wednesday 2nd April 10:33

[nubbin]

I'm getting broadband on Friday

Try registering for broadband, then check the status of your exchange here;- www.adslguide.org/availability/btprereg.asp?order=trig

[dontlift]

mrs fish said: We are too far out in the countryside to get ADSL or broadband hence the ISDN route

Satellite ADSL

[mrs fish]

CarZee said: so you're not paying call charges for Mrs F's incessant blathering

I do not blather

[CarZee]

mrs fish said: I do not blather

Blather [n]: voluble nonsensical or inconsequential talk or writing

[Alex]

mrs fish said: We are too far out in the countryside to get ADSL or broadband hence the ISDN route

Check the registration level in your area here

Then do what a 'friend of mine' did, and register a few people from your area a day using the phonebook...

[Mark Benson]

Alex said: Then do what a 'friend of mine' did, and register a few people from your area a day using the phonebook...

[Mr Burns voice]

Eeexcellent!

[/Mr Burns voice]

Thats this evening taken up then. Top idea Alex.

[tonybav]

You need the post code as well Mark, which you can get from the Royal Mail post code finder on their site, but you can only look up 8 post codes per day.

[mrsd]

Out here in the sticks there's never going to be ADSL, BT just aren't interested (plus in our case it's more than 5 miles from any exchange of any persuasion) You might not even be able to get ISDN However, satellite BB gives much higher download speeds than ADSL (when it's working.) We've got sat downlink, twice as quick as ADSL as standard and you can pay an xpence a minute surcharge for up to 3mbs.
Satdrive are good, the hopeless bunch who screwed up our home install are Easyly avoided I think.

[Alex]

tonybav said: You need the post code as well Mark, which you can get from the Royal Mail post code finder on their site, but you can only look up 8 post codes per day.

I, er, my friend, used www.bt.com Directory Enquiries.

Our exchange gets upgraded on 28th May!

[TJMurphy]

Alex said: Then do what a 'friend of mine' did, and register a few people from your area a day using the phonebook...

Yeah, but all he's doing is registering interest. When the interest level gets high enough BT says OK, show us some firm orders and we'll update the exchange.
Unless the interest gets converted into orders with ISPs the upgrade doesn't happen.
-- Edited 'cos I left someone else's name in the quote

>> Edited by TJMurphy on Wednesday 2nd April 14:00

[Alex]

TJMurphy said:

Alex said: Then do what a 'friend of mine' did, and register a few people from your area a day using the phonebook...

Yeah, but all he's doing is registering interest. When the interest level gets high enough BT says OK, show us some firm orders and we'll update the exchange.
Unless the interest gets converted into orders with ISPs the upgrade doesn't happen.
-- Edited 'cos I left someone else's name in the quote

>> Edited by TJMurphy on Wednesday 2nd April 14:00

If you say so. All I know is that our exchange is being upgraded on 28th May and two months ago it was over 100 registrations short