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Torslander
new user
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 1
Loc: East Kilbride
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Hi everyone, first time poster but long-time web user here, seeking your advice and assistance...
I moved house last year, only to find no broadband available, ending up with dismal 128K ISDN. My 12 month subscription is now up, and BT have generously decided to broadband enable my estate. However, since it took about 2 months to get the ISDN working (as opposed to Telewest Broadband in the old house, which was flaky but generally worked well), I'm terrified about upgrading in case nothing ever works again! I don't have Telewest or NTL access, and don't know if I could get any other providers like Wanadoo or Tiscali out here in the "sticks" (East Kilbride, population 75,000, 10 miles from centre of Glasgow), so it might be BT or nothing...
Just to complicate things, I run two PCs - one a P3 desktop W98SE hardwired into the ISDN box, and the other a Toshiba P4 laptop on XP powered wirelessly through a Draytek Vigor 2200W router. At the moment, the Vigor receives the ISDN feed and bounces it to the wireless card in the laptop perfectly, but this was only achieved with an IT colleague at work, several lost weekends, a lot of hold muzak and a large amount of bribery. If I order broadband, I have two questions which I'd appreciate advice from you learned lot on:
1. will I get any engineer help installing the broadband? (rung BT's broadband enquiries hotline twice - once I was told the engineer would visit the house, the other time I was told I'd be posted the equipment to self-install)
2. am I likely to have problems getting the laptop online, or will the fact that it's still communicating with the Vigor transmitter through the wireless card avoid any difficulties?
Effusive praise and possibly even a few smileys await your advice! Many thanks in advance, and sorry I couldn't spice this post up at all, will try harder next time...
Neil C.
Above none, none above me
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greysts
regular
Reg'd: Thu
Posts: 18158
Loc: Colchester
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The answer to your question is an unequivocal YES!!! ISDN was only ever a stopgap between dial up and broadband, on top of which it was (and is) significantly more expensive than BB.
Until BT get round to unbundling the local loop from the exchange to your house they will install the technology in the exchange that will allow you to get BB. Once that technology exists you are at liberty to choose any ISP that takes your fancy. You sign your contract with the ISP and they in turn will pay BT for the use of their lines. In your particular case you will need to tell BT that you wish to end your ISDN contract on a certain date and also tell your ISP that your line needs conversion before they can supply you with BB. Most reputable ISPs will handle all that for you.
Will you get engineer assistance to install Broadband? No. The BT engineer will need to visit your home to remove the ISDN box and replace it with a normal telephone socket but that's as far as it goes. However it is a very simple process to do it yourself. You will get a modem and a couple of filters from your chosen ISP. Some ISPs provide a modem free others charge for it. Most give you the filters free. When you are ready, put the supplied CD in the PC and follow the instructions. Once the drivers are installed you plug in the modem and the Windows New Hardware Wizard will run and complete the process. The CD will also create the icons and setup your email account. You will need a filter for every phone socket in your home. They split apart the analogue and digital signals coming down your t/p line. Your modem needs a digital signal and your telephone an analogue.
As for your network, I can't see any immediate reason why it shouldn't continue to function as normal. You are simply changing the input signal to your W98 PC from ISDN to Broadband.
Hope this helps a bit.
Do you know that we're all in line for succession to the throne? Really?
Well, if forty-eight million, two hundred thousand, seven hundred and one people died I'd be Queen.
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