DSL AdviceFollow

Actually just a quick question...

So apparently AT&T/SBC is starting to offer a year's worth of DSL for $12.99/mth. Jumps up to $30/mth after a year but that's neither here nor there. However, I remember from past discussions that the speed is dependant upon your distance from the nearest station. What I don't remember is how far is a "good" distance so when I ask I won't know how to interpret the answer anyway.

For thirteen beans a month I figured I'd give them a jingle and maybe retire my trusty ole dial-up.

According to the AT&T DSL website, the modem itself is free (well, instantly rebated) though there's an additional $13 charge the first month. I can self "install", having set up the DSL on other folks' computers before

Most companies will do a check on your telephone number to make sure you have adequate service in your area. Beyond that, make sure you have good wiring in your home and you should be golden.

Damn straight. I didn't have to pay stupid-high broadband prices for the past seven years to do it, either!

The nice thing with SBC is, they say they will raise the price, but just call them and you can get the promotional price again. When I had it back in '01, I paid $12.99 as well.

If only I could get one of them broad-bandy thingies...

I'm running off of shi[b][/b]tty old Clearwire

I was on 0.5Mb until a few weeks ago and managed fine with online games and stuff - even amassed some decent MP3 archives.

Even if your exchange distance drops to to 1Mb it will be a massive improvement on dial-up. Not just for speeds, but for the convenience.

I'd go for it - I pay £25 a month ($44) for 2Mb here - there are cheaper, but my ISP doesn't have download limits or 'Fair Usage Restrictions'to interfere with my keeping up with series 2 of LOST

Go on - somone FTFM with a **** reference. We have standards here!

Bundled with your cable television I assume? I don't have (nor especially want) cable TV as I never watch the box anyway. I supposed it may be cheaper if they were also getting $50 from me for cable TV but that ain't gonna happen. There's nothing on TV I'd pay fifty bucks to watch.

Good information here so far though and I'll ask about this stuff when I call.

Edit: Their "with cable television" reduced price is $42.75/mth

Edited, Fri Feb 3 16:06:28 2006 by Jophiel

I'm still waiting to see how that Horizons game turns out. I hear you can play a dragon!!!

Man, that game is gonna be SO COOL...

I say do it.

I've been thinking about trying out the cable phone. Vonage seems to be the big mover here in the states, don't know if that's what you guys have up there or not.

So you like it ok, bhodi?

I had DSL with SBC for 3 years, the last year was flooded with repeated connection loss. I was right at the edge of the service area when I got it, and they told me just before I canceled, they reduced the area where they would offer it.

I then got cable modem from Comcast. $60 dollars a month after 3 months of $14.95. Its damned rediculus. The best download speed I ever got with cable was 3MB. After having the cable modem running for 9 months without a hitch, I started getting disconnected from about 2PM to anywhere from 3-5PM. Spent 3 month with them trying to service it. They said something was overloading the circuit during that time. They would make an adjustment and it would be fine for a week then start dropping again. It got really old not being able to play WoW after work.

So about a year after leaving SBC, I got a call from them saying they added more equipment. So I went back to SBC, 1.5MB download, no realy noticible diference with gaming. Comcast still was having the disconnect issues, and their customer serve was pretty crappy. All in all, I'm happier with SBC DSL than I was with Comcast. The past 5 months I have only lost my connection once, due to a brownout.

If you have multiple computers at home, I suggest spending the money on their 2Wire Gateway (4 100MB ports, plus wireless route) they will then support your connection to multiple computers. If you go with your own router, they wont help troubleshoot any connection issues with multiple computers.

Basic DSL info:
Your download speeds will be based on distance from the central office with DSL. SBC I think was charging $14.95 for 1.5Mb and $24.95 for 3Mb.

Basic Cable info:
Your max download speed is based on how many subscribers are using bandwidth in your area. Many companies have started capping an individuals max bandwidth in areas with lots of subscribers. I never got more than 3Mb in my area, but I had a friend who frequently got 6-7Mb.

Both will give you a dynamic IP. Any time you loose connection to the central office, you get a new IP assigned to your modem. If you plan on hosting a website, you will probably need to got with a business plan and pay more.

Edited, Fri Feb 3 17:16:23 2006 by BloodwolfeX

Edited, Fri Feb 3 17:26:51 2006 by BloodwolfeX