Re: Big Pond Broadband, again

[Peter Hinchliffe]

On 13/02/2004, at 3:23 PM, Chris Burton wrote:


Hi all

have gone through the process of signing up to bigpond cable 2 days 
ago. A reasonable plan over 2 years with free installation and 2 
months free over 24. I rang them about 10 minutes ago to ask a few 
questions and mentioned I had a mac with OS 10.3.2Well,  hold the 
bus!!! 'could you please wait a minute until and I will check with my 
leader'!!


Apparently bigpond cable does not support 10.3.2, only up to 10.2!!   
Not happy.


Wrong, wrong, WRONG!! When will you learn not to use the word Macintosh 
in a sentence when talking to tech support people?  :-)


All it does is panic them.



I suggested that 10.3.2 was not a completely new OS but a big upgrade. 
I also mentioned that they should look seriously at 'Launch' the 
program that wamuggers have been recently talking about for broadband.


Instead of taking this sensible course or action, they threw together 
their own connection agent. It works, but why bother when Launch! is so 
much better?




So where do I stand...is there anyone out there running Bigpond cable 
on a mac with 10.3.2?? No worries?


No worries here.


If so,  then I should be ok to go ahead with it?


Absolutely.


They supply the modem...is it ethernet or usb...I understand ethernet 
is better, is that right?


Go Ethernet. No driver issues, they just work.

--
Peter Hinchliffe
Apwin Computer ServicesFileMaker Pro Solutions Developer
Perth,  
Western Australia   Phone (618) 9332 6482Fax (618) 9332 0913

   Mac because I prefer it -- Windows because I have to.

Re: Big Pond Broadband, again

[Shay Telfer]

I've been bitten by term contracts with "ISP can change the terms at any
time" clauses. Avoid them like the plague - they're not worth it.


Even worse, they might *not* change the contract and you might wind 
up being stuck paying the prices that were current 2 years ago!


Have fun,
Shay
--
=== Shay  Telfer 
 Perth, Western Australia   TechnomancerJoin WA's annual
 Opinions for hire  [POQ]   Speculative Fiction festival
 [EMAIL PROTECTED] fnord 

Re: Big Pond Broadband, again

[Craig Ringer]

On Fri, 2004-02-13 at 15:23, Chris Burton wrote:
> Hi all
> 
> have gone through the process of signing up to bigpond cable 2 days 
> ago. A reasonable plan over 2 years with free installation and 2 months 
> free over 24.

Just a heads-up: Telstra, like any other internet provider, reserves the
right to change the terms of service during your contract. They can, for
example, raise prices, add port shaping/blocking, or reduce download
allowances. If you don't like the changes, you usually have to pay out
the remainder of the contract at the NEW prices. ISPs normally don't
like to make this clear until /after/ you've signed on, which is why you
should read the ToS very carefully before signing.

Because of this insanity, I strongly suggest that you get a no-contract
plan or a short (3-6 month) contract. It costs more at the start, but
often not much - and you may save a lot in the long run. For example, if
your service provider changes their service in a way that's not
acceptable to you, you can up and leave. You can also easily change
providers if someone else has a better plan for you - not possible on a
long-term contract.

I've been bitten by term contracts with "ISP can change the terms at any
time" clauses. Avoid them like the plague - they're not worth it.

Craig Ringer

Re: Big Pond Broadband, again

[Stephen Atherton]

Chris,

Launch will be fine with 10.3.2.  I'm using it on an eMac at home. The 
latest version is aware of the unlimited plan & works well.


You should go for an ethernet modem which they'll most likely supply.

Cheers

On 13/02/2004, at 5:23 PM, Chris Burton wrote:


Hi all

have gone through the process of signing up to bigpond cable 2 days 
ago. A reasonable plan over 2 years with free installation and 2 
months free over 24. I rang them about 10 minutes ago to ask a few 
questions and mentioned I had a mac with OS 10.3.2Well,  hold the 
bus!!! 'could you please wait a minute until and I will check with my 
leader'!!


Apparently bigpond cable does not support 10.3.2, only up to 10.2!!   
Not happy.


I suggested that 10.3.2 was not a completely new OS but a big upgrade. 
I also mentioned that they should look seriously at 'Launch' the 
program that wamuggers have been recently talking about for broadband.


So where do I stand...is there anyone out there running Bigpond cable 
on a mac with 10.3.2?? No worries?


If so,  then I should be ok to go ahead with it?

They supply the modem...is it ethernet or usb...I understand ethernet 
is better, is that right?


thanks and regards

chris


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Re: Big Pond Broadband, again

[Chris Burton]

Hi all

have gone through the process of signing up to bigpond cable 2 days 
ago. A reasonable plan over 2 years with free installation and 2 months 
free over 24. I rang them about 10 minutes ago to ask a few questions 
and mentioned I had a mac with OS 10.3.2Well,  hold the bus!!! 
'could you please wait a minute until and I will check with my 
leader'!!


Apparently bigpond cable does not support 10.3.2, only up to 10.2!!   
Not happy.


I suggested that 10.3.2 was not a completely new OS but a big upgrade. 
I also mentioned that they should look seriously at 'Launch' the 
program that wamuggers have been recently talking about for broadband.


So where do I stand...is there anyone out there running Bigpond cable 
on a mac with 10.3.2?? No worries?


If so,  then I should be ok to go ahead with it?

They supply the modem...is it ethernet or usb...I understand ethernet 
is better, is that right?


thanks and regards

chris

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Greg Pennefather]

I would just like to clear up a couple of points that Stuart made ...

Telstra's wholesale network doesn't provide a 1:1 contention ratio.  What
happens is that Telstra Wholesale will terminate layer 2 or layer 3 sessions
on your own equipment (if you're an ISP) using their backhaul network.  An
ISP pays a fee for each service and also pays for a concentrating data
connection per CCA (call collection area).  The ISP chooses the bandwidth it
buys from Telstra for the concentrating circuit - the higher the bandwidth
the higher the price, as you'd expect.  Therefore the ISP chooses the
contention ratio based on the bandwidth it buys for the concentrating
circuit for the CCA.

It's nice to hear Request Broadband (yes, they changed the name) getting a
good rap as I started it here in Perth over 4 years ago.  We (the other
shareholders and I) have just agreed to sell it to Powertel.  I know that
some sections of Request's network operate on a contention ratio of 8:1
which is significantly better than any other service provider.  Stuart
points out that they can fix their own problems - this is more accurate than
you know.  When I designed the network I selected Turnstone copper cross
connect to sit between the DSLAM and the copper network.  The Turnstone gear
can do so much more that anything Telstra uses - it can do the basic tone
and continuity tests but it also performs TDR to report bridge taps and
loading coils and will sweep the frequencies used for ADSL either for CAP or
DMT (used in Australia) and log these to a database to allow historic
comparison to identify deteriorating copper pairs.  All of this performed
from the network operations centre - very flash gear.

But Request does use Telstra to reach areas where it doesn't have a DSLAM.

As for who has their own DSL equipment in exchanges - to my knowledge only
Telstra, Request, Optus (through XYZed), Nextstep and Primus.  All others
use Telstra Wholesale.  The method of connection to Telstra is important -
the layer 3 connections seem to have been very problematic as Telstra
terminates the layer 2 sessions on its equipment and performs authentication
- its greatest source of problems.  Those using the layer 2 service seem to
be able to get much greater reliability as they terminate the layer 2
sessions and perform their own authenication.

Sorry to ramble on - it has been a bit of a pet subject for me.

Cheers

Greg

> From: Stuart Elvish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:16:11 +0800
> To: "WAMUG Mailing List" 
> Subject: Re: Big Pond Broadband
> 
> Hi everybody,
> 
> Telstra are responsible for providing a large number of ADSL services,
> however the statements recently uttered about Telstra supplying most
> (if not all) ADSL services is incorrect. To begin with, the internet
> service market is now divided into retailers (the people you as a
> consumer buy from) and the wholesalers who supply the retailers and own
> their own networks etc. Most retail ISP's use a wholesaler who supplies
> their own data to the Telstra data network, and then Telstra pipes this
> data from one central location (for example for companies terminating
> data in Perth it would be at the Wellington Street exchange) through to
> the consumers telephone line.
> 
> Whilst this does run over the Telstra network, it should not be
> confused as using the Bigpond network. Telstra has two networks, its
> wholesale one which it uses to pipe data at a 1:1 ratio (or as close as
> possible) around the network, and the Bigpond network which is a retail
> network with it's own contention ratios (contention ratios are the
> number of users to a section of bandwidth, or the amount the network is
> oversubscribed by). By using Telstra's wholesale network, an ADSL
> wholesaler can create its own network by supplying its own data, and
> having Telstra pipe the data to the end consumers house. It also means
> that a wholesaler can create its own contention ratios, so for example
> instead of using the standard average ratio of 80:1 for residential,
> they can build a business grade network at 16:1.
> 
> There are companies like Request DSL who don't use Telstra equipment at
> all in some of their installations. Request use a tail connected to
> their equipment at the exchange. Request do this on the basis that they
> then control the entire network and can provide a 99.9% service level
> agreement to customers because they can fix any problems immediately.
> 
> So, it is correct that Telstra will at some point and to a varying
> degree most probably supply at least one component of your connection.
> This may be as simple as a piece of wire that runs from your house to
> the exchange at which point another wholesaler / internet service
> provider then supplies data and infrastructur

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Stuart Elvish]

Hi everybody,

Telstra are responsible for providing a large number of ADSL services, 
however the statements recently uttered about Telstra supplying most 
(if not all) ADSL services is incorrect. To begin with, the internet 
service market is now divided into retailers (the people you as a 
consumer buy from) and the wholesalers who supply the retailers and own 
their own networks etc. Most retail ISP's use a wholesaler who supplies 
their own data to the Telstra data network, and then Telstra pipes this 
data from one central location (for example for companies terminating 
data in Perth it would be at the Wellington Street exchange) through to 
the consumers telephone line.


Whilst this does run over the Telstra network, it should not be 
confused as using the Bigpond network. Telstra has two networks, its 
wholesale one which it uses to pipe data at a 1:1 ratio (or as close as 
possible) around the network, and the Bigpond network which is a retail 
network with it's own contention ratios (contention ratios are the 
number of users to a section of bandwidth, or the amount the network is 
oversubscribed by). By using Telstra's wholesale network, an ADSL 
wholesaler can create its own network by supplying its own data, and 
having Telstra pipe the data to the end consumers house. It also means 
that a wholesaler can create its own contention ratios, so for example 
instead of using the standard average ratio of 80:1 for residential, 
they can build a business grade network at 16:1.


There are companies like Request DSL who don't use Telstra equipment at 
all in some of their installations. Request use a tail connected to 
their equipment at the exchange. Request do this on the basis that they 
then control the entire network and can provide a 99.9% service level 
agreement to customers because they can fix any problems immediately.


So, it is correct that Telstra will at some point and to a varying 
degree most probably supply at least one component of your connection. 
This may be as simple as a piece of wire that runs from your house to 
the exchange at which point another wholesaler / internet service 
provider then supplies data and infrastructure. Companies like iiNet 
and WestNet (and I may be wrong here as I don't work for them and know 
their infrastructure) probably provide quite a bit of their own ADSL 
network, to the point where they could be viewed as both a retailer and 
wholesaler in the realms of this scenario.


One final paragraph to try and give this some meaning. Consider our 
example: TNet.com.au purchases ADSL connections from (amongst other 
people) Wholesale DSL. Wholesale DSL are a buying group who purchase 
from Comindico who use Telstra to supply clear tails (a clear tail is a 
connection from Telstra's exchange to your house with no data on it). 
Comindico then provide data to this tail through one of Telstra's data 
centers. When choosing your plan you need to look at contention ratio, 
customer service (operating hours, how quickly someone will answer your 
call if you do get stuck in a queue, knowledge), and support for your 
computer environment and applications. It is also good to bear in mind 
that traffic based plans may provide better contention ratios than 
unlimited plans.


Sorry if I have confused anybody.



On the point of provider. Most (if not all) ADSL services are supplied
by Telstra. In effect, BigPond is a customer of the same department as
Westnet, iiNet and others.

What this generally means is that the differences between these 
services

are mostly on price and support. I personally use and recommend
Highway1, and have had good reports about Westnet. I've had no problems
with BigPond and only heard bad things about iiNet.



Stuart Elvish
Business Development Manager
TNet.com.au - Becoming Australia's Favourite Internet SERVICE Provider

Mobile Telephone0433 133 601 (+61 433 133 601)
Email Address   [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Direct Telephone08 9221 7874 (+61 8 9221 7874)
Office Telephone1300 661 NET (1300 661 638)
Direct Facsimile0433 133 598 (+61 433 133 598)
Office Facsimile08 9221 3864 (+61 8 9221 3864)

Re: Broadband Survey (was Big Pond Broadband)

[Robert Howells]

w
On Sunday, February 8, 2004, at 04:38  PM, Rod Blitvich wrote:


Chris and Bob
I can't get ADSL in Sorrento either!
Sob, sob.

I was hoping to sign up with iiNet's  Blink, but:

"iiNet is contacting you regarding your Bliink application under the
username "rblit".

A full Service Qualification has now been conducted on your nominated 
phone

line. Unfortunately your application for ADSL has been rejected due to
Incompatible Infrastructure – RIM (Remote Integrated Multiplexer).

RIM (Remote Integrated Multiplexer) technology allows a communications
carrier to run fibre-optic cable to a location and then convert the 
fibre
signal into traditional phone services. RIMs are significantly cheaper 
to

install in remote locations where there is no existing copper
infrastructure, such as new outer-suburban housing estates, outback 
bush and

islands. Unfortunately, ADSL cannot currently be applied to phone lines
running through a RIM.



That is not entirely correct  !  I have been informed that later model 
RIM's

include a percentage of circuits that are adsl compatible.

But they cost !   .  and as a consequence there is resistance to 
installing them.


This probably needs Political action to force the provision of the 
facility.


Bob

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Craig Ringer]

A few comments...

On Sun, 2004-02-08 at 11:36, Onno Benschop wrote:
>   * Reports on USB modems in my experience have not been too
> favourable, least reason being that they require drivers
> installed on the computer to which it is connected. This
> generally means that incompatibilities (can and do) exist
> between Operating System versions.

I tend to agree there. One nasty surprise can be upgrading one's
operating system, only to discover that the drivers no longer work - and
the manufacturer has no intention of releasing updated drivers. Usually
they will say that the product is unsupported, but if you buy the new


>   * An Ethernet based ADSL modem does not require any drivers,
> though some providers require that you connect using PPPoE,
> which then (sometimes) requires the installation of some
> software on your main (gateway) computer.

PPPoE has the advantage of not being device specific. Your PPPoE
"drivers" will work fine with any provider who supports PPPoE properly,
with any modem. Additionally, most modern OSes support PPPoE out of the
box.

This means that you're unlikely to be left without a 'net connection
because of a hardware or OS upgrade, unlike the USB modem driver case
above.

>   * An Ethernet modem can also be connected to a switch or hub
> instead of directly to an Ethernet socket on your workstation,
> allowing the connection to be shared. This setup though not
> simple to install is the most flexible.

You're much better off getting a DSL router than doing this - there are
security issues, issues with multiple PPPoE logins, etc.

>   * There are also ADSL routers available that are completely
> stand-alone, you just plug your computer into a spare Ethernet
> port.

These routers often have a built in switch, so you can just plug all
your PCs into the router and they all have 'net connectivity.
Alternately, you can plug a DSL router into a separate switch if you (a)
already have  a network or (b) want better network performance than that
which is often provided by router's built in switches.

> If it were my money I'd get an ADSL router, then an Ethernet modem and a
> switch - I would not go near a USB ADSL modem.

I tend to agree there. While my personal preference is to get a basic
ethernet-based DSL modem and use a separate Linux firewall, that's just
not needed for most purposes. For most people a DSL router is ideal.

> On the point of provider. Most (if not all) ADSL services are supplied
> by Telstra. In effect, BigPond is a customer of the same department as
> Westnet, iiNet and others.
> 
> What this generally means is that the differences between these services
> are mostly on price and support. I personally use and recommend
> Highway1, and have had good reports about Westnet. I've had no problems
> with BigPond and only heard bad things about iiNet.

While it's true that the basic connectivity for most ADSL services is
provided by Telstra, there's a lot more to the service than that.
Important reliability and service quality factors entirely under the
control of the individual ISP include proxy, mail and DNS servers,
contention ratio (oversubscription), support lines, and supplied ADSL
hardware.

I understand that these days with most ISPs, Telstra's involvement ends
at the ATM link between the ISP and the central exchange. Thankfully.

> That may or may not be the case, see my comments above. Not to mention
> that adding another Ethernet device to a computer adds a whole new level
> of complexity.

This is especially true with MacOS pre-X, as they don't understand
multiple network interfaces. You're MUCH better off keeping you single
network interface and getting an ADSL router to plug in to your network.

> Plug and play is a nice marketing term that really means: "If you have a
> supported version of the Operating System, the computer, the modem and
> the drivers ready to go, it will mostly work."

Otherwise known as "plug and pray".

> > The best place is  which is a 
> > site covering all broadband matters. The discussion forum is a good 
> > place to get advice about any Bigpond ADSL problems you might 
> > encounter.

In particular, I suggest that you read:
http://whirlpool.net.au/survey/results.htm

> On Sat, 2004-02-07 at 03:22, Brett Carboni wrote: 
> > If you *can* get cable you should seriously think about it or at least
> > do the exercise (IMHO).
> 
> That is sound advice.
> 

Indeed. I've heard from people who use it that BigPond Cable can be
worthwhile. It's only their ADSL services that seem rather poor value.
My experience with it was sufficiently bad that when practical I just
won't deal with Telstra anymore, but they simply must have improved
since then.

Craig Ringer

Re: Broadband Survey (was Big Pond Broadband)

[Rod Blitvich]

Chris and Bob
I can't get ADSL in Sorrento either!
Sob, sob.

I was hoping to sign up with iiNet's  Blink, but:

"iiNet is contacting you regarding your Bliink application under the
username "rblit".

A full Service Qualification has now been conducted on your nominated phone
line. Unfortunately your application for ADSL has been rejected due to
Incompatible Infrastructure – RIM (Remote Integrated Multiplexer).

RIM (Remote Integrated Multiplexer) technology allows a communications
carrier to run fibre-optic cable to a location and then convert the fibre
signal into traditional phone services. RIMs are significantly cheaper to
install in remote locations where there is no existing copper
infrastructure, such as new outer-suburban housing estates, outback bush and
islands. Unfortunately, ADSL cannot currently be applied to phone lines
running through a RIM.

As this is a phone line hardware incompatibility, there is nothing iiNet can
do further with the nominated phone number. You are welcome to supply an
alternative line number for iiNet to try for ADSL compatibility if you have
one, or you may like to consider one of iiNet’s many dial-up options.

Rod








on 8/2/04 2:36 PM, Chris Burton at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> Bob
> 
> great idea. But also, perhaps include those who would like to be on
> broadband, but cannot because of non-accessibility to an exchange etc?
> 
> Me for one, and I live in Perth, the suburb of mullaloo. I went onto
> telstras' web site and they have a link for people to register their
> interest or intent for broad band, by suburb. My suburb had 0% until I
> registered!
> 
> kind regards
> 
> chris
> 
> 
> On 08/02/2004, at 1:12 PM, Bob Jackson wrote:
> 
>> As Onno has previously commented, there are no statistics concerning
>> broadband use by WAMUG members so I am volunteering to conduct a
>> survey of such usage.
>> 
>> It would be appreciated if broadband users could advise (to me direct
>> and not the list) the following information -
>> *name of ISP
>> *broadband type: cable, ADSL, ISDN
>> *location: residence/business
>> Please do not supply information about connections paid for by your
>> employer and used by you at the employer's place of business as it is
>> intended that the survey be restricted to member paid connections.
>> 
>> In a few hours I will be out of the country for 5 days. On my return I
>> will summarise the survey results and post the information to the list
>> (most probably soon after next weekend).
>> 
>> Thanks.
>> Bob
>> 
>> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
>> Archives - 
>> Guidelines - 
>> Unsubscribe - 
>> 
>> WAMUG is powered by Stalker CommuniGatePro
>> 
> 
> 
> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
> Archives - 
> Guidelines - 
> Unsubscribe - 
> 
> WAMUG is powered by Stalker CommuniGatePro
> 

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 (o o)
  *===ooO-(_)-Ooo=*
  | Rod BLITVICH  HOD Science Balcatta Senior High School |
  |   Chair STAWA Electronic Communications Committee |
  | Amy and Sam's Dad |
  | [EMAIL PROTECTED]http://www.stawa.asn.au |
  *===*
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  |   I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.  |
  |   |
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Re: Broadband Survey (was Big Pond Broadband)

[John Taylor]

On 8 Feb 2004, at 2:36 PM, Chris Burton wrote:


Bob





great idea.



kind regards

chris


On 08/02/2004, at 1:12 PM, Bob Jackson wrote:

It would be appreciated if broadband users could advise (to me direct 
and not the list) the following information -

*name of ISP
*broadband type: cable, ADSL, ISDN
*location: residence/business
Please do not supply information about connections paid for by your 
employer and used by you at the employer's place of business as it is 
intended that the survey be restricted to member paid connections.


Thanks.
Bob


Hello All,
I too think it is a good Idea and have sent Bob my entry. How about 
including comments on your's on  the level of satisfaction with the 
service, and the type of modem (Ethernet/USB)?


Regards,

John Taylor

Re: Broadband Survey (was Big Pond Broadband)

[Chris Burton]

Bob

great idea. But also, perhaps include those who would like to be on 
broadband, but cannot because of non-accessibility to an exchange etc?


Me for one, and I live in Perth, the suburb of mullaloo. I went onto 
telstras' web site and they have a link for people to register their 
interest or intent for broad band, by suburb. My suburb had 0% until I 
registered!


kind regards

chris


On 08/02/2004, at 1:12 PM, Bob Jackson wrote:

As Onno has previously commented, there are no statistics concerning 
broadband use by WAMUG members so I am volunteering to conduct a 
survey of such usage.


It would be appreciated if broadband users could advise (to me direct 
and not the list) the following information -

*name of ISP
*broadband type: cable, ADSL, ISDN
*location: residence/business
Please do not supply information about connections paid for by your 
employer and used by you at the employer's place of business as it is 
intended that the survey be restricted to member paid connections.


In a few hours I will be out of the country for 5 days. On my return I 
will summarise the survey results and post the information to the list 
(most probably soon after next weekend).


Thanks.
Bob

-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
Archives - 
Guidelines - 
Unsubscribe - 

WAMUG is powered by Stalker CommuniGatePro

Broadband Survey (was Big Pond Broadband)

[Bob Jackson]

As Onno has previously commented, there are no statistics concerning 
broadband use by WAMUG members so I am volunteering to conduct a 
survey of such usage.


It would be appreciated if broadband users could advise (to me direct 
and not the list) the following information -

*name of ISP
*broadband type: cable, ADSL, ISDN
*location: residence/business
Please do not supply information about connections paid for by your 
employer and used by you at the employer's place of business as it is 
intended that the survey be restricted to member paid connections.


In a few hours I will be out of the country for 5 days. On my return 
I will summarise the survey results and post the information to the 
list (most probably soon after next weekend).


Thanks.
Bob

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Bob Jackson]

At 2:06 PM 8/2/04, Onno Benschop  eloquently proclaimed...


It's been a while since my last post on WAMUG and this particular thread
was so full of (in my opinion) un-informed comment, that I felt the need
to contribute. (And if you're interested, we've now travelled 27.000km
and we're in South Australia.)

In an attempt at making this thread constructive, let me provide some
feedback to, and comment on, some of the messages.




Onno,

Thank you for your rational, unbiased and informative contribution to 
this thread.


Bob

PS..I am well aware of the different requirements etc of ADSL and 
cable, it was just the way my previous posting was perhaps sloppily 
worded.

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Onno Benschop]

It's been a while since my last post on WAMUG and this particular thread
was so full of (in my opinion) un-informed comment, that I felt the need
to contribute. (And if you're interested, we've now travelled 27.000km
and we're in South Australia.)

In an attempt at making this thread constructive, let me provide some
feedback to, and comment on, some of the messages.

On Fri, 2004-02-06 at 12:51, Rick Armstrong wrote: 
> Switching from iinet Explorer dialup to Big Pond Broadband ADSL
> Telstra say plug and play using USB port, they supply free modem and
> self installation kit

It appears as if you think that a USB ADSL modem requires an Ethernet
port. This is not the case. The modem plugs into the wall on one side
and into a USB port on the other.

Things you might want to consider are:
  * Reports on USB modems in my experience have not been too
favourable, least reason being that they require drivers
installed on the computer to which it is connected. This
generally means that incompatibilities (can and do) exist
between Operating System versions.
  * An Ethernet based ADSL modem does not require any drivers,
though some providers require that you connect using PPPoE,
which then (sometimes) requires the installation of some
software on your main (gateway) computer.
  * An Ethernet modem can also be connected to a switch or hub
instead of directly to an Ethernet socket on your workstation,
allowing the connection to be shared. This setup though not
simple to install is the most flexible.
  * There are also ADSL routers available that are completely
stand-alone, you just plug your computer into a spare Ethernet
port.

If it were my money I'd get an ADSL router, then an Ethernet modem and a
switch - I would not go near a USB ADSL modem.


On the point of provider. Most (if not all) ADSL services are supplied
by Telstra. In effect, BigPond is a customer of the same department as
Westnet, iiNet and others.

What this generally means is that the differences between these services
are mostly on price and support. I personally use and recommend
Highway1, and have had good reports about Westnet. I've had no problems
with BigPond and only heard bad things about iiNet.


> (I will probably have to install an additional Ethernet interface as
> existing ethernet is networked on a hub to other devices).

That may or may not be the case, see my comments above. Not to mention
that adding another Ethernet device to a computer adds a whole new level
of complexity.


> I am going to keep the iinet dialup on second telephone line until
> broadband is working smoothly.

That is a smart move.


> I am using G4 OS8.6 and any advice appreciated

This gives more ammunition to the argument against USB, since 8.6 is not
a current Operating System, so many ISPs will likely refuse to support
you.


On Fri, 2004-02-06 at 13:15, James Mandy wrote: 
> If it's plug and play USB, then it's a USB adsl modem. so you wont
> have to do anything with ethernet.

Plug and play is a nice marketing term that really means: "If you have a
supported version of the Operating System, the computer, the modem and
the drivers ready to go, it will mostly work."

If it doesn't work, a support nightmare generally ensues, which many do
not recover from. But you are correct, that if it does work then you
won't need Ethernet.


On Fri, 2004-02-06 at 13:19, Bob Jackson wrote: 
> Until you actually strike a problem it is hard to give any advice.

Correct.


> Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
> Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
> broadband.

While I read a lot of negative feedback on this list about iiNet, there
are to my knowledge no statistics or any information at all to backup
that statement.


> The best place is <http://whirlpool.net.au/> which is a 
> site covering all broadband matters. The discussion forum is a good 
> place to get advice about any Bigpond ADSL problems you might 
> encounter.

That is sound advice.


On Fri, 2004-02-06 at 20:06, Greg Manzie wrote: 
> I must admit (sheepishly) that I have Bigpond Broadband ADSL.

Why? If it does the trick, and it meets your requirements, there is
nothing wrong with choosing one provider over another. For many years
BigPond was my ISP - it always worked for me.


> Yes, it is expensive, but I was able to cancel one of our office phone
> lines by having it. As well, by having all plans, ie. mobile,
> landline, long distance calls etc. with Telstra, I get 15% off all 
> bills. So pricing should be considered as a package.

Absolutely!


> As well as competitive prices on most things. If there is a better
> plan for your business, they will ring you and give
> you the cheaper price, ev

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[logrythm]

On 06/02/2004, at 1:19 PM, Bob Jackson wrote:


At 11:26 AM 6/2/04, Matthew Healey  eloquently proclaimed...


On 06/02/2004, at 10:49 AM, Bob Jackson wrote:

Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
broadband.


That statement on it's own should throw up a big red flag!

- Matt


It is also a reflection that not many members -
*can afford broadband
*live in locations where cable is available
*have current experience of Bigpond ADSL and are referring to its 
previous bad history (which was then justified).


Currently I put Bigpond internet services in the same basket as windoze:
If you own it you'll probably have to fix it.
If you can fix it you'll have REGULAR income, good for me bad for you.

Paul

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Brett Carboni]

> I must admit (sheepishly) that I have Bigpond Broadband ADSL.
> 
> Yes, it is expensive, but I was able to cancel one of our office phone
> lines by having it. As well, by having all plans, ie. mobile,
> landline, long distance calls etc. with Telstra, I get 15% off all
> bills. So pricing should be considered as a package.

I agree with Greg. The plans help. We have a 'spare' line for fax/eftpod etc
which I will bring over to Telstra and even preselect even though
rarely/never use for o/seas calls, and doing that brings the bill down a
bit, although I still reckon it's expensive and, yes, it was infuriating
when they put a cap on and then upped the price. And there's no 'opposition'
as such so they have a monopoly. And the heartbeat thing is annoying.

But you have to consider things as they are now.

The service is *very* fast for me. Seen download speeds (admittedly maybe
from Akamai mirrors etc) of 700k/sec, not that many times it has been down
(compared to what, though), it has a good ping rate and there is a 10Gb cap
which is a lot even for me.

But if I didn't have it I would probably go for Westnet seeing so many
people agree that it's good.

If you *can* get cable you should seriously think about it or at least do
the exercise (IMHO).

Brett Carboni
Tsunami
"Now with Mac powered internet ready cable sushi"

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Greg Manzie]

Hi Everyone

I must admit (sheepishly) that I have Bigpond Broadband ADSL.

Yes, it is expensive, but I was able to cancel one of our office phone 
lines by having it. As well, by having all plans, ie. mobile,
landline, long distance calls etc. with Telstra, I get 15% off all 
bills. So pricing should be considered as a package.


As well as competitive prices on most things. If there is a better plan 
for your business, they will ring you and give

you the cheaper price, even if your old plan has not expired.

No dial up cost, almost never a denial of service in 2 years, 
Reasonable 24 x 7 help line (they are not all Mac
literate but they usually can find someone on duty who can answer my 
dumb questions).


I have used a Macintosh PM 6200, 64 Meg RAM OS 8.6 with ADSL 
(slow). But now use G4 400 MHz (PCI graphics), 128 Meg RAM, 
OS10.3.2,

10 Gig & 20 Gig internal HD's, SCSI card, Netgear RP 614 Router,
Alcatel Speed Touch ADSL Modem through built in Ethernet.

I don't have many issues with this service. It just works, which is 
more than I can say for some things on my Macs.


If there are any questions that you have, please feel free to contact 
me.


Regards,

Greg Manzie
Director
Glyde Gallery Conservation
Fine Art Conservators and Museum Consultants

5 Glyde Street
Mosman Park
Perth, Western Australia
6012

Phone 08 9383 3929 or 0438 833 144

PS.  At least I avoid the use of anything by Microsloth (Microsoft 
Works is a contradiction in terms).


On 06/02/2004, at 1:19 PM, Bob Jackson wrote:


At 11:26 AM 6/2/04, Matthew Healey  eloquently proclaimed...


On 06/02/2004, at 10:49 AM, Bob Jackson wrote:

Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
broadband.


That statement on it's own should throw up a big red flag!

- Matt


It is also a reflection that not many members -
*can afford broadband
*live in locations where cable is available
*have current experience of Bigpond ADSL and are referring to its 
previous bad history (which was then justified).


Bob

-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
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Unsubscribe - 

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Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Bob Jackson]

At 11:26 AM 6/2/04, Matthew Healey  eloquently proclaimed...


On 06/02/2004, at 10:49 AM, Bob Jackson wrote:

Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
broadband.


That statement on it's own should throw up a big red flag!

- Matt


It is also a reflection that not many members -
*can afford broadband
*live in locations where cable is available
*have current experience of Bigpond ADSL and are referring to its 
previous bad history (which was then justified).


Bob

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Matthew Healey]

On 06/02/2004, at 10:49 AM, Bob Jackson wrote:

Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
broadband.


That statement on it's own should throw up a big red flag!

- Matt

--

0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0
 Matt Healey[EMAIL 
PROTECTED]

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Bob Jackson]

At 10:21 AM 6/2/04, Rick Armstrong  eloquently proclaimed...


Switching from iinet Explorer dialup to Big Pond Broadband ADSL
Telstra say plug and play using USB port, they supply free modem and self
installation kit
(I will probably have to install an additional Ethernet interface as
existing ethernet is networked on a hub to other devices). I am going to
keep the iinet dialup on second telephone line until broadband is working
smoothly.
I am using G4 OS8.6 and any advice appreciated
Many thanks,
Rick


Until you actually strike a problem it is hard to give any advice.

Generally, the WAMUG list is not a good place to get advice about 
Bigpond ADSL or cable because not many members are on Bigpond 
broadband. The best place is <http://whirlpool.net.au/> which is a 
site covering all broadband matters. The discussion forum is a good 
place to get advice about any Bigpond ADSL problems you might 
encounter.


Bob

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[Craig Ringer]

On Fri, 2004-02-06 at 10:21, Rick Armstrong wrote:
> Switching from iinet Explorer dialup to Big Pond Broadband ADSL
> Telstra say plug and play using USB port, they supply free modem and self
> installation kit
> (I will probably have to install an additional Ethernet interface as
> existing ethernet is networked on a hub to other devices). I am going to
> keep the iinet dialup on second telephone line until broadband is working
> smoothly.

>From what you mention, you won't need an extra NIC because they're
sending you a USB ethernet modem. Make sure this modem will work with
your mac - it might not be supported. You'd probably be better off
paying a little more to get an ethernet DSL modem and a NIC anyway, as
the USB ones can be quirky, you need drivers, and they're sometimes
slow.

I'd advise switching to iiNet or WestNet ADSL instead, if you still have
the choice. See the archives for a recent discussion of that topic.

Craig Ringer

Re: Big Pond Broadband

[James Mandy]

If it's plug and play USB, then it's a USB adsl modem. so you wont have to
do anything with ethernet.

- Original Message -
From: Rick Armstrong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: WAMUG Mailing List 
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 10:21 AM
Subject: Big Pond Broadband


> Switching from iinet Explorer dialup to Big Pond Broadband ADSL
> Telstra say plug and play using USB port, they supply free modem and self
> installation kit
> (I will probably have to install an additional Ethernet interface as
> existing ethernet is networked on a hub to other devices). I am going to
> keep the iinet dialup on second telephone line until broadband is working
> smoothly.
> I am using G4 OS8.6 and any advice appreciated
> Many thanks,
> Rick
>
>
> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml>
> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml>
> Unsubscribe - <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> WAMUG is powered by Stalker CommuniGatePro

Big Pond Broadband

[Rick Armstrong]

Switching from iinet Explorer dialup to Big Pond Broadband ADSL
Telstra say plug and play using USB port, they supply free modem and self
installation kit
(I will probably have to install an additional Ethernet interface as
existing ethernet is networked on a hub to other devices). I am going to
keep the iinet dialup on second telephone line until broadband is working
smoothly.
I am using G4 OS8.6 and any advice appreciated
Many thanks, 
Rick