Finally Got DSL

Redoverfarm · December 26, 2007, 05:22:46 PM

Well I finally broke down into the deep pockets of my wallet and got DSL on Monday. It was short lived with only lasting for 2 hours and then going out. I thought it would be a good Christmas present for my wife, kids and me. Well you can guess that it was the day before christmas and I could not get it checked on until today(wednesday). Well a friend with the local phone co. came and had to up-grade and change out the power box. Ended up getting cordless which really is an advantage if I had a laptop to use it with. Maybe the boy can pick up one in the future ( to get him off this one). Anyway it's swell if it's well. Really iffy being that I am just a tad bit over the linear footage from the supply. We'll see what happens.

Anyway I couldn't get on line to tell everyone Merry Christmas so I hope yours was as good as ours.

MountainDon · December 26, 2007, 08:09:20 PM

Whoo Hoo!! DSL is very cool after dialup. I hope it works for you. You got the 256/256KB?

December 26, 2007, 08:25:12 PM

Don't know about the numbers Don but it is lightning compared to Dial Up. It will probably take the hassel of downloading photos as well.

desdawg · December 27, 2007, 08:38:40 AM

I wish it were available in my area but so far it isn't. I don't follow a lot of links that get posted just because of the waiting time for things to load on dial up. It is right up there with watching paint-or wood dry. Many times I just pass things up and only get part of the story.

MountainDon · December 27, 2007, 09:41:53 AM

desdawg, If you use Firefox for a browser you can turn off the image loading. It can be turned back on for things you do want to see and off again.

December 27, 2007, 11:23:13 AM

Congratulations, Red. DSL makes a major difference. If you're like most folks you won't spend less time at your machine, but just download more.

If you are curious and want to see what your true up and down speeds are, you can do a broadband speed test like this one: http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Redoverfarm · December 27, 2007, 05:43:13 PM

Thanks Drew. Don't really understand but this is what it showed

Download 681

Upload 374

Good or Bad?

John

MountainDon · December 27, 2007, 07:12:24 PM

The numbers are KiloBytes Per Second (KBPS). No wonder you said it was lightning compared to dialup. Those are pretty good numbers, depending on what you're paying for. The first number is always the data speed for a Download, the second the data speed for Uploading.

There are different tiers, and your phone company may offer something a little different than mine. Here we can choose between 3 tiers. Note these speeds are up to the number listed, not guaranteed. We can have 256Mbps Download / 256 Kpbs Upload, or 1.5 Mbps Down / 896 Kbps UP, and 5 - 7 Mbps Down / ?? Up.

When I had 256/256 the best I ever saw was around 230/230. The mid service (1.5MBps/768 KBps) has done as high as 1.4 MBps Down / 720 KBps Up.

So check what you're paying for and you'll see just how well that line that's just a bit longer than specs call for, is really doing.

glenn kangiser · December 28, 2007, 12:06:56 AM

I have around 675 to 1200 down and 175 to 215 up - average -- not bad for the underground HQ.

December 28, 2007, 08:31:06 AM

Quote from: MountainDon on December 27, 2007, 09:41:53 AM
desdawg, If you use Firefox for a browser you can turn off the image loading. It can be turned back on for things you do want to see and off again.

Do you use Firefox Don? If so does everything else continue to function as usual? I am such a creature of habit that making a big change seems initimidating. And probably time consuming. I googled and took a quick look, didn't go to any depth.

glenn kangiser · December 28, 2007, 11:02:42 AM

I checked it for you, desdawg. All images of any kind including avatars, stars etc are blocked which makes it fly for loading. Not as colorful but great for dial up.

You can do it on the fly - not restart Firefox. Just go to tools/options/un-check load images automatically and no images are shown.

If you want to see one- go back and recheck it then reload the page. All text is there.

MountainDon · December 28, 2007, 12:28:27 PM

As Glenn indicated it's very easy to switch from "load images" to do not load. All images, even the little buttons are replaced with plain text. You have to click on the browser reload button to see the change take effect on the page you are viewing when the change is made. Smilies disappear too.

Also it is possible to have image loading turned off and enter particular web sites as an "exception" to the do not display images rule. Maybe more trouble than it's worth? Or converesely you can have Firefox set to allow all images all the time, but block certain sites.

Also when blocking or allowing images from certain sites, Firefox only reads the actual url, not extended url's. By that I mean if you try to block www.countryplans.com/smf/index.php (the FORUM) it only recognizes the www.countryplans.com portion and also blocks all images on the PLANS site.

MountainDon · December 28, 2007, 01:09:33 PM

One more re changing to Firefox. I love Firefox. I love some of the many plugins available that make browsing more enjoyable. But, let it be understood right up front, there are websites that may have features that don't work with Firefox, sites that require Internet Explorer. Sites like Microsoft Windows Update or Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility site. No surprise there. I've run into a few others as well, but by and large Firefox does everything. So I keep a copy of MSIE on the computer as well.

Just so anyone doesn't get angry at me for suggesting Firefox.

glenn kangiser · December 28, 2007, 01:16:20 PM

An easy remedy for that -- IE Tab -- IE can be embedded in a Firetox tab - If one doesn't work in Firefox, just right click and select Switch Rendering Engine or View Page In IE Tab.

The page will re-load in a tab on Firefox but be running in Internet Explorer. Works great for video's that need Windows Media Player - which doesn't seem to work in my Firefox at least.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419

December 28, 2007, 04:35:13 PM

IE Tab...

Like I said I love Firefox and all the add-ons. (I called 'm plugins... my error)

Homegrown Tomatoes · December 28, 2007, 04:55:47 PM

Ahhh. High speed is so nice. We didn't have it until we moved here. Now I'm totally spoiled to it.

glenn kangiser · December 28, 2007, 10:11:18 PM

High speed is cool, Homegrown. Makes all of our pictures load faast and gives the gov. unfettered surveillance opportunities. I'm sure they dislike dial up too.

Drew · January 01, 2008, 12:56:06 AM

In that case we should all use PGP and I2P to encrypt and anonymize all of our traffic. It's a little tough to set up, but it makes the analyst johnnies look somewhere easier.

glenn kangiser · January 01, 2008, 01:24:46 AM

The forum needs to be searchable anyway so others can find it but for myself I feel it is invasive. I have nothing to hide but our government was never supposed to spy on us without cause and a warrant.

For those who care, your cell phone or computer are hotlines to the spooks if they want them to be. A program like a virus can turn on the microphone of your computer or cell phone and you can be monitored whenever they want.

People have already been apprehended using this technology. Some may be for good, but that's not the point.

benevolance · January 01, 2008, 01:45:47 AM

i could never go back to dial up again...though to be fair they have made some pretty huge advancements to dial up...Just that the internet has gotten so massive with the size of files that dial up even enhanced struggles to keep up... Every web page has ditigal imaging and audio files...The size of these things are mind boggling... I mean people do not seem to stop and think how fast the home computer has advanced...We have not doubled the capacity of the processors from the last decade...We have squared them like 3-4 times... It is astonishing when you look at the whole picture...

If I was living in a remote area I would go for satellite...Very fast even if it is expensive....It is worth it....I do not watch TV...I can hardly function without internet

January 02, 2008, 07:50:30 AM

I checked on the download and it was going to take 30+ minutes. I will do it when I have time after all of your hearty recommendo's. Maybe I will click it on when I hit the sack some evening.
If I could get portable satellite I might do it. I have too many houses to pay for it three times.

MountainDon · January 02, 2008, 11:35:57 AM

Quote from: desdawg on January 02, 2008, 07:50:30 AM
If I could get portable satellite I might do it. I have too many houses to pay for it three times.

I'd love portable satellite!! Wish there was such a thing.. heck they won't even let you install your own internet dish. Has to be done by the pros. I got laughed at when I asked if I could switch the service from one dish to another. I told them I'd even pay for the two dishes.

glenn kangiser · January 02, 2008, 11:47:11 AM

There is an aircard for laptops -- only works in certain areas though I think - is problematic and expensive in my opinion.

Redoverfarm · January 02, 2008, 12:03:58 PM

I guess you are referring to something like "Hughsnet". In this county you cannot get this service unless it is approved by the NRAO. They oversee all the transmission being that it is a "radio free zone". From what I understand about Hughsnet is that weather is a factor in the reception sort of like satelight television.

benevolance · January 02, 2008, 01:02:06 PM

my dad has satellite TV... always complains about it not working in a light rain or snow especially......