[Gllug] ADSL modem -- WTF?

Tethys tet at createservices.com
Thu Jul 15 12:35:51 UTC 2004


I went up to TCR the other lunchtime to try and get a simple ADSL
bridge/router for my parents' imminent ADSL line. When I went and
asked, the salesdroids all asked if I already had a modem[1]. WTF?
Given that there is no modulation/demodulation going on, it's got
to be a marketing ploy, as that's a term people are used to. But
what is it? You can buy a standalone ADSL modem, an ADSL router,
or a single box with the two combined. If the "modem" is the bit
that handles the PPPoA, then what's the router (i.e., what makes
it specifically an ADSL router as opposed to any other IP router)?

All I want is a box with two leads -- one into my phone socket and
off to my ISP, and one into my firewall (and on to the rest of my
network). It needs to be able to route my IP range frmo the outside
world and on into my network. It looks like the D-Link DSL-502T
should do that. Does that sound reasonable?

Incidentally, has anyone else noticed how hard it is to buy a
non-wireless ADSL router these days?

Tet

[1] In their limited world, a modem is for single computers, and a
    router is for multiple computers. But you can get routers without
    an integrated hub/switch, so I wonder how they expect that to work.
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