[Gllug] Off Topic: Backup ISP

[John Edwards]

On Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 09:00:10PM +0000, Mick Farmer wrote:
> Dear GLLUGers,
> 
> At home we have Plusnet broadband and Virgin cable TV.  Good
> service and reliable.
> 
> My wife has broadband access from home to the Human Resouces
> servers at Senate House in central London (for payroll
> etc.).
> 
> She is investigating using our house as a backup user site
> in case Senate House is not acccessible.  The backup servers
> are housed outside London.

I'm not sure what you mean by "a backup user site". If you mean a
"work from home" VPN, then that's easy enough.

But if it involves editing or copying files then you may find that
you need a wired connection instead of a wireless for the speed. Also
copying files to a laptop of home computer might lead to some legal
complications (University regulations, Data Protection Act, etc).


> Our Plusnet broadband connection should be able to access
> the backup servers.
> 
> However, she's looking for a second route in case Plusnet
> (and presumably BT) have problems.

What sort of situations are likely where both Senate House and your
ADSL line are down at the same time? And might that also cause a
problem with your alternative internet connection method?


> One obvious alternative is adding Virgin broadband to our
> setup.  What do you think of Virgin's service?

Absolutely terrible customer service. Here's just one example:
	http://jonnynexus.com/2011/03/08/how-virgin-media-shafted-us-again/

They are probably OK for cheap casual web browsing if you already
have a phone/TV contract with them. Don't use them for anything
important or expect them to lift a finger to help you.


> Is there another alternative?  Presumably only one broadband
> provider can use the local loop.  What about a dongle?

Some smarter ADSL routers can use a mobile wireless dongle as a
fall-back connection. It does depend of how good the mobile phone
signal is at your house. And watch out for traffic limits.

It should be OK for the VPN, but not for some types of remote working
such as an RDP Windows Remote Desktop or browsing a CIFS file sharing
network.


-- 
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|    John Edwards   Email: john at cornerstonelinux.co.uk    |
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