[Gloucs] ADSL (at last)

[Mark Adams]

Steve Searle wrote:

>BT are converting Hucclecote exchange for ADSL at last, so I should be
>able to move off my dial-up modem next month.  I use IPCop to protect my
>small home network - does anyone have any thoughts or experience as to
>what sort of ADSL modem, router, etc. should work best.
>
>Cheers
>
>Steve
>
>  
>
A lot of people use the Alcatel strange blue thing which has Linux 
support.  Linux support is solid, apparently.  Some of the Linux support 
is available only as binaries provided by Alcatel which might prevent 
you upgrading to a new Linux version.

I'm connected to BT broadband using the BT Voyager USB.  Linux support 
is available (open source!) from eciadsl.sf.net.  It's 100% reliable 
when its connected, but may take a couple of goes to connect.  I leave 
mine permanently connected, so no probs for me there.

Lots of people like the Draytek devices www.draytek.co.uk  You use a 
dedicated ADSL device which has firewalls, IP masquerading, DHCP server 
and an Ethernet hub built in.  You have to configure your modem in 
Windows and upload the configuration information to the device.  But 
once that's done, you connect the modem to the Draytek, and throw 
windows away.  Almost everything can be configured using the web - the 
only thing it won't do is learn about your modem, for which it needs 
windows.  Especially good to recommend to people who are stupid about 
security, since strong firewalling is on by default.  At around 180 
quid, it's over twice the cost of a USB modem.

You should bear the whole support thing in mind when choosing a provider 
and a modem.  Even though Linux diagnostics are probably more useful to 
the engineers, if the ADSL goes down, the provider isn't going to help 
you unless you have the modem connected by Windows, and can tell them 
the Windows error message.

Mark.