where to start... my personal view - I have been on dsl at the office since not long after it started and have followed the adsl mailing list and tried to keep up with the linux compatible technology.
if you can get saturn/paradise.telstra/whatever they call themselves/ cable then go for it. Otherwise get jetstart through paradise, 128k, no extra phone line, 10G limit per month. In either case (or on dialup) get a high end 486 or lower end pentium and set it up as a gateway/router. If you are using a pci dsl card you will need a pentium with a pci slot obviously. On DSL get a modem that allows you to get the public ip address onto your linux gateway and do your own NAT/firewalling. That avoids problems with e.g various protocols not getting through proprietary NAT nachines built into the various adsl modems. The dsl modems I know that will allow this are: 3com dualconnect (PPPoA - PPPoE bridge) traverse pulsar pci alcatel speedtouch home or pro (not usb) I saw recently that the dlink dsl 300 or 300+ can do this in bridging mode. (check this out, not sure of details). This all may not be THE cheapest option, I have not run the numbers for a while. However it should give maximum satisafction! Phone wires are pins 2 and 5 on the sockets, red and white wires on my setup (but it could have been wired by wallies to begin with - the important thing is to be consistent I guess) . Its a two wire system, 2 and 5 are the only pins used. On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 21:05:49 +1200 Matt Agnew <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sorry to ramble here, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated... > > I'm shifting to a new (old) house next week, and have been thinking > about how to set up internet access there. I have as existing > hardware: > > -Homebuilt 1.6G box dual-booting win2k and Mandrake (thanks Wesley) > with LAN card > -Wife's Dell laptop, win98se (and no, she won't change), PCMCIA 56k > modem and LAN card > -Linksys BEFSR41 router > -Access to many meters of very cheap CAT5 and easy access to drop it > into rooms. > > Currently only the laptop is online and the computers aren't > networked. > I would like to get both boxes online, and have been deciding > whether > to go dialup or DSL. I would like to solicit opinions on DSL > providers - I'm leaning toward Paradise as they have provided flawless > dialup for six months. I like, but don't really need, high bandwidth. > I download > a lot of music from Usenet, but with a dedicated dialup these can be > queued overnight. I like to listen to streaming music (SomaFM, Monkey > Radio), but the couple of times I've tried it here in NZ (at the e-caf > etc) there have been too many dropouts to make it worth listening. > DSL traffic limits may make this financially impossible as well. > > I went looking for a DSL modem today, and could only find a USB modem, > which wouldn't allow the use of the Linksys router. Another option > was a "DSL router" for $320 at PCU. The salesclerk said it had one in > and one out - this doesn't make it a router does it? Or is this > another language quirk us Yanks have to learn? (Birds have wings, cars > have FENDERS!) Any other suggestions on cheap DSL modems? > > I've given some thought to a dedicated linux gateway on a cheap old > box, but it's A: more hardware to buy and maintain B: more electricity > than the Linksys and C: not wife friendly. A dedicated machine might > work for sharing dialup, but including the second phone line, ISP > charges, and equipment purchase DSL may only be a little bit more > expensive. > > Last question (as if): Where I come from (the country that coined the > term "collateral damage" and is currently inflicting it) phone cable > is four colo(u)rs. I was up in the attic of the house today looking > at the mess of phone cable and the colours were different. Sure nuff, > the Dicky Smith catalog lists the unfamiliar-looking stuff as > "telepermitted". Can anyone explain this term? And what colours go > to what terminals on a phone jack? The DS catalog has much handy info > in it but not this. > > Thanks so much for any help. When Renovation Madness settles down I > swear I'll make it to more meetings! > > Matt > The former Imp-driving Yank > www.enginemusic.com > > -- Nick Rout Barrister & Solicitor Christchurch, NZ Ph +64 3 3798966 Fax + 64 3 3798853 http://www.rout.co.nz [EMAIL PROTECTED]
