>>>>> "Victor" == Victor Soich <vso...@gmail.com> writes:
Victor> Hi all, First, a bit of background.... I thought I lived in a Victor> comcast monopoly area, and just recently had a knock on my door Victor> in S.E. Portland from a guy saying I could get centurylink Victor> internet services. I might make the plunge and pay 25 bucks a Victor> month for 40 Mbs download speed, unless I hear heavy criticism Victor> about centurylihk service, as opposed to comcast. If I take the Victor> plunge, then I have to go through the rigmarole of returning a Victor> recently purchased docsys 3.0 comcast cable modem. Victor> So...if I take the plunge, and return the comcast modem, then I Victor> have to get a ZyXEL C1100Z Victor> <https://internethelp.centurylink.com/internethelp/modem-c1100z.html> Victor> https://internethelp.centurylink.com/internethelp/modem-compatibility-table.html Victor> https://internethelp.centurylink.com/internethelp/pdf/modems/datasheet-c1000z.pdf Victor> http://www.amazon.com/C1100Z-802-11n-Wireless-Gateway-CenturyLink/dp/B015ELWZ16/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459492620&sr=1-1&keywords=ZyXEL+C1100Z+Modem Victor> http://www.amazon.com/Zyxel-C1000Z-Centurylink-performance-router/dp/B0074VKK26/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459492620&sr=1-2&keywords=ZyXEL+C1100Z+Modem Victor> So, I bought a raspberry pi. I want to turn it into a wireless Victor> access point. I have to learn about ifconfig, and other tools. Victor> That's fine. Also, I want to make it into a DHCP server, so I Victor> have to learn how to configure some files. That's fine. Also, Victor> I want to build a firewall, so I have to learn about the nft Victor> command, which is some sort of successor to iptables. That's Victor> fine. I basically want my future raspberry pi to have the Victor> functionality of the ZyXel C1100Z Victor> The part I'm concerned about is the RJ11 wire that goes from the Victor> ZyXEL C1100Z to something called a network terminal, that will Victor> let me access the fiber optic line that may come to my house. I Victor> hope I said that correctly enough. Victor> So can I get some sort of dohicky converter thingy (to use a Victor> technical term!) to turn one of the usb ports on my raspberry pi Victor> into a "phone jack" or "DSL" port...if I'm saying that right, Victor> and then install some sort of software on the raspberry pi Victor> rasbian debian OS, that will let me communicate with the network Victor> terminal. Just like I need to possibly learn how to recompile a Victor> kernel to make use of the nft tool, do I analogously somehow put Victor> on some software on the raspberry pi, that in the end will make Victor> my raspberry pi a complete replacement for the ZyXEL Victor> C1100Z....and thus communicate through the RJ11 ( not ethernet ) Victor> port. Victor> I want to do this for the learning of DHCP servers, wifi access Victor> points, firewalls, et. al. I just don't know if the DSL RJ11 Victor> parts is possible. If it is not possilble, then I'll buy the Victor> ZyXEL C1100Z. If it is possible, then I'll rent the ZyXEL Victor> C1100Z, until I figure out how to replicate the latter product Victor> on a raspberry pi. If what I'm asking to try to do is really Victor> stupid, and very involved, i.e. the DSL RJ11 part, not the other Victor> stuff, then I'll just buy the ZyXELL C1100Z. If I have to do Victor> things like solder something, for example, then I'm out. Victor> This all assumes that I'm not disabused of my notion of Victor> switching from Comcast to CenturyLink in the first place. Victor> So, while I may be a bit barbarous in my phrasing, I hope I was Victor> articulate enough to get my point across. So, should I just Victor> stick with comcast over centurylink. If I go with centurylink, Victor> can I implement the functionality of the ZyXEL C1100Z DSL phone Victor> jack RJ11 in the raspberry pi, or is that just dumb to do. First off, if it's fiber, then you aren't going to use the rj-11. If you are plugging in the rj-11, and it's really a 40 Mbps download service, then it's probably bonded DSL (they use two pairs of copper and gang them for extra speed). If it's DSL, you'll need a DSL modem (their C1100Z or something equivalent). If it's fiber, they will try to sell or rent you a router to plug it into. You don't need it, but you will need your PPPoE credentials that they would normally program into their router. You also need to set up a VLAN on your router (VLAN 201) in order to talk to the fiber box they will screw on the side of your house (if they are really installing fiber, which I'm skeptical about). Find out which they are promising. The people who come to your door are not really reliable sources of information, generally. They are there to say what they need to say to get you to sign up so they can get their commission or whatever sales incentive they have. Furthermore, a Raspberry Pi is not going to make a very good wireless access point. Only the version 3 has built in wifi, and it's *probably* fairly crappy (with a crappy antenna). If it's less than a version 3, then you'd need a USB wifi dongle, and usually, they make lousy access points as well. The (solitary) ethernet port on a raspberry pi is on USB as well, which has been a weak point historically. You can either try buying a reflashable access point (until recently, a reasonably easy thing to do, though we are in a period of some uncertainty at the moment due to a new FCC regulation on 3rd party firmware), or you could look for something like an Alix or APU from a company called PC Engines if you really want to roll your own. Lastly, CenturyLink is a horrible, horrible company. It's nice that they are trying a little harder to compete with Comcast these days, and to try to deploy fiber before Google gets in gear in Portland, but they are no panacea. Try to avoid any contract commitments, as you really lose leverage when you sign up for a contract term. If you can bail, you will have more of their attention to fix problems. Also, record every conversation you have with them. Tell them you are recording the call for quality assurance. If possible negotiate on their chat feature and save the chat log. You'll need it when your first bill arrives and it has lots of inventive things on it. Good luck! -- Russell Senior, President russ...@personaltelco.net _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug