For some reason I can't post to WAMUG, but thought that given the recent
spate of messages regarding iinet, Bliink etc you may pass this on if you
think it helpful.
Today I received the DSL 300 modem for my Bliink account with iinet. I use
OS X on a G3 PowerBook. I wanted a connection on a line shared with a fax
machine. In order to do that, all I had to do was buy a double RJ12 plug
from Dick Smith. Installation was easy, even though not covered by the
manual that came with the kit because OS X has its own PPoE client as part
of the operating system. There was one problem with authentication and that
was solved by using my full email address in the "username" box, instead of
my user name.
Still coming to you via dial-up, I was very interested in this message.
We also have a fax sharing the line with the modem and we have done
all the things mentioned. In addition one of the WA Solutions guys
spent more than 1.5 hours here yesterday trying to connect to our new
BLIINK account.
He brought his Titanium laptop which can connect from other
locations. The only extra thing he achieved, which I had not, was the
ability to ping the iinet DNS Server as well as the IP address
(nothing else pingable). But he could not obtain the iinet home page
at that address or do anything else. Lots of talk to a Mac expert
from iinet, and to a friendly Internet guru, all to no avail.
I have now reloaded both OS X.1.2 and OS 9.2 after erasing the
partitions. This because I fear something bad happened when I
installed Virtual PC 5. I obeyed instructions and loaded it via OS X
so it would run under either system but I had a great deal of trouble
and eventually de-installed and re-installed in OS 9.2 before I could
get it working.
Our WA Solutions friend will return and have another go in the near future.
Mind you I wonder if our troubles are because we sent a rude message
to iinet about our account. We applied for ADSL on 14/6 and were told
it would take 2-3 weeks for Telstra to check the suitability of the
line. On the 18/6 our password was changed without telling us. This
was extremely inconvenient as it was the day Graham's mother died.
After a harrowing day I tried to send some emails and could not
connect. I hung on to the support line for over 30 minutes with no
answer and had to give up. Next day after a phone call it was changed
back.
Eventually we were told on 24/6 that the account had been approved
and that the modem would be sent to us with instructions. I sent an
email asking that instructions for Mac would be sent. Answer: the
instructions are the same for both PCs and Macs. UNTRUE the only
instruction which might be construed as a Mac instructions says 'if
you do not have a white or silver CD ring iinet'.
When the modem arrived on 28/6 we had a blue CD and after finding no
READ ME stuff on it we rang and found it was superfluous. Everything
is done via your browser. We were still recovering from the trauma of
the funeral so we did not try until Monday 1/7, list members know
what happened - zilch.
Then we found we were being billed for the new account from 18/6 when
we did not even have the modem until 28/6. We sent an email
mentioning the nit-wits who run the place and that charging for a
service before it was supplied was fraud. This may be the reason we
are being shut out!
The accounts people have now agreed to only charge us from the time
we first connected! This was 1/7 as far as they are concerned, though
the link is still useless. And they have agreed to reverse the charge
for our extra mail box which we no longer need. Despite telling them
we no longer needed it they took the money for it on 30/6, even
though our latest invoice indicated it would be taken on 12/7.
We have not even mentioned that one of their support staff told me I
needed a filter for every device on the line. I told him the only
things on the line are the fax and the modem. I was told 2 filters
were necessary and so we now have a spare one. I had no idea that the
filters filtered out the ADSL frequencies and thus were anathema to
the ADSL modem!
Oh how I wish we had 'bitten the bullet' and abandoned our email
address and gone to Highway One.
Diana
