Waiting for internet

[RWB]

OK I know the whole procedure for getting DSL can take a while as they actually physically do **** to get it to your home. But WHY OH WHY must cable take a week! All they do is flip a switch and give you a cable modem! I WANT MY CABLE!

AND I WANT IT NOW!

/end rant

[sfleuriet]

I guess this is a good time to ask..... why DOES DSL take a 3-5 days to get activated? What exactly do they have to do?

[profdlp]

Is the apartment already wired for cable? If it is, most companies let you pick the box up and do it yourself. If you already own a cable modem you may even be able to just hook it up and give them a phone call.

Beats two orange juice can and a ball of string. :p

[RWB]

I guess this is a good time to ask..... why DOES DSL take a 3-5 days to get activated? What exactly do they have to do?

When I worked for Verizon some people waited for MONTHS to get service, though if it takes that long then you're most likely SCREWED. It's a bit confusing, even for me. I've helped install DSL in hotels, but the "CO" or Central Office is located in the hotel so nothing crazy happens. Basically, they have to "wire" your phone lines into a DSLAM or ASAM switch in a CO which provides you the DSL signal. You must be within a certain "loop length" as well, but a number of factors can hinder you getting a good signal, such as one or more of the weird objects you see on the telephone lines which can either split a connection or extend the connection, these can actually hinder the DSL signal and they have to get approval for altering these type of things. Naturally they won't do this for just one person.

They call it provisioning, and REAL work is done to get a DSL signal working.

Sad news is this... even if you had DSL at one point, DOES NOT MEAN you can get it again if you cancel your account, the lines could have been given to someone else. And since a DSLAM or ASAM works similarly to an Ethernet Switch, there's only so many lines that a CO can hand out. So you could be next door to the CO and not get service until someone else cancels, but then you have to wait in a que.

That's the basics... haven't read this article yet but the site is usually pretty good at telling how it is...
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm

[RWB]

Is the apartment already wired for cable? If it is, most companies let you pick the box up and do it yourself. If you already own a cable modem you may even be able to just hook it up and give them a phone call.

Beats two orange juice can and a ball of string. :p


That's what I thought... I'm gonna have to call them if I can get through on a weekend and if I am awake during normal business hours and see what can be done.

[CB]

In some areas, like where I live, you can't get cable turned on without a technician. If you try to see if they'll let you just do it yourself, they let you know that it requires a highly qualified team. Some really complicated **** goes down when they show up.

Get this:
Cable guy pulls up in his truck full of all the complicated tools, and wires, and other cable guys, and actually gets out of the truck. I couldn't believe it myself... these guys are freekin' geniuses... but that's not the most complex part, then they walk into your house and turn on your TV (You can see how no normal person could handle all this).

Then, he gets out his specialized Cable-setting-up-phone, and dials the secret super-technical number. You can barely understand what the guys say on this phone because the jargon is so specific, it's like another language: "Okay, I'm at [address]. Turn it on.... Okay, it's working, thanks." I mean, after that, I think I finally understand how my students feel when I talk about Verb Tense.

Finally, they put their phone away, and return to the truck... They proly go back to the base and take a nap on a cot or something, 'cause what they do is seriously hard work, I can tell.

[sfleuriet]

lmao.... I feel better now after reading that description :D

[profdlp]

You're killing me, CB. ;D

[fatcat]

Some really complicated **** goes down when they show up.

OMG...I almost fell back in my chair laughing so hard...just awesome CB

[RWB]

Well I had to wait it out, the guy had to hook up some crap outside, which took maybe 20 minutes, I know he was hurrying to because it's ****ing cold outside. Then had to call it in... ghey.

Anyways, I have a good connection of 6Mbps down and 488Kbps up... not too bad. Pings to yahoo show it ranging randomly between 60ms to 66ms mostly sometimes going to the 70's and even 80's. It really is cable heh.

It's a bridged modem, so I definitely need a working router sometime soon because I sure as hell ain't installing a software firewall. they guy tried installing something and changing my homepage, but I said hell no.

[primesuspect]

if you have a spare computer laying around with two network cards in it, build your own router - cheaper :)

[RWB]

Nope no spares, I am looking at a Buffalo router I found that is cheap and recommended by DDWRT. Gotta wait till my paycheck tomorrow though. Right now I am installing Comodo Firewall for ****s and giggles until I get the router.