VisorCentral.com - Moving from Dialup HEll to Cable Heaven

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Posted by miradu on 09-28-2002 11:49 PM:

Moving from Dialup HEll to Cable Heaven

Well, that's what it seems to be right now!

Thanks to my loving father, our family finally got off Dialup Hell, and I'm happily satisfied with my ~2Mbps connection through AT&T broadband!

It took them 2 hours to run the cable line to our house, and 2 more hours for me to get the MAC address of my modem registered.. stupid automatic activation software didn't work requiring phone calls to techs...

OK! But I'm happy now, I actually have real working SMTP, plus upwards of 170 KB/s downloads! (I've broken 225 when combining all the downloads happening at once..)

BUT I actually have a point to this. What do I do with broadband? I mean, other than super fast downlaoding, instant web browsing - what else is there?

I love being able to watch movie trailers, and I'm having more fun with yahoo launch's collection of full screen music videos (I never get to see these with the lack of cable tv.. don't ask why).. but really what else is there? I'm not interested in multi player shoot-em up games much so...

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-miradu

Posted by kamizuno on 09-29-2002 01:08 AM:

OK, here's some answers

I've been using cable for some time now, so I feel qualified to answer your question as best I can. Actually, you already know the advantages of broadband, so my answers might seem redundant, but if you'll bear with me you'll see what I mean. Anyway, here goes nothing. Ahem.....

Your phone isn't tied up while you use the internet, so your friends can say hi while you surf the web.

Always ON connection, no lengthy dialups and logins, might seem like a minor thing but handy when you just want to zip onto the internet to find something fast, like say a movie theather schedule.

NO (or almost no) dropped connections, handy for prolonged downloads. To cite a personal example, when I was interested in Linux, I decided to try an experiment, I started downloading a 600 megabyte Linux distribution before going to sleep, in the morning it was still connected and downloading, and eventually I got the distrib, all in one fell swoop. I can guarantee that this would be impossible with dialup, when I was using dialup I couldn't download anything bigger than 16MB, because of dropped connections.

The features I mentioned can be used in various exotic ways, for example you could tune in internet radio stations and listen for as long as you want without tying up the phone. Or a program you use, like Weatherpop, Seti, Folding, blah blah blah could access the web anytime it feels like without tying up the phone. Recieve email as soon as it can get to you, or pick up instant messages whenever you're home. Rig up a webcam system to your computer and let your friends watch you pick your nose while you surf the web (or they can stare at your empty chair when you're not home ). Try to watch Steve Jobs give a keynote address without your parent's yelling at you to get off the phone (good luck tho, Steve's keynotes are probably viewed by everybody in the world who loves Macs). You've already mentioned movie trailers, so you've noticed that a lotta trailers are offered in larger sizes for people with broadband. And as you get more familiar with cable you'll think up ways to use broadband on your own, so ENJOY !!!

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Posted by KRamsauer on 09-29-2002 04:30 AM:

I remember getting a cable modem back in January of....wow, 1995. I can't believe it was that long ago. Anyway, welcome to a better life.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-30-2002 11:43 PM:

Funny Noises

My kids, ages five and six, have never known the hell that is a dial-up connection. Our town was the first in the state to offer cable access as a "pilot community". My company paid for the connection (until it went belly-up in the internet bust)...what more could you want? A few weeks ago they were at their grandparents house and gramp kicked on the old dial-up modem and the kids howled "what was that bad noise?".

The best part of broadband is desktop connectivity via a program like pcAnywhere or Windows XP Professional. I can't count how many times I have saved a 30 minute commute back and forth to work to fetch something over the weekend.

You will note with broadband that your Avantgo synchs faster. When I jumped up from a VDX to a VPL I also noticed a significant synch speed increase, obviously due to the faster processor. I hadn't considered either that, or the savings on battery life by "movin' on up" to the VPL.

Posted by ToolkiT on 10-02-2002 08:40 AM:

Re: Funny Noises

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas

The best part of broadband is desktop connectivity via a program like pcAnywhere or Windows XP Professional. I can't count how many times I have saved a 30 minute commute back and forth to work to fetch something over the weekend.

True! cable+VPN allows me to occasionally work from home with good responsetime..

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Posted by cml on 10-02-2002 01:08 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by KRamsauer
I remember getting a cable modem back in January of....wow, 1995. I can't believe it was that long ago. Anyway, welcome to a better life.

Lucky!

I live way out in the middle of nowhere, but Adelphia finally got us broadband. It's only 225 kbps down, but I'm not gonna complain (better than 40k by far!) They promised us it since '97 but didn't get their systems working until this February.

Posted by Madkins007 on 10-02-2002 03:20 PM:

We've been using a cable modem for a couple years now, and I won't go back (willingly).

We turn it on when the first of us gets home, and generally leave it on whenever someone is around. As our computer desk is in the dining room, we admittedly use it a little oddly, but here is what we do:

1.) We don't need TV listings anymore as we can just get them here- TVGuide.com and many other sites offer this option, as well as being able to go to a channel's site and see the listings, search for favorite shows, and see enough detail about a show that you almost no longer need to watch it.

2.) I get my daily comics and news on-line now. comics.com, ucomics.com, Yahoo's 'My Yahoo' personalizable news offerings, etc. Heck, we REALLY don't need the daily paper any more- ours is even on-line here!

3.) E-mail, of course, but also Instant Messengering, e-cards, e-mail alerts (for weather, sales, etc.)

4.) Internet Radio. I have a decently fast computer, but this is still not quite as seamless as it could/should be, but it is still a lot of fun!

5.) Movie and activities calendars, restaurant reviews, etc. Easier toplana social schedule with!

6.) Meal planning and recipies AND holiday ideas. There are zillions of them there- no need for cookbooks or so on. It is getting on time for pumpkin carving- you can find a lot of carving tips and patterns on-line, AND ways to use the pumkin flesh or how to roast the seeds.

7.) Quick answers for homework, discussions, etc. Who was that in the movie you are watching? Hit the internet Movie Database (imdb.com) and see. How the heck do you program that darn VCR that you lost directions to? You can probably find it on the net!

8.) Hobby enhancements. No matter what you hobby is, there is probably a ton of stuff on the net to help- databases, price lists, new vendors, newsgroups, dedicated websites, etc.

9.) Vacation planning. With a fast net, you can plan out several differnet vacation possibilities in a few minutes. Our recent trip to Colorado Springs was planned, pre-booked, and so forth from various websites. We found web-cams in the area and used weather maps to track upcoming weather patterns, on-line diaries to find out of the way sites, etc. I also printed out maps, car games, coupons, etc. to use as well.

Overall, it will enhance everything you already do- but do it faster, smoother, and more reliably.

Before, you pop onto the net to do a specific task or some light surfing. This will rapidly change to using the net to a much deeper level- really USING it as a living tool to accomplish a variety of tasks, or just to make life simpler!

By the way- it can also help pay for itself by finding you cheaper alternatives to things you are already doing- cheaper loans, cheaper products, freeware software, etc.

Have fun!

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by GSR13 on 10-05-2002 04:30 AM:

Congratulations Miradu. Cable is the single best investment I have made.

Primarily, I use mine for working from home. Using VPN software I can authenticate into work and it is almost like being at my desk. The speed is incredible.

Besides that, home networking. Get yourself a LinkSYS Wireless Access Point Router with 04 Port Switch. I have it and have our iMac Hardwired and my Primary PC Hardwired. In addition, I have my work LapTop with a Wireless PCMCIA card and new iPaq 3955 connected with a Wireless CF Card.

The always on connection coupled with the Wireless is awesome. I have been networked for some time, but until a week ago it was all hardwired. Once I got my new iPaq and CF Sleeve, I just had to go wireless.

It is also very beneficial when trying to keep all the Windows Updates installed and Norton Updated.

One thing is for sure, it is one great investment. Even greater if you have more than one Computer at home.

__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Posted by Doggy on 10-06-2002 02:41 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by cml
Lucky!

I live way out in the middle of nowhere, but Adelphia finally got us broadband. It's only 225 kbps down, but I'm not gonna complain (better than 40k by far!) They promised us it since '97 but didn't get their systems working until this February.

I don't know about anyone else who has Adelphia for their Cable ISP but be wary! I have used their service for the past two years and they are disgraceful when it comes to handling emails!

Their email server is constantly down (at least once every two weeks for at least several hours).

They constantly lose emails into cyberspace, we know this because we receive phone calls from people who say their email was returned to them.

Sometimes people send us emails that never get to us and are not returned to them either, we know this because they will call us days later and ask us why we did not reply to the email they sent us.

Every once in a while, some emails will arrive in our inbox that were originally sent to us anywhere from two weeks to six months prior.

I even received a letter from my credit card company asking me to update my online information because my credit card payment was now late because they had been sending me an email to tell me my online credit card statement was available and that the email was being returned to them as an invalid address.

I have sent several emails to Adelphia about their pitiful incompetence and pretty much the answer I receive from them is "Sorry, we are working on the system to improve it."

I am sure you are wondering why I am still with them and it is a long winded answer but I guarantee I will be dropping them after this holiday system and I am warning all my neighbors in NE Ohio to avoid Adelphia Cable ISP like the plague and go with DSL!

BTW, I know people with Road Runner and AT&T and they are all happy. I am the only one with a **** ISP! I guess what I am saying CRNL is at the first sign of trouble with Adelphia's email, make sure you have a backup email address on another provider.

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What does it look like I am doing...I am kickin' my @ss!!!

Posted by GSR13 on 10-06-2002 11:33 PM:

I have Adelphia Cable Internet and have been extremely happy. I might have lost an email or two along the way, but if I did I don't know it. The servers are up almost all the time. There have been a few times when email was not available. In my opinion, it is no worse than any other ISP I have used.

In the time I have had Adelphia, I have only experienced 2 outages related to a problem. I have experienced other outages due to service people working in the subdivision, but that is understandable.

Problems do seem to be area related. I spoke to a technician once and he said that my area was pretty stable and he rarely got complaints. Most of the time, I can solve my problems by unplugging my modem, rating a few minutes and plugging it back in.

As for AT&T, I have heard horror stories about them from this area.

You would think, if anything, they would be consistent.

__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 10-07-2002 01:59 AM:

Ball and Chain

Adelphia, Attica....what's the difference?

My family's business is in an area that is served by Adelphia cable, but not cable internet service. In fact, there are no high speed internet services short of satilite currently available in their area. With the current woes of Adelphia anyone care to hazard a guess as to when they might see cable internet service? Its been promised to be six months away for almost three years now...

Posted by thorin on 10-08-2002 08:22 PM:

aside from the convenience of having your webpages laod faster, there are only 3 good reasons for broadband!

1. running a server(web/game/whatever). a lot of cable companies dont let you do this though
2. gaming (illl own anyone in ut2ks demo or ut!
3. Software and music piracy
4. hi-res pr0n.

I swear though, #1and 2 are the only reasons I have broadband!!!

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Posted by Toby on 10-08-2002 08:45 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by thorin
aside from the convenience of having your webpages laod faster, there are only 3 good reasons for broadband!

1. running a server(web/game/whatever). a lot of cable companies dont let you do this though
2. gaming (illl own anyone in ut2ks demo or ut!
3. Software and music piracy
4. hi-res pr0n.

I swear though, #1and 2 are the only reasons I have broadband!!!

Personally, there's only one reason why I want broadband: shared internet access. One simply can't do that conveniently with dial-up.

Posted by KRamsauer on 10-08-2002 09:34 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Toby
Personally, there's only one reason why I want broadband: shared internet access. One simply can't do that conveniently with dial-up.

I agree completely. It's also just a whole lot better from a usability standpoint. Load the browser and go. Don't dial-in, listen to modems mating, etc.

Right now my roomate is downloading some stuff and it's eating up all the bandwidth! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Posted by Madkins007 on 10-08-2002 09:49 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by thorin
aside from the convenience of having your webpages laod faster, there are only 3 good reasons for broadband!

1. running a server(web/game/whatever). a lot of cable companies dont let you do this though
2. gaming (illl own anyone in ut2ks demo or ut!
3. Software and music piracy
4. hi-res pr0n.

I swear though, #1and 2 are the only reasons I have broadband!!!

Hmm, I don't have #1, and don't do 2-4, but I have a cable modem even though our family budget is tight and my wife is a penny pincher. SHE is the bigest supporter of the service.

Shared access is good (I plan to do that soon), but almost instant, almost seamless, almost infinite access to information is the big selling point in our house.

Sorry, but I think that if the previously offered 4 or 5 reasons are the best we can do, then it is a failure of our collective imaginations.

I have had dial-up access of one type or another at home for almost 20 years. Getting a decent modem and discovering bulletin boards marked a paradigm shift in my life.

Getting a cable modem changed things on a radically different level. If it was just a matter of speed, our poverty level would not be able to support it, but it is a lot more than that- it is literally a new way of life!

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by Toby on 10-08-2002 10:12 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Madkins007
[...] Sorry, but I think that if the previously offered 4 or 5 reasons are the best we can do, then it is a failure of our collective imaginations. [...]

*shrug* I'm not really going to bother speculating why _others_ might want it (I'm sure the reasons are probably as varied as the people). I was only covering my reason. No imagination required for that one.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 10-09-2002 02:06 AM:

...a little collective imagination is a dangerous thing. : )

Posted by miradu on 10-09-2002 04:16 AM:

heheh this gives me ideas...

__________________
-miradu

Posted by fixitgal on 10-09-2002 05:23 AM:

I don't THINK so...

quote:
Originally posted by miradu
heheh this gives me ideas...

Michael,

Remember what happened the LAST time you got "ideas"?

__________________
"When I am Empress...Heads will roll!"
Queen of Parts

Posted by thorin on 10-09-2002 04:12 PM:

Re: I don't THINK so...

quote:
Originally posted by fixitgal

Michael,

Remember what happened the LAST time you got "ideas"?

I dont'.... was it a good story?

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