DSL or not ??

[systempat]

Thinking about going to DSL from my current dial-up setup. Any advice about how to do it and who to go with ??? Or who NOT to go with.
I'm in Phoenix with QWest as the phone company if that makes any difference.

[systempat]

ALSO any experience you have with firewall programs to protect from access thru the network conection, and routers vs. a PC for the sharing of the IP address.

[Xayd]

Get a router, and it'll do everything you need. Firewall, DHCP, etc. Qwest used to give people Cisco 675's and static IP addresses with DSL, but I don't know if they do anymore. If they do, you'll be good to go. Although a bear to configure for people new to this type of stuff, those little Ciscos are nice devices and easy enough to work with after a quick read through the manual.

If you end up with PPPoE, get a router that supports PPPoE such as the SOHO routers sold by Efficient Networks, Linksys, and Netgear.

Xayd

[Kubie]

Xayd, I have a really stupid question for you.
Does the box the router comes in actually say "router" on it or does it say something else?
Went down to Best Buy and couldn't believe they don't sell routers unless it's called something else.
Thanks,
Carl

[Xayd]

Yeah, it actually should say router on the box. Best Buy used to have Netgear ADSL routers, and I wanna say a Linksys as well, but they may have sold out or discontinued them.

Seeing as these things are a bit expensive you might want to try E-Bay, get one cheap from a disgruntled DSL user going over to cable .

Just make sure to get one that can act as a PPPoE client Carl, not all of them have that ability, notably the low end Ciscos (the 827 is the only SOHO Cisco router that supports PPPoE and it only with a firmware/IOS upgrade).

Xayd

[glc]

Egghead.com is selling the Linksys BEFSR41 cable/DSL router with 4 port switch for $129 less a $30 rebate. You still need your DSL "modem" with this one (plug the Ethernet cable into the router input jack) - it's designed to network an existing DSL installation. It's PPPoE compliant with the latest firmware, just put your login info into its admin page.

[Kubie]

Thats good info fellas. Apparently I glanced to quick at the boxes as I walked by. I saw SOHO, Netgear, and Linksys, now as I think about it, they were probably network or ethernet cards because the price was to low to be a router. All of them were under $100.00.
Carl

[Xayd]

There's a big difference between a "router" and a "modem" or bridge. You have a modem/bridge, and it's a rather stupid device, all it does is synch with the DSLAM. A router has the stuff you want like firewall, DHCP service, etc.

Make sure ya don't end up buying just another bridge .

Xayd

[Kubie]

No problem there, Xayd

[systempat]

Thanks for the responses.
I have a couple of questions based on these.
What is "PPPoE" ?? New term to me. Does it have to do with the type of service from the provider ?
Also, part of the reason I asked the original question is that I have a spare PC that could be the server. It's just a Pentium 200 but that would be sufficient. If the router can deliver a 'total solution' for only $100 or so, that's pretty reasonable, too.

[Dave22]

PPPoE = Point To Point Protocol Over Ethernet

When you dial into an ISP (using a phone line and modem), you're establishing a PPP (Point To Point Protocol) connection. PPPoE is just a way to get the "Point To Point" connection using Ethernet instead of a serial connection.

[Xayd]

The problem with Qwest is they use CAP line coding for DSL, which is a proprietary protocol of Westell, the chipset manufacturer of Cisco and Intel DSL SOHO bridges/routers. Qwest uses PPPoA over CAP rather than PPPoE over DMT (which most providers use).

The vast majority of the DSL routers available from what I've seen use Alcatel chipsets, which only support G.Lite and DMT. Conversely the Cisco 675's won't work with PPPoE if you ever switch providers. Nice Catch22 eh ?

I know Qwest uses both Intel 2100 PCI bridges and Cisco 675's for DSL installs. If at all possible you should DEMAND a Cisco when you order. I have a friend of mine that I play UT with who's stuck with the Intel PCI bridge now, and they're terrible at best.

The good news is, even if you can't get a Cisco 675, they're readily available from people on E-Bay who've moved out of the DSL coverage area and want to sell their gear for a few bucks.

Xayd