Broadband Service Check

[TheScullster]

Hi all

OK so I've finally given in to the pressure and organised home broadband service to start sometime tomorrow. Question is, how do I know when/if it's available?

With help from this group, I have already installed a faceplate splitter and fed the existing phones from the filtered side of this. Hopefully, as far as the phone systems go, the switch-over should go unnoticed. Presumably the only way I will know when/if the service is available will be by either: a) plugging a phone into the master socket (if it doesn't work then either the broadband is active or we have no service at all). OR b) trying to set up my ADSL router and see if it finds anything.

Are there any more positive/easier methods for verifying the existence of the new service?

TIA

Phil

[Mike Clarke]

The unfiltered phone should still work after broadband is activated. You would only be likely to have problems if you had a router connected with an active session established. Even then the phone would probably work but with some interference and it might upset the broadband performance.

Yes - the "sync" [1] light on the router will probably keep flashing until it detects that broadband is available on the line. It won't necessarily mean that your ISP has enabled the account though.

Any half decent ISP should send you an email when things are ready along with details on how to connect.

[1] The "sync" light might have some other label, e.g. "DSL", depending on the brand of router.

[Gordon Henderson]

The phone will work even if the broadband is turned on. You may hear some interference though, but you may not. The filter is there to stop ADSL whiney tones getting through to the phone, but they're probably too high frequency for the phone to pass them through anyway.

So plug the phone into the filtered socket, and plug the modem/router into the other one and sit back..

What you can do is look at the status screen on your modem/router, or some of them have an LED marked "SHOWTIME", or just ADSL...

And then make sure you're modem/router has the right username and password in it for your ISP - they will have givne them to you as part of the setup.

(Unless it's a pre-installed box, I guess)

You won't do anything any harm by pluging it all in beforehand, and you might find that they've activated it early.

Gordon

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The router should show the presence of the carrier by an LED marked link, internet, etc - and it should give the parameters in the setup pages. But this doesn't mean it is connected to your ISP at the 'other end'.

I'm with Pipex and my service started very promptly after BT had established the ASDL feed.

[Huge]

How?

:o)

[Bob Eager]

No, the phone will work anyway. Might be noise or echo but it'll work; not a way of telling.

That's the way. You'll get line sync (typically a light stops flashing, but see the manual).

Once you have sync, you may not yet be authorised so the login will fail. Keep trying.

[:Jerry:]

Indeed, a cart & horse anyone?...

[Lurch]

On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:07:30 +0100, ":Jerry:" mused:

Erm, depends if you provided an email address on application I suppose, I have an email address I jave had through 3 or 4 ISP's so have always used it when applying for broadband.

[manatbandq]

Well, he clearly already has internet access in some form so I think it's reasonable to assume he has an e-mail address.

Opening mouth before engaging brain, anyone?...

MBQ

[Huge]

Do you know what this ":o)" means, oh retarded one?

(Perhaps get your carer to explain it to you?)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not without special gear.

Generally there is some kind of light on the broadband router that is essentially a 'carrier detect'

Th esecuence of events is generally

..ADSL 'modem' 'trains' and syncs with the DSLAM in the exchange. At this point lights should change.

..router will attempt a PPP style login with the designated IP..this goes over generally a frame relay backbone, and this may or may not be setup prior to the DSLAM being wired to your line.

..if the login succeeds, the ISP will issue you a proper Internet address and varous other bits of info via DHCP: you now have some kind of internet connection.

In all cases the first thing to do is plug the router ion, and set it up according to manufacturers and ISP's instructions, and probe into its diagnostics to see what is going on with it, generally via a web interface.

[chrisj.doran]

If this is a new ISP, set up your new mailbox on your e-mail reader, specifying a LAN rather than dial-up connection. If you haven't changed ISP, you probably only need to switch the connection from dial- up to LAN, but check the setup instructions for any other differences. (use Tools/Accounts/Properties/Connection on OE.) Leave the reader running and lurk within earshot for "You have mail" beeps. This is the one time SPAM is actually welcome! Get someone to send you an e-mail if you don't usually get much traffic.

Alternatively, from time to time do internetty things like trying to access websites without dialling in.

Chris

[TheScullster]

wrote snip....

Now it's been mentioned by one or two, I confess that I remember reading something in the router instructions about a light indicating service availability.

Thanks to all respondents once again (this is such a great group)

Phil

[:Jerry:]

Assuming that you have correctly set up the router modem of course... :~P

[John Rumm]

Once you have that you can test your connection even if the ISP has not done the account setup yet (typically though they do their account setup long before BT gets their bit done). Just use login details of :

Username = bt_test@startup_domain Password = (ignored)

This will connect to a test account at the BT exchange.

[TheScullster]

"John Rumm" wrote

Thanks John, but being in East Yorks, our service(?) is provided by Kingston Communications in Hull. Although they claim that it's not the case, they effectively have a monopoly on the provision of services in this area! I believe that their pitch states that any service provider can use their hardware, but they load the cost of this use, so their "in-house" services are always cheaper.

Phil

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, the ADSL 'training' happens irrespective of ANY configuration.

If you are familiar with modems, is analogous to the whistling and beeping phase..each end of the link negotiates transfer speed and so on.

The actual connectivity to the ISP is negotiated on top of that: The light generally *only* indicates the state of router to (exchange) DSLAM activity.

[John Rumm]

Ah, ok all bets are off then - a law unto themselves!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I tried to explain this to the w**ker on the Pipex help line when my service went down the other day. He kept on going on about 'internet lights' on my router and didn't believe it was marked 'link' and was on - as he could get no response from it at his end. Not surprising since the problem was likely with BT.

[:Jerry:]

Sorry for replying to "The Natural Philosopher" via Mr Plowman's reply but 'THP' is in my kill file.

I suppose it depends on how you interpret the OP's question "Question is, how do I know when/if it's available?", sure a connection might be made but it's hardly *available* to the customer unless the configuration has been completed...