USB AND DSL

[Floid]

Beg for an ethernet modem.  If they're your only option, and are uncooperative, hit up DSLReports/BroadbandReports's forums, and find out what ethernettable hardware works.

If they use PPPoE, you may want/need a standalone router (Linksys/D-Link/2Wire box) to handle that side of the equation, or a copy of Miami Deluxe.

All that done, comes the question of how to get ethernet on the Amiga.  X-Surf is an obvious possibility.  As the owner of some erstwhile 2000s myself, I like the idea of a USB controller (Highway, Thylacine, Algor) and a supported USB ethernet adapter.  This gives you a good balance between price (as far as I know, $Thylacine + $USB_ethernet_off_Pricewatch = $X-Surf), performance (pre-Algor, speeds may not reach peak ethernet performance, but should be plenty for DSL), and future expandability- so far as I know, USB is as close as you'll get to PCI on a 2000.

Of course, if you can afford it, the Highway/Algor + Norway is certainly an excellent (and less waiting-for-shipping-from-Australiaey?) product, it just doesn't come out
Not sure exactly what the deal with USB stacks is (no offense to their authors!), so if you go this route, doublecheck the value-propositions in terms of any additional licenses needed.

...sadly, even if you have a USB card, it's quite unlikely that you'll be able to plug in the USB modem directly and play.  While the current USB modem hardware might be becoming more standardized (I've no idea, really), free *NIXes have barely caught up, let alone Amigas.  Maybe that'll change for OS4, but it's a headache best avoided for now.

[Floid]

mdma wrote:
Get cable broadband if you have it in your area. It's better and you don't have to piss about with a router to use an ethernet card. You just plug it into the RJ45 point they put on your wall.

That sounds like a uniquely sane British/Europeanism.  Just about everything in the US (save the uber-sweet, uber-cancelled Sprint ION service, which everyone would've gotten *if Sprint had said what it was in their ads*...and maybe a few of the mom-and-pop WISPs) works on the "magic box" principle.  "Plug this magic box in your phone line!"  "Plug this magic box in your cable jack!" ... to the point that they were selling cable modems in major electronics stores before DOCSIS even became a standard.

Wonder how many customers didn't return the hardware when it turned out their neighborhood wasn't active yet...  Yes, there are/were plenty of "You mean it costs a monthly fee???" stories out there.

[Floid]

QuikSanz wrote:
Thanks to all for great feedback. Part of the problem may be, I spoke to sales. Maybe I need to call tech to get the real story on modem/connection. Time to make another call.

I'm not sure, but Earthlink's support may be outsourced- meaning the techs may have no idea what sales/other departments are up to.  At least, my experience trying to request a 'changelog' for their recent i-Opener update (kudos to them for providing it at all, though in absence of the information, I've no way to tell if it 'took' on my grandmother's unit) suggested such.

DSLReports is, as always, the best (and practically only) place to find out what's up.  Try to home in on PR 'plants' in the forums if you find any from your provider- excellent way to get issues resolved quickly. ;-)

Edit: Oh, and obviously, when asking anywhere in "real life," don't expect anyone to know much about the current state of the Amiga.  Come armed with a list of capabilities: "I *can* use ethernet," "I *can* use PPPoE, but it's a bit of a hassle if I can avoid it," "I *can't* use a USB modem, as there are no drivers and no PPPoA support."  Basically, partition it into 'your problem'- getting ethernet on the Amiga- and 'their problem'- providing you with a device that bridges DSL<->ethernet.  Using a router to get around any PPPoE and DHCP issues (can it be right that only Miami has a DHCP client??? No personal experience with Amiga stacks...) is sort of a gray area- it's cheap and easy to handle yourself if you need to, but a lot of providers are starting to offer routers as options, or built into 'deluxe' DSL modems, like the 2Wire 1000/1500s.

[Floid]

The_Editor wrote:
Agree with you Dagon.

I have had very minimal problems (ONE duff modem) with USB ADSL on BTinternet and for me,  it works excellently.  I know at least one other person here that uses USB modems and that is Calen.

I often wonder how many people here have actually used USB modems?

One would really *hope* it works properly on the platform it's intended for. :idea:

There's no problem with the concept, nor perhaps the implementation (a good USB implementation should have no problem with the T-1 speeds most 'broadband' services cluster around).  But *without* a clear standard easily supported in that "useless OS," you'll probably be pressed to find a router that can handle them.  This is no problem if you don't mind using Windows and ICS, or OS X (if the hardware is supported under it, and at least a few specific USB modems are), but is a practical issue that hands the crown to ethernet for the moment, if you care about such things.  The real prize, of course, goes to devices that offer the option of using either standard... and maybe throw in wireless/HPNA/HomePlug and routing/NAT 'for free.'

USB certainly won't eat your children, and once the vendors all settle down and follow standards, it'll no-doubt be about as PnP under *NIX as anywhere else (though this won't help owners of legacy hardware, who'll probably still have to jump through a hoop or two)... but really guys, there's no need to 'defend' it in the face of a situation where it's already admitted not to work/unlikely to work for a few months at the best.  :-?