Broadband

[PGit]

We are thinking of going onto broadband. Now my dad is considering the BT Broadband basic package. Is going with BT broadband a good idea or not.

[Van_M]

If you want to connect your amiga directly onto the broadband network, then BT is a no-way! Even if your amiga has USB ports (Subway?), there are no drivers for bt's crappy modem (there are no drivers for linux either). The best you could do is connect it on a pc and use it (the pc) as a gateway to your amiga.

It gets much simpler if you go for cable broadband (telewest, ntl). The cable modems usually provide a lan port, apart from usb, so you can connect your computer on it and access the modem through your web browser (the address is usually 192.168.100.1) and treat the modem as a lan router(note:lan router != switching router). This way you only need a lan interface (PCMCIA, ZORRO 2, PCI).
Telewest now gives 768 kbps for £27.99 PM. I think it's a good value for money.

[Van_M]

Sorry I didn't notice, is Boston a Telewest or NTL area?

[that_punk_guy]

I've used my NTL connection with Windows, Amiga, Linux, BeOS and QNX without a hitch. :-)

[Daedalus]

Whether a broadband modem is for cable or DSL has no bearing whatsoever on whether it has a network connector and/or USB connector. If you do want to go with BT, see if you can get a package which doesn't include the modem, and go buy yourself a decent one. I've no idea what different companies are like over there (being in Ireland and all...) but over here Eircom, the national phone company, give a DSL modem with USB and cat5 connections which can be used simultaneously, which is lovely for when you've an Amiga and a PC side-by-side, though it doesn't act as a network between machines. Just check out whether cable and/or DSL are available in your area, as quite often you'll find an area with only one available, which will limit your choices.

[Van_M]

I know for sure that bt is currently offering a motorola modem that doesn't incorporate a router function. Moreover there are only Windows drivers available for it.

[Casper]

Van_M wrote:
Telewest now gives 768 kbps for £27.99 PM. I think it's a good value for money.

Wow, that's expensive for just 768kbps. Remind me to never move to the UK. :-)

[Daedalus]

Hehe, or Ireland for that matter, 512k/128k ADSL here costs about €40 / Month here. And then it was only just available in my area recently... Yeah, us island countries get kinda ripped off in just about every way possible  :-(

[MAD]

Hoya!

@Van_M

Hey! You live in New Malden, too??!! :-)
Boy, we should meet one of these days, if you are not afraid of weird, Amigan frogs! ;-D

Be funky

M A D

[sumner7]

The best broadband package is with Wanadoo! :-D

[Van_M]

Code: [Select]

Hey! You live in New Malden, too??!!   Boy, we should meet one of these days, if you are not afraid of weird, Amigan frogs! ;-D
Yeah sure why not! Hang out for a beer or something like that... PM me plz :-).

Wow, that's expensive for just 768kbps. Remind me to never move to the UK.

Just wait until u hear about greek broadband.... please sit.... I MEAN IT! ... the new "low" prices of OTEnet (greek national telecom provider) is 30.25  euros (ex. VAT) a month for ... hold your breath... 384 Kbps/ADSL + bloated installation costs by "experts" (3 day PC training!)...

[sumner7]

The UK has the most expensive stuff, though. It is an outrage!!! :ranting:

[Casper]

sumner7 wrote:
The UK has the most expensive stuff, though. It is an outrage!!!

Yeah, when I found out how much you pay per minute for using the standard landline phone, I could hardly believe it (about 5 times as much as here in Sweden).

On the other hand, there's probably a lot of things that are more expensive in Sweden than in the UK.

[sumner7]

Petrol is more expensive over here than anywhere else.  :-D

[kevh100]

I went with Virgin.net because they had a 30 day contract. I can jump ship with virtualy no penalties should i see a better deal with a different ISP. I've had no probelems getting connected with Linux, Amiga, or PC.

Kev