RE: ISDN vs ADSL

["Brown, Andy [Infrastructure]" <andyb@xxxxxxx>]

I've had BT Openwoe for about four weeks now.  Getting it in was like
extracting teeth though.  BT cocked up the configuration at the exchange
an=
d
it took them about four weeks to get it sorted.  Lots of two-ing and
fro-in=
g
between BTOW and BT themselves (BTIgnite I think they're called).

Any way - its in now and it flies.  I love it.  I won't go into the fors
an=
d
againsts of ISDN vs ADSL, but I just wanted to let you know that there is a
way to host a web server.

The USB version is non-NAT so there's nothing stopping you from hosting a
web server.  What messes things up is that the IP address allocation is
dynamic and changes after two hours of inactivity (or whenever the gateways
get bounced - which seems quite frequent!).

You can get around all this by registering with a dynamic dns hosting
service found at http://www.dyndns.org. I haven't tried
this yet, but a
colleague of mine has and it runs well.  As I understand it, a small piece
of client software detects your IP address changes and registers it with
dyndns, so any referrals to your domain name will have the latest IP
address.

Cheers

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Gordon [mailto:paul_gordon@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 17 November 2000 10:47
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] ISDN vs ADSL


Hi Chris,

A lot of questions! and the answers are not nearly as clear-cut as you
migh=
t

imagine (when are they ever when BT is involved?)

I currently have HH, and recently declined an "upgrade" to ADSL
(from BT=20
Openworld). There were several reasons for this, some of which were:

HH gives me 3 seperate phone numbers, which I find useful as I can keep
one=
=20
for voice, and one for incoming data/fax calls.

ADSL absolutely does NOT allow a webserver to be hosted at your house (the=
=20
consumer version anyway, it might be different with the =A3100/month
busine=
ss=20
version?, but who's going to pay that!) - This means that you cannot put=20
your HA system on the web to monitor or control your house from the=20
internet.

AFAIK, ALL current ISP's that offer an ADSL service get their service from=
=20
BT - I believe that NO ISP's yet have their own DSL hardware in any BT=20
Exchanges. In fact BT has only allowed other carriers kit in about 40=20
out-of-the-way exchanges if various newsgroups are to be believed. Local=20
loop unbundling is supposed to be completed by Jan 2001, but BT are (as=20
ever) dragging their feet, making excuses, and generally (again, as
ever)=20
crippling the development of ANY competition in the telecoms market as
best=
=20
and for as long as they can. This means the situation is unlikely to
change=
=20
for some considerable time regarding technical limitations, contention=20
ratios, pricing structures and so on. Which is why if you do a comparative=
=20
analysis of ADSL offerings, they are all remarkably similar! BT does not=20
offer those ISP's much scope for value-add.

BT will NOT guarantee bandwidth on ADSL, and with a 50:1 contention ratio
o=
n

the consumer version, is it "theoretically" possible for the
available=20
bandwidth per user to drop to MUCH lower than HH's 64 or 128K. Of course,
B=
T

say this is unlikely to ever happen in practice, and that gives me a
really=
=20
warm cosy feeling.... NOT!

Although the headline prices are almost the same, at around
=A340-=A345/mon=
th,=20
ADSL did not include any free calls, - currently my HH is =A340/month with=
=20
=A315/month free calls, so providing I use those calls, the true price
is=20
nearer =A325/month. Switching to ADSL (from Openworld) would have lost
me=20
this, so the price immediately went up in real terms by =A315/month. (Note=
=20
this was with BT Openworld about a month ago - there are no doubt a=20
bewildering array of new "schemes" available from BT designed to
confuse=20
you, and make you think you're getting a good ^H^H^H^H better deal. (can't=
=20
justifiably use the term "good deal" in the same sentence as
"BT", the two=
=20
JUST don't go together!). However, take my word for it, if you work it out=
=20
over time, I BET you end up paying almost exactly the same whatever
"scheme=
"

you opt for!!

ADSL is still very new - the roll-out has hardly begun, VERY few people
hav=
e

it yet, and so what will happen when it's more widespread is hard to say.
-=
=20
Obviously as more people get it, contention will increase, and per-user=20
speeds will go down. There is also a great deal of debate at the mo
about=20
ADSL interfering with FM radio and vide-versa. This problem probably
hasn't=
=20
even hit its full potential yet...

And with all that, BT STILL expect you to sign up to a 12-month contract!

For my money, I've decided to stick with HH until Oftel manages to grow
som=
e

balls (not holding my breath!), and shit on BT from a great height and
forc=
e

some "true" cometition into the market. (whatever anyone says,
currently=20
there is no competition to BT and they still have their juicy monopoly).
I'=
m

hoping that when this happens, there will be some real choice and
variation=
=20
in the ADSL offerings, and hopefully I'll be able to get it for less
money,=
=20
and with the ability to host a webserver at the end of it. (Hopeless=20
optimist that I am!!)

BTW I have my HH box in the cellar (node 0). I can get to it quite easily,=
=20
but iv'e never had to "reboot" it....

Next, you only need an ISDN TA _OR_ and ISDN router - you don't need both.
=
A

TA will either be an internal card or an external box. Most TA's that I
kno=
w

of act as serial port devices and will be set up as a COM port device
and=20
used just like any other modem. External ones will connect via ONE exiting=
=20
COM port on the PC, and thus will be limited to 115K max. An ISDN router=20
will typically (but not always) present an ethernet interface, so you'd
nee=
d

a network card in the PC to use it, but I imagine there are USB versions=20
available as well?... Many IDSN routers also have a mini-hub built in, and=
=20
will give 4 or more RJ45 ethernet ports, Many also provide DHCP and NAT=20
straight out of the box.
TA's are much cheaper, - some PCI card versions are going for as little as=
=20
=A315, external ones can be picked up from about =A340. ISDN routers
typica=
lly=20
start at about =A370-=A380 right up to =A3200-=A3300 depending on features.

Sharing the connection between many PC's is easy (but is against BT's
T&C's=
=20
with the consumer ADSL service!) With ADSL they will supply the hardware=20
required, (pretty much always USB based AFAIK) so you don't have any
choice=
=20
really about what you get (sound familiar?), so you'll probably have to=20
share the connection from the PC connected to it, be that a Linux router,
o=
r

any of the flavours of Windows that have Internet Connection Sharing=20
services. With HH, they just supply the connection, you add your own TA or=
=20
ISDN router, which gives you more flexibility, you can do just the same as=
=20
above, or use the router option, which, if it provides NAT will do it
all=20
for you.

I'll make it clear that these are purely _my_ opinions, and are based on
my=
=20
requirements, which meant that ADSL wasn't right for me (yet). Your=20
requirements might be different, and so the limitations I mentioned
might=20
not matter to you. (especially if you have no desire to host your own=20
webserver at home).

As ever it's horses for courses.

HTH.

Paul G.


>Hi folks,
>
>I have a question:
>We are getting a PC for Christmas and I would like to use the
>internet etc...
>Should I get BT HomeHighway or wait for ADSL?
>Ideally I would like to be able to use the phone at the same time as
>the PC.
>If I go HH should I get a TA or an ISDN router (do I need both?).
>Eventually I would like to connect several Computers to a house LAN
>and have internet access from any.
>I also intend to get Comfort, whill this work OK with either HH or
>ADSL?
>I am hoping to keep the cost down so I thought I would go for BT's
>Talk'n'Surf Together with HH, =A344.99 pm including free voice and data
>calls evenings and weekends and some? free calls, apparently not =A313
>worth as it was with just HH.
>
>We don't have access to ADSL yet.
>
>Also is there any problem with installing HH in the loft (node zero
>to be) and running CAT5 to the study?
>
>I have an old 486/66 with dual serial ports, could I use this as a
>router/firewall (linux?) with a TA??
>
>Thanks alot,
>
>sorry for the barrage of questions.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Chris Williams
>

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