01-15-2003
My first broadband Internet was Prodigy. I had there dial-up for
years and changed to Prodigy DSL using a USB modem. My first problems were with
sharing my PC with my two kids and wife. My PC was not really my PC since it
was the only one with internet. Everyone had there own PC, but not the
Internet. I found what I thought was the perfect solution with WinProxy software. I could use it to share the
Internet and reclaim my PC. I added the NIC card in my PC and purchased a 5
port HUB. I then added a NIC card in the other PC’s and added cable to connect
them to the HUB. I then loaded the software. Well it did not work. Now one had
the Internet! I removed the software and was able to then choose the adapter I
wanted to use for the Internet. My PC was again on the Internet. I thought that
maybe I made a wrong choice in loading the software, so I loaded the software
again. If it still would not work, I thought that I could just uninstall it
again. Well I was wrong, the software did not work and when I uninstalled the
software, I had no choice to pick the adapter. I reloaded the Prodigy software,
but still no Internet. I had to reload Windows from scratch! With the reload,
my PC was back on the Internet. I found out that the software needed to have
two NIC cards, not just one NIC card and the USB as the seconded adapter. I
went to Ebay and bought an Ethernet modem. This was great, no software to load
like I did for the USB modem, just the prodigy DSL software. After loading and
reloading the WinProxy software and, yes, I had to reload my PC again. I called
Prodigy tech support. He said that it should work if I had a router. I went out
and purchased a router. I could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I setup the router and loaded WinProxy again, and unloaded it again and
reloaded my PC’s software again. I called Prodigy tech support again and this
time I was told that it sharing the Internet would not work with Prodigy DSL!
At only $40.00 a month, and a maximum of 385k down and 128k up we were sharing
my PC again.
The price of Prodigy DSL went up to $50.00 a month so I started to
look at other Internet service providers that would allow a home network. I
already had AT&T analog cable TV, and for about $36 a month more, I
switched my internet service provider to AT&T. I bought my own RCA cable
modem and was up and running in no time. I checked my speed to a number of
sites and all were over 1 Meg! I was now blazing! The next thing to do was set
up a home network. I used the router, the 5-port hub and in no time, were all
surfing at the same time, sharing the one Internet connection and my PC was
again, my PC. I later change the hub for a 4 port switch, and added a print
server so all could print to a common HP LaserJet printer.
All was going great until the summer of 2002, when I started to
have problems with my AT&T service. My cable TV along with my Internet
would go out periodically for about a two weeks period. I was told that they
were upgrading the system. After the two weeks, my TV stayed on and I still had
a very clear picture (analog cable), but that is when I started to have
problems with my Internet connection. Almost every day when the outside
temperature went over about 90 degrees, my Internet would go out. Then about
7:30PM it would be back on fast as ever. I had this problem off and on for
about a month and a half, until the temperature stopped going above 90 degrees.
I called in many times during that period to tech support for help. A field
tech came out to check out all of my wiring and PC. He even had his own cable
modem on his own laptop and still had a problem with packet loss and
intermittent connection. All this time, I had a great picture on my TV. Both
are on the same cable to the house! He said that he would escalate the problem
to the field techs that repaired the rest of the system. He gave me a ticket
number and was told to call the Cable TV support number to find out the status
of my ticket. Well the cable TV people transferred me to the Internet people
who said that I need to call the TV support people who transferred me to the
internet people who transferred me to the TV people.... etc. I was getting
frustrated, when I called back, I told them not to transfer me and I wanted to
speak to a supervisor! After a while, a supervisor came on the line. I told him
the whole story. He said that I needed to talk to another department (not sure
what he called it) and he would transfer me. I thought I was getting to someone
that could help me, but all I got when I was transferred was dial tone!!!!
Finally, the temperature was low enough that my Internet was
working great. I called to see about credit for all of the problems I had and
they said to call back when the trouble was cleared. Well anyway, my Internet
was working and I was a happy person.
In November, we had an area wide
power outage and after the power came back on, I started to have problems with
my Internet again, but not with the cable TV! Sometimes it was on, and
sometimes it would just be off. I called tech support again and told them about
the area wide power outage and I now don’t have Internet, but the cable TV is
ok. Well he said that a field tech needed to come out to check my modem and PC
and someone would need to be home! Well I told him again about the power outage
and the problem was not in my house and could check at the connection in the
back, “no,” he said “someone had to be home”. We went back and forth for a
while, until I gave in and said that someone would be home and could the tech
give me a call me on my cell phone. He said that he could not guarantee that he
would call or just come by. I was out of town during the Thanksgiving holiday
and knew no one would be home until late Saturday, but it was either lie or
hang up the phone and wait for it to fix it self. The tech came by Saturday
afternoon and checked outside and did call me on my cell phone to let me know
that he found no trouble. This trouble would come and go and I could not get
anyone to come out when it didn’t work. I was still having trouble, so I called
up again and someone had to be home again. I told him that I was out of
vacation days and I get home from work at 4:30PM and I would be there on
Tuesday. Monday night, the Internet was working great, great speed and no
dropped packets. Before I could call and cancel the tech on Tuesday, I got a
call from tech support asking me if I still needed the dispatch the next day. I
told him that it was working great and didn’t need the tech to come out. He
told me that there was an area wide power outage and they just got it fixed
today!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could scream!! I think that I am the only one in the
whole neighborhood with cable Internet. One voice is not very loud.
Also, one of the cable TV field techs told me that I had a design
problem in my area, but he took care of it!
I sent a very long E-mail to AT&T about my troubles and asked
for some kind of compensation for all of the trouble I had. They sent a
response very quickly that said, “We are unable to fully address your issue via
e-mail.” “In order to better help you, please send a chat message to a customer
care specialist.” “Our specialist will be able to walk you through a
step-by-step solution.”!!!!! I sent back a response. “Chat, did any one even
read my e-mail?” “Please read my e-mail and then e-mail me with your solution
to credit my account and insure your network to be reliable.” There response to
that was. “I have applied one month’s credit for the issues you had over the
summer.” “The issues cannot be attributed to the network, since they were
temperature related.” “We need to get a technician out to look at the tap, to
make sure it is properly shielded from the elements.” They then asked me to
call and set up another appointment, I guess to check the “tap”. I knew the
problems that would cause with someone needing to be home, so I just let it go.
About a week ago, my cable modem would reboot without warning periodically. I
just lived with this, because I knew in a few days all would be good again, and
so it was, I was blazing again and all is well with the Internet.
In mid December, I got a call from Covad DSL. He offered me
everything - free! Free modem, free self install kit, free 30 day guarantee,
and the first four months at $21.95, then $49.95 a month after that! AT&T
had gone up to about $44.00 a month I then thought of my cable modem going off
and on and calling AT&T tech support, - I said yes!!! I like free and the
30 days is long enough to check out the speed and connection to my “HomeNet”
network. The self-install kit is in the mail and my DSL should be working on or
about December 30, 2002. My Covad self install kit arrived on time, on January
2, and when I connected the filters and DSL modem, it worked! I connected my PC
with Windows XP to the modem and I was online in no time! Wow!!! I checked the
speed at various sites and most were almost half of what AT&T was. My max
was about 600k to 700k. Without checking my speed, and just going to various
sites, Covad seemed to be much faster than AT&T. I left it connected to
just my PC until Sunday when I would try to connect the DSL modem to my router.
Well AT&T cable went out again on Saturday, January 4th, about
15 minutes after I started to record a TV program, this time no TV or Internet.
After about an hour, I called to see when it would be on again and I was told
an hour or two, “they were working on the problem”. I thought that I would go
ahead and connect my home network to the DSL and see what happens. In
configuring my router, I did have to call Covad for the IP address of the DNS
server. With that, we were all blazing again and all is truly well with the
internet again. I could not believe it would be that easy to change over! The
router took care of the PPPoE, so I had no software to load in the Windows 98
PC’s. All PC’s had internet, the network printer worked and ATTBI was still
off. The AT&T TV and internet finally came back on, but no one seemed to
care. I set up my old laptop on the ATT cable modem just to get my e-mail until
everyone had time to change to my new e-mail address with Covad. I will then
have the ATT internet disconnected. AT&T Cable TV just raised their rates
again. In the spring I will be looking into a satellite system, and cutting the
cord (cable) with AT&T all together.
All is well again.
Fred Signorelli