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'R.D.D.'
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hat I Learned During My Summer Vacation.
Last month I noted that high speed internet options finally arrived
in our fair town. After several installations of the newly available ADSL option,
I feel the need to share some common misconceptions I have noted among new
high speed internet users. Perhaps this will assist you
in your own efforts to install your new high speed modem.
Activation: You can buy the self install DSL modem kit directly from
Telus or from retail outlets (computer stores). In any event, you also have to
contact Telus to activate the ADSL connection on your phone. This takes up to
5 business days. They provide you a user name and password which is be
required to complete the software installation.
NIC Required: In order to successfully install your DSL modem, a working Network
Interface Card (NIC) is required on your computer. It looks like a standard telephone connection,
except that it is a bit wider. Many newer PC's include the NIC connection with the system, often
built onto the motherboard itself. However, if your computer does not have this connection, you
will need to have one installed. The good news is that the part is easily obtained from most computer
parts stores for under $20 CDN.
Filters: The self connect ADSL modem kit ships with 4 micro-filters. Since the
high speed connection is shared with normal voice data over the regular phone lines, a
filter is required to remove interference on all phones not directly connected to
the ADSL Modem. So, the filter does not go on the line between the wall and DSL modem.
The filter does go on all other phone connections - modem, fax, telephone, etc. Additional
filters can be purchased from Telus Phone Centers as required.
Software: No special software over what is already installed on your
computer to use any internet browser is required to set up and use your high speed
connection. If you do not want to or can't use the DSL installation software from
Telus (say you have no CD), you can easily set up your connection manually. You
need to know your network card MAC address. In Windows, you click Start, Run,
Winipcfg, highlight your network card and note the address (e.g. something like
01-02-03-04-05-06). Then you get on the internet (on another working computer)
and go to http://oca.ab.hsia.telus.net
.. enter your given user name and password,
and click on 'Logon Now' button. Then click 'Manual Registration and Administration
of PC's and Devices' and enter your network card MAC address in the field supplied
.. using ':' vs '-'s (e.g. something like 1:2:3:4:5:6). Then click 'Submit' and
then 'Logout'.
Don't Dial: With ADSL, the internet connection is always on via the DSL modem and
your NIC. Once the connection is correctly installed, you no longer need to dial out on
your old computer modem to access the internet. However, should you need to use the dial
up facility (e.g. a laptop user accessing email away from home) you get up to 5 hours per
month of 'roaming' access.
Sharing: Two computers can be connected to the standard Telus ADSL high speed
internet account (using a hub and standard cat5 network cables between the networked computers).
If more than two computers are to share a single internet connection, you need to get a router
(currently about $75 CDN for the part).
The router
is a small magic box that sits between the modem and the networked computers. It routes internet
addresses from the external internet side to the local network computer. Caution: There are two kinds of
Cat5 network cables - standard straight-through and crossover. The cable that ships with the DSL modem is
a crossover cable. It is used to go between the modem and a single computer. The cables required for a
home network are standard cables. Just don't mix them up because they look identical from the outside.
Better routers like the one in the link above can connect the DSL modem to either type cable, but the
cables between networked computers must always be the standard cat5 cables. With a router correctly
installed, all networked computers have shared access to the internet connection. Cool!
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