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Wednesday 22nd October
My Inbox
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I appreciate your updates on the broadband situation.
I thought that I would have another try at seeing how I am situated with
respect to the Bradwell Abbey exchange --- no change there, still with the
line too long for connection.
But I investigated the BT website out of interest.
It doesn't list Milton Keynes as having an Action Group either
alphabetically or via the telephone number!
Odd isn't it?
Regards,
John [Yes .. I've been asked
that one
before!] |
First, is the group you have instigated still active as I
thought I had read that Monkston now had Broadband?
[We're still active!]There is reference to some estates having
been leafleted and others not. As Chair of my local Parish Council we could
run a story - perhaps inset a leaflet into our Parish News that is delivered
to all homes in Furzton, Emerson Valley, Tattenhoe, Shenley Lodge, Shenley
Church End, Westcroft and Kingsmead. If you forward me the text of the
leaflet I can sort this out.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
Paul Griffiths, Shenley Lodge |
I've just had ADSL installed in Two Mile Ash, On The High
Street. :o)
James |
|
Here's my latest saga with BT.
I've just been failed for conversion to ADSL from home highway after an
initial Amber result on the checker when I ordered.
12 months ago I failed on the old limits & so went for ISDN, I was told I
failed at 57db & 5.3km for ADSL (ordered with PIPEX). With the new limits I
reordered, the engineer was due to visit today to remove the ISDN & put me
on analogue to test the line but I got a call yesterday from BT saying that
they'd cancelled the order as a they had tested the line without doing this
& it's failed. After a lengthy conversation, during which I didn't get any
info on the failure, they agreed to reorder it after hearing about last
years failure levels.
Does anybody know if a proper line test can be done with ISDN still
installed? [In Europe ADSL is offered over a copper wire that also
carries ISDN.
In the UK we do not have this option.
In the UK ADSL is not offered over a copper wire that also carries
ISDN.
(When I write ISDN I mean ISDN2e which is also branded as BR or BRI or Home
Highway, Midband....)
A BT engineer can test a copper pair for signal attenuation. If the pair has
ISDN, then the engineer will temporarily disconnect the ISDN equipment at
the exchange and at the customer's premises before making the tests. The
ISDN equipment is reconnected.
This was confirmed by in our meeting with BT.
BT Meeting.... The Report So going back to
your question..
The answer is yes. The test is made with the ISDN equipment temporarily
disconnected.] The latest order was with BT themselves, I hoped that
this might improve my chances.
[BT does everything possible to appear neutral with each ISP. This is to
appease their gods at OFTEL.
I guess the reality is that ordering from BT may help you. Several of the
group chose Zen as ISP.
Zen are an independent ISP. At least you end up talking to a small team of
knowledge northerners that know about the "MK10 problem".] I live in
Wrens Park Middleton. Any one else on ADSL here? [Just checked... 5
members no ADSL.
Anyway... chat to Serena. She'll be back from her holidays on Monday.
http://www.bb4monkston.co.uk/serena_spoc.htm] Regards James
[Dave writes: I had the self same issue. I live in Great Linch.
I was told that ISDN needed to be disconnected. BUT no one turned up to
disconnect, set me to analogue and do the test.
A process of psychological brinkmanship by BT has guaranteed that I would
just give up and go away as there are other things I have to do in my life.
However, I'm beginning to think that you and I have been mistakenly fobbed
off by BT.] |
I've requested ADSL from PIPEX, my xDSL provider of old.
Got a date of 20/10 for activation. So far so good.
The BT chap knocked on the door during the day and told my wife that the
line had moved to copper (yes I'm in the MK10 zone!), and checked for a dial
tone. He said the work on the exchange was done by someone else (fair
enough). I stuck my microfilters on the phone points like a good chap
when I got home and switched on the modem ...
.. but sadly I have no line sync as of last night!
Question - did anybody else in Monkston have an n-day delay between TPON
migration and hook-up to the DSLAM at Fishermead? Or am I on the short
journey to faultsville?
Even more annoying, Pipex seem to think I have to dial 151 and report a
fault with BT! I was under the impression that I was Pipex's customer, not
BTs. Is this right?
Regards
Paul[I wouldn't worry unduly. I experienced a couple of days of
"copper only" before the DSLAM was patched in. I then experienced "copper
and ADSL but no authentication" for a couple more days. (Happily
those days are but a distant memory.)
Richard, our group secretary, suffered a similar day of no ADSL carrier as
he "migrated".
If your router's ADSL carrier detect light is not glowing within a few
hours, I'd call
Serena.] |
|
I live in Wolston Meadow, Middleton and had four guys from NTL come round
this afternoon for the Trial.
Unfortunately despite trying for well over an hour, they were unable to get
a clear path to the transmitter. Apparently, the trees that line the grids
roads can cause them the problems as they can't get line of sight.
Good luck to anyone else on the list. At least you know that these guys will
do everything they can to get you connected!
Regards Asif |
I have tried and failed yet again to get ADSL.
The really frustrating thing is that BT won't tell me by how much my line
failed the test. I get cryptic messages from my ISP saying things like BT
say it is unviable and not cost effective.I want to know:
For what reason did my line fail the test?
What is the actual line loss figure for my line?
Has the new 60dB planning rule an effect on my line?
I do not have line of sight to the NTL transmitter, so I presume I will have
to wait till they extend the pilot.
Maybe BT could be more vocal in the reason for failure. At the moment it
seems like a bit of a lottery, only you never know which numbers came up,
just that you didn't match enough of them.
Thank you for any light you can shed in this situation.
Jas, Bradwell Common |
I had a visit from some nice folk earlier today who stuck a
white box thingy on my wall and gave me a cable modem to play with.
Apparently you get a good view of Linford wood from my house in Great Holm.
Anyway - to cut a long story short. The connection works. But ... I have a
problem which is that I don't know how to configure my setup so that all my
computers can access the Internet via the new modem.
In the past I used a 56Kb modem connected to one PC (Win 2000 Pro) which was
shared - over Ethernet connections via Netgear Ethernet hubs. I have a
number of PCs connected to the Ethernet hubs running Windows XP or Win 2000
Pro or Win 2000ME. All the machines have one Ethernet card or wireless
network card. I have a couple of Ethernet hubs - connected using the uplink
facility - with some machines connected to each hub and a wireless access
point on each hub. One of the machines is set up with a domain (for work)
the others are all set up for home networking (no domain name). I think they
all get their IP addresses dynamically - from the computer that is connected
to the modem that acts as a proxy server? You can tell I'm not really techy
enough to cope at this point.
Now my problem is this. I can connect my new fast modem to one of the PCs
using its Ethernet port - but then I cannot connect that PC to the Ethernet
network so it doesn't have access to the printers and the other PCs don't
have access to the Internet.
Having got that to work I then connected the modem direct to an Ethernet hub
and reconnected the PC to the Ethernet hub. That PC can still see the modem
and access the internet (and indeed this email was sent via this
connection). What I can't manage to do is to get any of the other machines
to connect to the Internet via the modem. I also suspect that as soon as I
restart the PC that is managing to connect it will loose the IP address and
won't work any more.
The nice man on the help line tried to help - but apparently I am only
supposed to use one computer with the new modem and he wasn't sure how (or
indeed whether) I could get the modem to work with all of the computers over
the network. Had I been using routers rather than hubs then that would have
been a different matter ....
So - anyone got any idea how I get all my computers to be able to: access
the Internet via my new modem; still be able to talk to each other (which
they can currently do - peer to peer network?); and still all be able to
access the printers that are connected to some of the machines?
Peter[We had several replies to Peter's query:
1, Use a Home Internet Gateway
http://www.dlink.co.uk/396.htm
2, Use XP's network sharing feature
You need to put a second network card in your "server" PC, connect
your cable modem to this, and then share your network connection as if
that was your modem.
3, Use an old 486 running Linux to act as a gateway / router/ firewall
For a cheap firewall dig out the old 486 you were throwing out and
fit a couple of network cards and install
Smoothwall or
IPcop.
Attach the local network side to a small hub or switch and connect your
local network to the hub. The 486 will handle much more bandwidth than NTL
can supply and will carry out the address translation and DHCP control
plus much more. Best of all it is free :)
] |
Well... Its happened...
I moved to MK (Bradwell common) just over 2 years ago and have been trying
for broadband all that time. At least 17 failed applications and many many
many irate phone calls to just about anyone that I thought may be able to
change the situation. All my friends know not to discuss the BB words as
they know it sets me of on a rant about MK cable infrastructure and the
parentage of BT.
But got accepted on the wireless trial..... Was ABSOLUTELY convinced that I
would either not get selected or fail the site visit... So much so that I
didn't even respond to the application letter for a week while I mused
it...which for me and BB is unheard of!!..They booked an appointment on
Friday last for this morning (Wed). Wife called me to say that they had said
that it looked ok and would install the kit.... Didn't fluster me at all as
was SURE it wouldn't work... Then the wife called and said its all done, but
they had to install on the front of the building which she was LESS than
pleased with, but sympathised with the situation that it was either front of
house
or move house.... Got home...cough....a little early tonight....cough....not
too enamoured with the aerial being on the front, but hey... how much do I
want the thing... plugged the modem in via the network
cable instead of USB and saw MSN messenger pop into life...thought.... NO...
cant be....No WAY.... checked my 56kmodem... no lights... couldn't be..
Checked connection method and ADSLGUIDE.ORG speed test and sure enough
ITS BLOODY WORKING...
AARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...yeehhhhaaaaa
Test results are:
Downstream 563 Kbps (70.4 KB/sec) 608 Kbps (inc. overheads)
Upstream 123 Kbps (15.4 KB/sec) 132 Kbps (inc. overheads)
From a 49ker....that will do me just dandy...
Anyway.... Nick....your de man... Gents (and Ladies) its been a pleasure,
but I must dash as I have a long awaiting Tac Ops game waiting for me and a
six pack of Fosters..
Cheers!!!!
James, Bradwell Common |
| Glad to see that you are promoting Milton Keynes broadband.
I am interested in helping to lobby BT as I live in Bradwell Village and am
therefore unable to get broadband. Please let me know when the group is
planning to meet up, as I would be interested in coming along.
Regards
David
[We have a regular
weekly meeting.] |
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