Finally getting cable (AT&T), advice please

[NateSLC]

I'm FINALLY getting cable. So far my only other broadband option was satellite, bad for gaming, and those 12 year olds already kick my butt enough as is.

Are there any system concerns regarding cable modems?
Is it worth 'renting' the modem or buying one?
Anything it's not good at doing, like gaming?
Anyone have any opinions on AT&T's service?

Thanks

 

[Shack70]

Yo nate! Congrats on the upgrade I don't know how aT&T is, but the only concern you should have is if you leave your PC on all the time. If you do, get a firewall. As soon as you trun on your PC, you will be connected to the internet. As for gaming concerns, I will PM you later when I get home. I have a few good sites for testing your speed and tweaking your setting for the cable modem.

see you at Neo's!

 

[bigbootydaddy]

FIREWALL, and do it NOW!!

ive been virused like 3 times before i had the firewall, probobly some loser kid down the block who thought it would be funny.

also, check www.speedguide.net for some tweaks after you get it up.

 

[Shack70]

Yes Speedguide is the site! Thanks bigbootdaddy!

 

[NateSLC]

<< FIREWALL, and do it NOW!! >>


Why do I need a firewall with a cable modem and not with dial-up?



<< I have a few good sites for testing your speed and tweaking your setting for the cable modem. >>


Thanks! I can never have to many bookmarks!

 

[Moonbeam]

Opinions on AT&amp;T will vary depending on how often the service goes down. Mine has been good. I got my modem free. Tell them you need some kind of stimulous like a free modem to choose cable over DSL or other broadband and see if they won't offer it free. I got it when it first came to my area and they offered that and two months free. Good luck. Hope your area has few problems, their tech support has varied from pathetic to one level two tech that saved my ass with a problem way outside their responsibility. They just came out the other day and replaced old cable from the street to my house as a possible interupt source and it seems to have worked plus my speed rocks. Good luck.

 

[Arkitech]

NateSLC - I just got at&amp;t cable on Saturday. The speed is great, I'm getting about 850 kbs to over 2 mbs (bits). The lowest I've experienced was around 850 or 860 kbs and that was during the middle of the day on Saturday, I still have some more benchmarking to do but I'm loving it so far. I can download 20 meg files in just a few minutes. My suggestion is that you get some kind of firewall or router protection, try using zonealarm for internet protection (some guys from this site recommended this to me the other day) and for free virus protection try innoculate.


Blackflagg - can you email me also or either post those links for cable speed tests and tweaks? thanks

 

[Twister00]

Nate, I have been using AT&amp;T @home for almost 2 years. I love it. Just bought my own modem about 2 months ago. You save $10.00 a month by using your own modem. I also noticed faster downloads with the new modem. It uses a newer technology than the one that I leased from AT&amp;T. I also agree with the need for a firewall. I use Zone Labs Zone Alarm. It is free to use for individuals.

Enjoy,

Twister

 

[office boy]

Don't load the @home software. It's crap, and TOTALY useless.

 

[NateSLC]

<< Tell them you need some kind of stimulous like a free modem to choose cable over DSL or other broadband and see if they won't offer it free. >>


I'll have to play the satellite card since Qwest is so slow with the DSL access. I live smack dab in the middle of the SLC valley for crying out loud.



<< They just came out the other day and replaced old cable from the street to my house as a possible interupt source and it seems to have worked plus my speed rocks. Good luck. >>


Well, it's brand new cable for at least a block, so they had better put in some good stuff!

-Twister00, you bought your own modem, any recommended models?

Wanna know what the best thing is about getting a cable modem? I finally have an excuse to wean the houshold off of AOL.

 

[Arkitech]

office boy - have you had any problems while using the at&amp;t software

 

[Twister00]

Nate, I bought the Toshiba PCX1100 which is a DOCSIS modem which is the NEW standard for internet over cable. The only reason I bought that particular modem was that AT&amp;T and CompUSA had a rebate offer that the modem would only cost $99 after rebate, $219.99 before rebate. I have seen it on sale for about $169. Then you save $10 a month on service $29.99 instead of $39.99 so it pays for itself in a little under a year. It also comes with a 5 year warranty.

Here is the website: http://www.toshiba.com/taisnpd/products/pcx1100.html

I think any modem would be fine, however, I would recommend that you buy a DOCSIS modem if you do buy one.

I also agree with Office Boy when he says: Don't load @home software!

Twister

 

[NateSLC]

Thanks for all the info!

Twister,


<< I also agree with Office Boy when he says: Don't load @home software! >>


I have a sick facination with loading software. It's a disease. When I see that shiny jewel case with all the promises of unadulterated bliss written all over it, I must install.

Maybe now would be a good time to start that 12 step program. I wonder if it's on CD-ROM?

 

[bigbootydaddy]

<< Why do I need a firewall with a cable modem and not with dial-up? >>



the simple answer, cable has huge holes, trust me ive been hit. dialup people reconnect and change ip a lot more frequently than a cable, heck, my ip hasnt changed in like 4 weeks, cuz i never reset until i need to.

plus, it would be frustrating trying to screw up a comp over a dinky 56k, unless its a quick virus.

 

[Thyme]

Probably the biggest problem is netBIOS being enabled with DSL or cabel. If you enable file sharing, anyone can just download (or manipulate, depending on the settings) any shared files. This form of &quot;hacking&quot; is so easy, it's sickening, and on a win9x machine, a firewall is the best solution.

 

[office boy]

<< office boy - have you had any problems while using the at&amp;t software >>



It's not that I've had problems with it, it's that it's ALL unnecessary. Not ONE bit or byte of the data on that CD is required for @home to work right, all it does is add the @home logo to your computer in about 80 different places, and another 3-4 shortcuts to your start menu and desktop.

And if you want to share files, the best thing to do is unbind filesharing from TCP/IP and bind it to NetBEUI.
But running ZA is still a good thing to be doing.

 

[LadyNiniane]

<<

<< Why do I need a firewall with a cable modem and not with dial-up? >>



the simple answer, cable has huge holes, trust me ive been hit. dialup people reconnect and change ip a lot more frequently than a cable, heck, my ip hasnt changed in like 4 weeks, cuz i never reset until i need to. >>



The slightly more complex answer: Do it if you want to continue to send e-mail to your friends here at the forums.

@Home narrowly avoided a UDP sometime last year. They were a little slow about responding to massive complaints about SPAM mailings dumped through unattended SMTP connections and hacker takeovers that helped spawn some of the DOS attacks that were so prevalent last fall, both accomplished through those &quot;holes&quot; mentioned above.

When the PTBs at @Home didn't seem to be &quot;concerned&quot; about the problem, CAUCE announced a deadline for changes to be enforced with a Usenet Death Penalty if the changes weren't forthcoming. And they took it to the news.

IIRC, once the news hit CNN, @Home announced changes within 48 hours - this after having ignored the requests for such changes for more than 6 months. :disgust:

I believe that @Home is now considered to be on &quot;probation&quot; (haven't checked nana* recently - they've had a couple of cancel attacks and that makes the groups unusable for a little bit).

BTW, using ZoneAlarm on a dial-up connection isn't a bad idea, either; just make certain that you disable the &quot;Start on boot&quot; option and set up a desktop icon so that you can fire it up whenever you dial out.

Lady Niniane

 

[mercutio11]

ATT @Home users~
How fast can you reach your upload speed?
Do they cap your downstream and upstream?

 

[MUKid]

I have AT&amp;T @Home. I must say, it's not the best broadband, but it's a HELL of a lot better than a modem.

Stability: The service is rarely interrupted here, only a couple of times that I can think of in over a year. But the email service goes down all the time. Not very reliable at all.

Tech support: I've had generally good luck with tech support. I haven't had that many problems, but one time that stands out, and they sent a guy out to my house the next day to fix my wiring. Faster than the phone company! On hold times are generally pretty low, too.

Caps: I am capped at uploading at 128 kbs. My download speeds aren't capped, I don't think. Fastest I ever got was something like 210k/sec. Like I said, not the fastest, but let's just say I don't think twice about downloading 70 or 80 MB demos anymore, and on Napster I can't listen to the songs fast enough to keep up with my downloads. Yes, very nice.

Those commercials that say that a cable modem will change the way you surf are entirely 100% correct, and I have to say mine is worth every penny I pay for it each month.

 

[office boy]

My uploads are not capped, And I've upped at about 200kb/sec before, and I've Dl'd at 480kb/sec.
I have never waited less then 30 min on hold waiting to talk to someone, and I would not use the email because it IS that bad.

 

[Chriz]

Twister00: What modem did you buy that sped up performance? I have AT&amp;T roadrunner, my modem is a year and a half old and it's a 3com just plain white looks like one of their hubs. I know they have new ones to lease that look like shark fins. What kind did you actually buy?

 

[RudeMood]

see, THIS is the reason i go to college... T3 connection. always on, always good, never a problem i think some of you guys get faster DL speeds sometimes, but usually its the places im DL from or UL to that cant handle the fast speeds. thats the only problem i usually face. ah, life is good

 

[digi187]

A firewall for cable is a great idea seeing how your ip doesnt change usually. Your ip is always the same, so if some person with bad intent wants to annoy you, well your sol unless you have some kind of protection...


also, take out your modem unless you think your cable will be down much. I ditched mine a while back and i havent looked back yet. Also, make sure you just have the bare necessities in your network settings... it stops future &quot;pains&quot;

 

[mercutio11]

I believe that @home service is much more reliable than DSL.

 

[Wiggo100]

Welcome to the &quot;ELITE&quot;.