[finknottle]

I am getting a DSL line into the house because I'm tired of slow connections. However the service provider (the only one currently in Ireland offering ISDN) does not support macs. The trouble is I'm not sure how to go about it in OS X. Also I have heard that ethernet modems are better than USB modems for DSL. Is this true and why is this the case? Can anyone please recommend a good modem?I am running OS 10.1.5 on a Graphite iMac 400Mhz.
Thank you very much.

[Krusty]

You have the exact same machine I had when I first got DSL. Yes, you'll have no problem at all using DSL with OS 9 or X.

Ethernet is better than USB because:
1) Networking is what ethernet is for, why waste a USB port when you have a networking port (ok, this is a minor reason)
2) MOST IMPORTANT: If you buy a router, you can easily hook unlimited machines to the same broadband account. That's really the biggest advantage. I have a router and what you do is set username/password parameters in the router itself ... so the router itself is the "connection" to your account. No goofy, buggy PPoE software ... which is what you have to use if your DSL modem is plugged directly into a single computer. And its trivial to add additional machines .. either Mac or PC ... using DHCP. Literally take 15 or 20 seconds to set an additional machine up. Actually, OS X will often start using that connection automatically simply by plugging in the eithernet cable.

There's a number of other advantages (built in firewall, print servers, ablitity to not only share the internet connection between machines but to have the machines networked together simply because they're all plugged into the same router via ethernet). I'm sure others can give you more details ... or just ask more questions if what I've said isn't enough. Suffice it to say, all the cool kids are using an eithernet modem w/ router setup for a lot of flexibility/ ease of use reasons. It will cost you a bit more at the outset but will make your life very easy later on. Do some research (I did before getting mine set up) and you will doubtless end up going for the ethernet/router solution

But basically ... DSL is worth every penny ... makes iDisk, email, Internet usable to the point of being seamlessly, transparently integrated into your system. At first you'll be like "wow that page loaded quickly" but very soon you'll realize that it really adds some powerful capabilities to your machine and enables you to use your computer in a whole different way. It's a pretty profound change, really

Good luck, you won't regret it.

P.S. sorry if this post seems a bit disjointed, I wrote it as quickly as I could type.

[edit]
... corrected some of the more egregious grammatical errors. Also, forgot to mention, if you use a router and ethernet you will exempt yourself from any "ISP doesn't support Mac" issues. The router is what actually negotiates the connection and it is platform agnostic ... adding your iMac to the router WILL WORK. tTat's another reason many mac users go the router/ethernet route.
[/edit]

<small>[ 06-13-2002, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: Krusty ]</small>

[fulmer]

precisely. Get an ethernet modem. They might not want to sell/give you one, but ethernet modems are quite common. Don't settle for a no.

[ddiokno]

Definitely get an ethernet modem (I 100% agree with the other posters ). There are even modems that offer both an ethernet and USB port...
dave

[macrob1n]

Hi Finknottle.
You will love the DSL connection. I myself just installed the BT adsl modem and the difference from dial-up is astounding. Go for the ethernet modem if possable. Unfortunatly for me I was stuck with the Alcatel speedtouch USB modem which is usable but can upset OSX .
( they wouldnt swap me as I had used it for a month). This modem has a large power use on the usb bus and needs a direct connection to the iMac,or a powered hub.
I dont know myself but I am sure I read somewhere about USB bandwidth issue with dsl modems, perhaps wrong though. You also get two phone line filters. If you want more than 2 phone handsets in the house you need to buy more filters.........
It may be helpfull to turn off the internal modem in the network pref's as sometimes it tries to connect and drags everything to a halt - spinning beachball hell!

Ohh....and get a cd burner as you will aquire LOTS of new music!!

Apart from that - ENJOY

macRob1n

PS - Tough luck in the football

[Grrr]

And another vote for an Ethernet adsl Modem.
Also, I notice many people are forever calling adsl modems "Routers", I dont know why that is, cos it's wrong.. A router is just that, a router. And an adsl modem is an adsl modem. And some adsl modems have 4 port routers built in. I say this because I have seen several people go out and buy a router cos they thought that was all they needed. Only to find they then had to buy a seperate adsl modem aswell..
If you intend to use more than one computer on your connection, then you will need an adsl modem with a built in router. Of which all the ones I have seen have 4 ports.
I did start out with an Alcatel Speedtouch USB modem. And it was awful. It would often lose the connection and then cause a PPP error. And my iBook was crashing several times a day. It even managed to lock up OS X twice! And incidentally, that was the only time OS X ever crashed for me.
Anyway, back to adsl modems.. Many of them require a PC for initial set up, before it can be used with your mac\s. The better adsl modems will let you do the configuration very easily via any web browser. So will work on any type of computer, regardless of OS. The one I choose was an Alcatel SpeedTouch 510 4 port. If you dont need the 4 ports, then the single port ones are cheaper (You can always buy a router/hub and add it later). I think the Alcatel SpeedTouch pro, And Alcatel 510 models are worth a look. And not too expensive. There are also very cheap ones that should work on macs. But they looked like badly recycled cigarette packets, So I didnt place much confidence in them lasting long.

[rohan]

HI,
I recently signed up with PIPEX in the UK (fantastic service!). I opted to buy my own ADSL modem and went for the AR601 from <a href="http://www.seg.co.uk." target="_blank">www.seg.co.uk.</a> The modem was extremely easy to set up using a telnet program (bear in mind I had no idea what Telnet was to this point). I plugged in my Airport basestation and the connection was functional in 5 mins total.

I now have two PBG4s and an iMac sharing the connection seamlessly.

While the modem is a little unknown, I can certainly recommend it based on its current performance...

Cheers,
Rohan

[firefly]

USB modems need custom drivers to work. These are often badly written and for the mac, sparsely supported. I recently upgraded from a Speedtouch USB to a D-Link DSL-500 (ethernet router), and my life has got so much easier. No more crashes, and all my computers have internet access.

Also, USB modems use CPU time and slow the host machine down. Not good.

[Grrr]

I am also in the UK and use Pipex. The service is very good. But the tech support is awful. I tried to call them for some help, and it was always engaged. So I emailed them once, and faxed them 4 times before they replied! But i think much of this can be accounted for by the sudden huge uptake in broadband here in England over the past 2-3 months.
I was having so many problems with the USB modem, Pipex actually agree'd to refund me the money I paid for it (Well over £100). Thus enabling me to make sure I could afford a good replacement Ethernet modem.
Never again would I use a USB modem. Ethernet all the way!

[drissa]

I wish I'd found this info before I purchased a Speedtouch 330.

It has been a nightmare and I've been on the phone to 'dsl source' techies for two days. They didn't acknowledge any known problems with OS X drivers (or any Mac drivers for that matter - I can't access my ADSL line in OS 9 either). I'm baffled that these modems are being recommended specifically to people wanting MAC/OS X support.

I'm glad people are recommending an ethernet modem as the solution - the guys at 'dsl source' want to send me one as a replacement. Still, I've lost a few days to this - days I'm paying Nildram for.

Good luck to one and all trying to access b/band with a Mac. I've only had the machine a month or so, but already I'm starting to see why the 'Mac community' unites. I hope I can post success-based advice soon.

[OreoCookie]

I agree with the people here, get an ethernet router. I didn't have to change one bit in my network configuration.