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macruran · Nov 14, 2003, 03:38 PM

An airport (graphite w/modem) fell into my hands and I am looking into using it with SBC's Yahoo-DSL service, which, if it's bought with a local-long distance-cingular cell phone package, is only $26.95 a month -- granted you keep renewing year-long commitments.

Anyway, someone told me not only does SBC's DSL suck but that it requires you to use this bogged-down, proprietary log-in script that can only be bypassed if your router has its own authorization features of some sort. I don't know what this all means.

I'm just trying to figure out: with an old graphite airport and a g4 iBook is there a way to bypass SBC's proprietary log-in script software. Thanks.

ghporter · Nov 14, 2003, 07:57 PM

You were lied to. SBC's DSL works just fine (I'm on it right now), and it doesn't take anything proprietary. The only hitch I can think of is that your Graphite may not be able to handle PPPoE for you; this is the only "log in" that you need. I just can't remember which version of AirPort software added that...

Whoever you got this misinformation from is either completely lost or has some bone to pick with SBC.

kanker · Nov 15, 2003, 12:43 AM

Also, you can sign up for the $26.95 online w/o having to subscribe to other services. http://promo.yahoo.com/sbc/?refer=dsl0 If that link doesnt work, just go to Yahoo.com and look near the bottom right hand corner of the screen in a box called Marketplace. There should be a link in there.

Kevin

BTW- I'm also sending this through SBCYahoo DSL running into an APExtreme

Scarpa · Nov 17, 2003, 12:09 PM

SBC loves to tell people that their service won't work without their crappy dialer. In reality, it uses plain-jane PPPoE which is built into newer OSes like OSX and XP.

In fact, just the other day I took a call from an executive at my work who was having a tech install her DSL. She had tried before with the Yahoo CD and it failed. The tech got on the line and said there were "known issues" with that software and her OS, and that he wanted to use the built in PPPoE client. Then she got back on the line and told ME (the guy who is supposed to support her notebook) that the SBC rep told her she would be violaiting the Terms of Service if she didn't use the Yahoo CD.

Fast forward to this morning, she calls me to say her notebook isn't working right.. I pull up event log and see repeated errors starting from the day she tried to install the Yahoo CD

I love cleaning up SBC's mess.

ghporter · Nov 17, 2003, 01:10 PM

Scarpa, you can blame a first-tier tech support phone answerer for that little lie about terms of service. SBC doesn't care a rat's behind about how you handle PPPoE, just as long as you do it. The Yahoo! dialer is a baby step better than the Windows version of Enternet; plainly poor software. I've even had second- and higher tier techs tell me that any router's PPPoE beats the pants off of third party PPPoE software.

SBC's idea is to make things easy for non-technical users, but they aren't able to follow through with it. Too bad, since I've never had more than a few minutes interruption in my service since I had it installed. Overall, it's a very good service.

fergnetserv · Nov 17, 2003, 05:11 PM

I used a AP graphite model with PPPoE before I upgraded to the AEBS with no problems. It handles It just fine, just upgrade to the newest available software.

macruran · Nov 18, 2003, 10:30 AM

The SBC package I'm interested in offers a dynamic IP address rather than a static one. Does this matter in terms of ease-of-use, setup, etc.?

ghporter · Nov 18, 2003, 01:35 PM

The dynamic nature of your IP is absolutely transparent to you. The only reason to even think about it is if you are running a server or doing something else that requires a fixed IP. When you sign on, you get assigned an IP; you never see anything dealing with it.

I have a router that keeps me "active" all the time, so I don't really have to "sign on" very often. The IP address will expire, but I seem to get the same one just about every time. No problem.

Scarpa · Nov 18, 2003, 01:44 PM

Originally posted by GHPorter:
SBC's idea is to make things easy for non-technical users, but they aren't able to follow through with it. Too bad, since I've never had more than a few minutes interruption in my service since I had it installed. Overall, it's a very good service.

I agree.. I've been using PacBell/SBC DSL for about three years now and haven't had more than minor problems personally. I run PPPoE on a Linksys router btw, and has been rock solid the whole time.

I'm trying to convince that executive to get a home broadband router so I can delete the enternet stuff off of her work laptop. It's certainly irritating though to get static from a first tier tech reading from a script.

ghporter · Nov 18, 2003, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by Scarpa:
I'm trying to convince that executive to get a home broadband router so I can delete the enternet stuff off of her work laptop. It's certainly irritating though to get static from a first tier tech reading from a script.

Security, security, security! Sell the router (as little as $30 if you shop a little) on the basis of security. That little box, with its NAT function, puts off most probes and other outside threats. It keeps the LAN side safe from outside browsers, file theft, and so on, and hides what's on the LAN side from the entire outside world. Security sells routers!

I have a Linksys, a USRobotics, and a Siemens, and all three are the kind of stuff you feel safe putting in the home office of an executive-as long as you give it a really strong admin password!