ADSL or Ethernet Card

ronan001

Hi,

Just wondering about this Eircom broadband, do you need to buy an ADSL card or will a standard ethernet card do the same job??


cheers,
ronan

zz03

Originally posted by ronan001
Hi,

Just wondering about this Eircom broadband, do you need to buy an ADSL card or will a standard ethernet card do the same job??

You have a number of choices.

1) You can use an ethernet card (probably already on your PC?) and connect it to a compatible DSL ethernet modem - available from eircom or your local supermarket or PC store*. This is generally the best solution because it allows you to network your DSL connection across several PCs and / or use an internet appliance as a firewall.

2) You can get a USB DSL modem from eircom or a retail shop*. Plug and play easy. Weak security and energy wasting solution (e g keeping a dedicated firewall PC running if you have more than one PC in your household or buy firewall software for each, and this is hardly the optimum route).

I haven't come across a "DSL card" so far - everything seems to be in an external modem box for now.

zz..

*joke. In addition to eircom doing everything possible to delay broadband, I haven't come across a single retail outlet selling DSL modems in Ireland. The truth appears to be that nobody wants you to get broadband - eircom, gov.ie, comreg.ie, esatbt.co.uk, supermarketclubmonopolymafia.ie, or anyone else. Unlike the rest of the world, in Ireland DSL is reserved for business use only. Just watch the weather forecast!

Dustaz

people, we do have a broadband forum to compliment the nets/comms one we have had for a year you know

original gadget

you can get a PCI ADSL Modem from Marx for €75. I dont know anyone that uses them though.... its on http://www.marx-computers.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=Modem&cart_id=

bizmark

i hear their all right faster than usb as they connect from your v2,2 pci slot (no **** biz)

also i read they give u a ping of between 10 and 30 depending on services

i have been known to be wrong though (a lot)

sceptre

Originally posted by zz03
In addition to eircom doing everything possible to delay broadband, I haven't come across a single retail outlet selling DSL modems in Ireland.

PC World in Limerick do.

MarVeL

PCW in Liffey Valley have a variety of them in. All cheaper than eircom although buying online is cheaper (a lot)

Saruman

zz03 there are plenty of Irish retailers selling ADSL modems... and contrary to your little * comments.. Eircom DO want you to get ADSL.. or they would not be calling me up asking me to sign up sound desperate...

zz03

Originally posted by sceptre
PC World in Limerick do.

As it happens I was in PC World today and came across some DSL modems. They weren’t eircom (or any other Irish DSL SP) branded – (unlike the situation in other countries which have high DSL take-up where retail point of sale displays of SP branded modem boxes are used to promote DSL – like mobile phones are sold).

In the absence of a detailed spec. on the outer, I opened one of the boxes out of curiosity. The homemade looking filters inside were not eircom network compatible. A grey import tweaked for the non-standard British market.

zz..

zz03

Originally posted by Saruman
zz03 there are plenty of Irish retailers selling ADSL modems... and contrary to your little * comments.. Eircom DO want you to get ADSL.. or they would not be calling me up asking me to sign up sound desperate...

You are missing the point!

If eircom's DSL advertising (eg weather forecast on RTE 1 TV) was not directly aimed at business users only, sceptic me might think something is happening to promote it to consumers.

I suspect that the vast majority of people (internet using pop) still haven’t a clue what DSL is or what it can do for them. Eircom’s publicity is designed as far as I can see for “political reasons”. Wall to wall repeat over and over blanket advertising. Totally wasted.

The same goes for the retail sale of DSL modems in Ireland. They will only appeal to nerds because one can’t be confident that if you spend EUR 149 or whatever on one that it will work. To the uninformed masses it is just another modem thing on a shelf and they already have a modem thing for internet dial-up.

zz..

DSLinAbsentia

That's why I ordered my gear from .co.uk (funnelling my moola back to the empire of the bush rather than empire of the blair)

Ireland is still single-cell-life-form with this stuff. Broadband, after the weather, gives the message that knicker elastic is 50% cheaper (broad band, get it?)

DSLinAbsentia

.co.uk ---> .com subsidiary - in case you wondered!