ok, signed up for DSL

[KG]

my modem arrives next week.

what should i know? i'll need a fire wall?

what? What? WHAT? :)

[4dsc]

1. Who did you sign up with??

Its going to get interesting if there is even a slight problem..

[KG]

2. uh, verizon.

they made it cheap and easy since they are my local phone co.

[papau]

3. Zonealarn or tiny firefall, spybot, ad-aware - all free

you will love it!

:-)

[Democrats unite]

4. Which phone company?

edit: sorry just noticed your post above.

[BigMcLargehuge]

5. DSL service... yeesh

I know pretty much everything about DSL, I'd just written a course on DSL operation when I applied for my service.

My research didn't uncover anything about:

1. a six week lag time between receiving my modem and their installation of the DSLAM to run the service

2. having to use a crappy POET dialer to spoof a phone call and get an IP address

3. The third party provider (Genuity) having perhaps the worst Internet server infrastructure in the history of computing

4. 30% worth of rate increases in the first three months I had it.

I lasted four months, after waiting three to get the service up and running, then I dumped it for cable.

Mind you, I was an early adopter, so it can't be still be this bad. Good luck KG.

[Hokie]

6. Yes

You should definitely be running a firewall. When you are using DSL your PC is connected (and exposed) to the Internet all the time.

If you are sharing the connection on a network then you should buy a router with a built in firewall (almost all of the popular ones do). I am running DSL with a D-link router with a firewall. These are called hardware firewalls. If you connecting the modem to only one PC you can run a software firewall. Windows XP has one built in that you can turn on. Better yet, download one from Zone Alarm. It is free:

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?lid=pdb_za1

[MUAD_DIB]

7. What are you running for a system? PC-MAC?

The reason that I ask is that I have the same thing: Verizon DSL.

I am using a Netgear router attached to the DSL modem.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

8. Yes, you'll need a firewall

I use a hardware firewall, but you can certainly get by with a software version that installs on your PC or Mac or whatever.

And if you're connecting multiple computers, depending on the policies of your ISP, you may need a hardware firewall or some device to perform NAT (Network Address Translation). For example, my ISP will only allow one computer at a time to be connected to the network. If my wife wanted to be on the Internet with her PC, she'd have to click a little checkbox and reboot her computer. Dumb, dumb policy. The solution? Make the firewall the one "computer". The ISP sees it as the only device connected, since one of its basic functions is to hide everything connected behind it (my wife's PC and mine). This is the aforementioned NAT in action. Many ISP-provided dsl "modems" perform the NAT on their own, by the way.

Also, if you're curious, you'll want to check your download and upload speeds to see what you're really getting. Good speed tests can be found at www.dslreports.com. Click on the Tools buttton on the left and run the test.

You'll need a low-pass filter installed. This is something you shouldn't have to worry about, but sometimes you do anyway. It's something that's usually connected at the NID (the little gray plastic box outside your house). If not installed, you'll hear annoying and debilitating clicks on your telephone conversations, and you might think Ashcroft is listening in (of course, he may be :) ). Anyway, the only reason I mention this is because a few ISP's use in-line low-pass filters at each phone jack instead of at the NID. If yours does this, and if you ever wire another phone line, you'll need one for that new phone line.

Last item: watch out for those bastards at the RIAA.

Enjoy it!

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

13. the filters usually come with the modem

They sent me about four, but I never used them and I've never had any problems with the land line either, but that might be different under other phone systems.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

9. yes, you need a firewall

I've been a computer and internet user for a very long time, since pre-AOL days, and in the last year I have noticed so many viruses, trojan horses, and attacks, even I am surprised. It's NEVER been this bad before.

You need a firewall, you can get one built into the hub/router you will need if you want to hook up more than one PC - you can get a good one for $100.

If you want to go cheap, there is a software program called Tiny Personal Firewall you can get for free - http://www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny2?la=EN - use this at a MINIMUM.

Unfortunately, Windows has basically ZERO useful protection against spam, viruses, trojans, and remote attacks.

[Kamika]

10. I got DSL at home

I have no firewall or anything and nothing bad happened to me.

Altough i did get that virus that restarted my computer

[MojoKrunch]

11. Have you run SpyBot and AdAware lately?

//Altough i did get that virus that restarted my computer//
And that's not "bad"?
:)

"Nothing bad ever happened to me except for that one case of clamidia."
Grisoft.com.
AVG is a free and very good anti-virus software. Set it and forget it.
Even updates itself.

You don't *need* a firewall/router if you treat your DSL connection like dial-up, disconnect after each use.
But adware/malware piggyback in on your cookies or VB script if you use IE.

You're better off being a Mozilla user just to avoid that little Microsoft security issue.

Mojo

[Kamika]

12. Its always on

I download tons of tv series etc while im at work, the dsl is pretty much connected 24/7 but i do use ad-aware alot.


That was a pretty funny std joke btw :)

[lpbk2713]

14. Let me prepare you for one possibility.

It might take several visits from Verizon to finally get your DSL service working anywhere near acceptable. Take it from me. I recently retired from Verizon in West Central Florida (I noticed your profile). Don't blame the runaround on the installers. Verizon wants to save money by not "wasting" it on such "useless" things such as education and training. They rely instead on OJT. They will give a field tech a service order who has no familiarity with the task at hand and basically say "install this". He will probably do what he can then leave and sign off the order before you get a chance to try out the DSL. The installers get tired of defending Verizon's way of doing things. When you call the repair service they might do some remote testing and say the trouble is in your equipment when it's not. Same story here. Testers with inadequate training or experience. If you can ride out the agrivation you might end up with decent service in a month or two after calling in trouble several times. And BTW, it won't help if you sign up for WorldNet or AOL DSL. The same local telco would be doing the same exact work for them only contracting out their services. The only way out is to go with a Cable modem. But then I'm not as familiar with their service as I am with Verizon's. Good luck, and I hope it all works out.

[KG]

15. thanks for the help.

it's just me, in my apt., and i have Windows XP - fully updated.

did someone imply the XP firewall would suffice? guess it would hurt to d/l a free one. would running both be a bad thing?

[papau]

16. running both is a good thing- get zone alarm or tiny up and running

before you do anything else.