I have a stupid question about DSL & Phone lines

[Lostmessage]

I live in Buffalo NY and I need to ask a question.
Can you have DSL installed without hooking up a phone line? Are there any companies that just hook up the Internet on your computer without having a working phone in your house.

The reason that I ask is because some companies offer you the option of having a phone on your computer and I am short of funds because of the Bush economy.

[Systematic Chaos]

1. No, the phone line is what makes DSL possible.

Without the phone line for data to travel through you get no connection.

DSL isn't that expensive, but if you want you could simply get a cable modem setup and not bother paying for actual cable. It's about the same price but even faster.

And yes, there are companies like Vonage that will let you use your cable modem or DSL as a phone connection and I'm thinking about going that route because I hate my local phone carrier, Sprint, with a passion.

On edit: No, wait a minute. I see what you're saying now. God I'm an airhead. Yeah, you might be able to do that without having a land line. Check with your phone company and see.

[Lostmessage]

2. My phone company

Bundles all three together so If you don't pay one they shut off all three.

Do you think that I can switch and still use the same phone line for a different company?

[creativelcro]

21. Cable is not always faster than DSL

[buckeye1]

3. No

You must have a connection, be it wire or cable. There is sattelite but that costs more.

[Lostmessage]

4. I once owned a huge Tracker satellite dish

I had to leave it at my old home when we moved out and I miss it. You could pick up a game on one channel and then 2 hours later you could watch the same game. I also could pick up other countries and I had more channels then you could imagine.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Do you have a working phone line already?

Is there a phone wire coming into your house or apartment?

Without a line, you can't have DSL, of course.

if you have the line, but aren't paying for phone access through it, call the DSL provider and ask them about it. I have DSL, but I also use the phone line for a phone, so I never asked if it was possible to get just DSL and not pay for the phone access, too.

I have a feeling that they'll make you also subscribe to a phone plan as well, but one never knows.

If they require that you also pay for phone access, and yo don't want to, then go cable.

Or don't even bother calling the phone company, and just go cable.

Cable you can definitely get without paying for the TV part of it.

(having a phone on your computer is different than a phone line; I assume that means you would be able to make calls over the internet, which is getting to be rather common, but that's just software that let's you use a microphone and a speaker like a phone, not anything extra or odd that has to be done to your connection)

[Lostmessage]

7. I have a bundled package

I have a large phone bill with calls on it that I didn't make and they won't take them off. I want to fight them but they are going to disconnect my phone on Tuesday which means my cable and Internet service will go off as well.
I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and I never should have gotten the bundled package but that is all that my apartment complex offers.
Can I get Internet service without a phone line?

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Well, you definitely can't do dialup wthout an active phone connection

Whether you can get DSL over an in-active phone line, I don't know. You'd have to ask about that one; call the phone company (if they provide DSL) and call a DSL provider that isn't your phone company, and get their answers.

If no, then see if you can get cable internet.

Strange that you have to bundle your cable and phone together. That really sucks. Will they allow you to get just one back, or is a "you have to buy everything to get anything" deal?

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Seems like your best bet might be to...

just get a phone and stay with dialup for a while till things get better.

Basic phone service is under 20 bucks a month and either DSL or cable connections run 30-40 bucks and up.

[necso]

8. DSL comes over the phone line,

using other (than voice) frequencies. Since these are distinct frequencies I am not sure that regular phone service is actually technically required. But, in my experience you have to have a phone number to establish service.

If you know your neighbors and they have DSL, try to get one of them to allow you to "hotspot" them. A router and adapter (b) should be less than $60 after rebates. The neighbor would connect the router (which has NAT and firewall protections builtin so it is good for him and allows him to share in his house or outside). There are some security considerations, but if he sets things up right the worst he gets is a little packet dumping (the wireless packets --- your packets). If you get to this point, I can advise.

I serve several of my neighbors, although I am not sure my provider would approve.

As for switching, you could so before your phone service is cut off, and see what happens. It might require different equipment though and this means a contract or up front costs so if it doesn't work you are screwed.

[Lostmessage]

10. I don't think that I would want to spend time in Jail

I appreciate the idea but I don't want to go to jail.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Oh, you wouldn't go to jail

If it's perfectly to have a network in your home, and there's no way they could ever possibly know if a ethernet cable (or wireless) is going a 50' to your bedroom, or 50' to your neighbor's bedroom, or 50' to the apartment 4 floors above you.

I have DSL coming into my apartment, and I'm not sharing it with anyone outside the apartment (though I certainly could), but I have 8 ports on it for my apartment-network. Any one of the cables I'm running could go out the window and be three floors above me, for all the phone company knows.

And here in NYC, and other big cities, a lot of people are running wireless networks, and putting their transmitter near a window so that there are hotspots out in the street that anyone can tap into; most of these people advertise their location on the web. One can get a map of manhattan with most of the available hotspots listed.

So, don't worry about jail at all. It's not technically kosher, but I dno't see it as unethical at all. You're paying for a certain amount of bandwidth whether you use or not.

[Lostmessage]

12. I could make a deal with the guy next door

I could tell him that I will not complain on him because of the loud noise that happens all night long if he runs a cable through my wall. He lives with two other guys and it sounds like a freight train coming through my walls at night.

[necso]

14. I love actual cable.

Offer to buy him a wired router (< $20 on sale) and do it in behind the baseboard (easy to hide) or through an existing outlet of same kind (sometimes they are paired, but be careful not to cut existing wires).

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. And if he doesn't want to snake cable, tell him you'll buy a wireless

router; then you don't have to snake cable, and you should be able to walk over your apartment with your laptop (if you have one) and never lose your connection, and won't have to drag a cable behind you. :-)

Sounds like a good compromise to offer not to turn him in if he helps you out.

[necso]

13. Service disconnect is the worst we are talking about.

It is not like the providers are snooping, plenty of people are doing it. Hell you could probably get a wireless adapter and do it without your neighbors catching on (bet there are signals in your area). Your neighbor could always deny it (bought a cheap router on sale and didn't know it could happen) and there is no penalty for tapping into an open signal that I know of.

I never give advice to break the law.

I am looking at mounting a (very large) high gain antenna on my roof --- shows how much I am worried. Hey, it's just for LAN purposes --- you mean someone was using it for the internet --- I'm shocked, shocked.

With a cheap high gain antenna (15DB for < 50$) you could probably have your choice of signals.

Best.

[Lostmessage]

16. Wouldn't it be funny if he was tapping into my line when they cut it off

My Ex ran my bill up at every phone company and I can't get hooked up for under an $800.00 dollar restore fee.

I can't get to my roof I live in a large complex. Can you do that any other way?

[necso]

18. Oh yeah,

You are reading me wrong, I have a nice little inside 15DB antenna the size of a roll of tinfoil, I want to upgrade to something outside to get above the clutter of houses and get really long range (omnidirectional).

Here is a recommendation:

http://www.hawkingtech.com/prodSpec.php?ProdID=183

You can buy it at Amazon.

You can make a little stand and can move it around to get 360 coverage --- omnidirectional capability is a lot more important for a router ("server") than an adapter ("user"). Just keep it pointing at where you get the signal.

Of course you have to match your antenna connector to your adapter's antenna connector --- this antenna offers three options, but you have to be careful.

You probably will not even need a seperate antenna. I can get about 200 feet with the antenna my router came with and there are cheap (basically free) reflectors you can make to improve this range. (Adapters have simlar performance, but walls are an issue in any wireless application, figure maybe 3 or 4 without some boost.)

http://osiris.urbanna.net/antenna_designs/projects/Ez-10/

If you need greater range the hawking option is really good for the money. There are cheaper options too. If you get serious you can PM me when you need more input. I do this stuff all the time and specialize in low cost solutions. Of course I am not looking to charge you anything.

[Lostmessage]

17. I live in a huge complex

Can I run it out the window?

[TOhioLiberal]

19. Skip DSL....

Go cable. The connection is better (unless you have Comcast :eyes:) and faster too.

[Lostmessage]

20. When I moved in I was handed a sheet with a bundled pkg

I am not sure If we can get any other cable company to come in and install in this complex or not.