Re: broadband newbie queries

The message <prt5s1d4jfs7879vn1c44vp77s1q57vptd@xxxxxxx>
from dave <dave@xxxxxxxxx> contains these words:

> On Mon, 9 Jan 2006 19:56:10 GMT, Johnny B Good
> <jcs.computers***@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> >The message <42egv9F1ip5q7U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >from John Jordan <junk@xxxxxxxxxxxx> contains these words:
> >
> >> Johnny B Good wrote:
> >> >
> >
> > The NTL software includes a "Lead you by the hand" mailbox
> >configuration as well as that accursed broadjump spyware.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> sounds ominious - what is this and how do I avoid it? (Don't use ntl's
> install
> CD?)

Yes!

Well, in response to both this missive and John's, I had no choice
since I was reconnecting a Debian based router PC that had origionally
been set up with the Pace set top box that had been 'recovered' the
month before.

The broadjump software is essentially an unwarranted form of spyware
that's totally uneccessary to broadband connectivity and has been known
to cause problems.

As far as I can tell (it was either 3 or 4 years ago), the procedure
consisted of manually setting the wan ethernet port of the router PC to
an IP address in the 192.168.100.xxx range to establish IP connectivity
with the replacement standalone Ambit cable modem (192.168.100.1) and
then firing up the web browser and and typing
"http://autoreg.autoregister.net/start.html"; into it's address bar.

I then had a data entry page into which the appropriate details from
the welcome letter could be entered. It's this page which seems to be on
a short fuse, timeoutwise, which initially caused me some uneccessary
adjustments before resetting the modem back to defaults and making a
second successful attempt to complete the procedure.

The unregistered downstream speed is limited to a mere 64KBps (as shown
in the modem's status webpage) and it's not until the registration
process for internet provisioning has been completed that (these
days[1]) the 1, 2 or 4Mbps speed that you're paying for becomes
available.

In the case of the STB modem, the process might be complicated by a
lack of DNS service [2]. I was never involved in the origional STB setup
procedure since that was taken care of by my daughter's boyfriend who
was (thankfully!) into Linux and Debian in particular.

I've long since retired the Debian PC router in favour of a string of
gateway routers starting with a Belkin one which I quickly returned to
Staples as 'Unsuited for it's intended purpose' (it rather shittily,
failed to stealth port 80) followed by another 2 or 3 changes of router
culminating with a Peak wireless router.

In all those changes, I merely had to reset the modem and log into the
router's web page to configure the settings using the default cable
modem comms settings to restore connectivity. Adding a gateway/router to
an already setup NTL BB internet connection couldn't be simpler. It's
those ADSL modem/router setups that can be a right pig to sort out.

[1] back then, it was 128Kbps(256Kbps in actuality for the STB modem, oh
happy days!:-), 600Kbps and 1024Kbps. Over the years those speed options
have now evolved to the 1, 2 and 4 Mbps options currently available
today.

[2] I suppose the lack of DNS can be overcome by use of the dot numbered
IP format, provided you know the actual numeric address(es) involved.

HTH

--
Regards, John.

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