[ale] isp questions

[Thompson Freeman]

I am _really_ uncertain I should jump in here - but...

[Opinion] Why is 'normal connectivity' so complex? IMHO-Marketing. 
Stirring the water with lots of distracting options, conditions, etc. 
Normal Connectivity is nothing but a big enough bandwidth for bits in two 
directions at a sufficient level of reliability. I don't think we should 
need (normally) to worry about the underlying tech. Video, audio, radio, 
etc are not part of this basic service - just shuffling bits around. If I 
want video (aka TV), that should be a different negotiation. If I want 
audio (radio, phone) that is another negotiation.

[Opinion] When the bits get to the point of separation from the carrier's 
equipment, it should no longer matter to the carrier if I am formally 
renting their equipment or purchase my own.

[Opinion] Customer service matters. The service center's location is not 
important to me, nor the nationality. I do want the service tech to belong 
to the same outfit as I am purchasing the service from as the CEO - and 
have the authority/support to FIX the damn problem. The executive suite 
should lose all compensation if the company's product/service isn't up to 
par.

As for being cheap - I've been working adjunct academics the last decade - 
which in this state works out to about $10/hr effective for advanced 
degree. And I'm better off than the students - many of whom _must_ work on 
phones with smashed screens, skip meals, face reposession of their 
transportation, etc as they attempt to better their lives while working 
potentially 40 hr jobs while in school. (And the adjunct jobs have now 
dried up due to the loss of foreign students - who were often better 
prepared...)

Thank you to the whole group for the use of their bandwidth. I'm now off 
to attempt to help family deal with children shared with a (thankfully 
former) cheating spouse. Probably more information than the list wants; so 
sorry but I need to vent

On Mon, 15 Jun 2020, SpaXpert, Inc. via Ale wrote:

> Good God, why is so much of what I call 'normal connectivity' so complex in
> this forum?  Are all you folks still trying to resurrect dsl from 1995 and
> shit.  What is the point of all of this.  At 60 years old should I be
> offended?  This makes no sense.  To me y'all are tripping over paper clips
> to save a few bucks.  Are we all that broke and can't afford real world
> internet?
> 
> On Mon, Jun 15, 2020 at 9:22 PM Raj Wurttemberg via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>       I think that I have the exact configuration you are looking for.
>
>       - AT&T fiber goes into a U-Verse "modem"
>       - Enabled the DMZ feature on one port of the U-Verse modem
>       - pfSense firewall plugged into the DMZ port
>       - pfSense shows my true IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses
>       - The DMZ passes _almost_ ALL traffic to the pfSense firewall
>       - Inbound ssh and other high-ports work fine
>       - I think inbound http/https, NetBIOS, and SMTP (tcp/25) are
>       blocked by AT&T
>
>       Hope this helps.
>
>       /Raj
>
>       -----Original Message-----
>       From: Ale <ale-bounces at ale.org> On Behalf Of Bob via Ale
>       Sent: Monday, June 15, 2020 5:18 PM
>       To: ale at ale.org
>       Subject: [ale] isp questions
> 
>
>       Hi All,
>
>       I currently have internet (adsl2+) and phone line (POTS) from
>       att.  I
>       like the old POTS line.  The latency and bandwidth of dsl seems
>       fine for
>       our purposes.  Behind the modem, I have a pfsense box, which
>       handles
>       routing, firewall rules, and so forth.  I like the pfsense box.
>
>       Since we're working from home more, I thought I would buy
>       another adsl2+
>       modem as a backup.  The last time the modem failed, I bought one
>       at best
>       buy (netgear DM111PSP v2), and it was inexpensive.  However, now
>       it
>       seems that adsl2+ modems are no longer being sold since att is
>       phasing
>       out dsl.
>
>       At dslreports, some are saying that att might discontinue dsl in
>       some
>       areas this year.  (I'm in the Northlake/Tucker area of Atlanta.)
>
>       It sounds like it is difficult to run a pfsense router/firewall
>       behind a
>       u-verse modem.  Is that correct?
>
>       If att eliminates dsl in my area, would u-verse or comcast be a
>       better
>       choice?  (I'd like to keep my POTS line and use my pfsense box
>       as a
>       router/firewall.  I have no interest in tv or other services
>       from either
>       company.)
>
>       Are there other choices than u-verse or comcast that I'm
>       overlooking?
>
>       Any thoughts on getting an inexpensive backup adsl2+ modem?
>
>       If u-verse is better than comcast, could I purchase a u-verse
>       modem that
>       would be able to handle adsl2+ (until dsl is removed)?  (I guess
>       that
>       assumes that att allows purchasing u-verse modems.)
>
>       Thoughts or suggestions?
>
>       --Bob
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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