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Thread ID: 29572	2003-01-25 01:06:00	Cable or adsl	Murray P (44)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
116419	2003-01-25 01:06:00	Hi all I'm considering my options re broadband cable or adsl via phone line connection to the net . We currently have 2 phone lines, one dedicated to the comp on 56k dial up plus TV via Saturn cable . What I want to do is connect the 2 comps in house to the net, 1 to be used for a small business start up the other for home use (kids, mp3 & gaming) . So I guess, network comps + hub + external dsl modem/cable modem is the way to go, right? What are the pro & cons of phone line access vs cable, stability, set up/hardware costs, etc? am leaning towrds 128k due to costs but could streach . Cheers, Murray P	Murray P (44)
116420	2003-01-25 06:33:00	Hi Murray I think the choice between cable and phoneline adsl will come down to cost. You will probably want to keep your second phone line anyway if you are running a business from home as you need dial-up access as a backup and you can't afford to hog the phoneline on private calls. I use Free.net.nz and have paid nothing but the initial $14 odd as my monthly usage is very low or nothing. I have two lines on Telecom's home business package with a faxability number piggybacked on the private line and I also use this line for dial-up. My other line is dedicated to business but also carries Jetstream 500. I use a Nokia Ni500 router and have four computers networked via a hub with all sharing internet access. Using a routher makes internet connection sharing much simpler apparently but I'm not sure why. However, once I installed the router and configured my main computer, the other three had instant acess with only minor setup and no software installation. I'm not sure if a cable modem would do the same but somebody will probably post to let you know soon. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
116421	2003-01-25 07:32:00	Ta Billy I take it that I could use the one line for voice, fax, backup 56k connection and adsl, leaving one line free for private. Murray P	Murray P (44)
116422	2003-01-25 08:36:00	Hi Murray Faxes are so rare these days that hanging faxability on top of the private line is no imposition. Similarly the rare use of dial-up is no imposition either. Since Jetstream is available 24/7 without interfering with normal use of the line, there is no reason not to put it on top of your business line. Take my advice learned from nine years building my business from less than nothing (when I started, not only was my business unique, potential clients didn't even know they needed me). When working from home the most important thing is to be available if a client phones. I make all outgoing calls on my private line so that the business line is clear for clients to call in. You shouldn't put any impediment in the way of clients who want to talk to you so keep faxes, dial-up and any other outgoing calls you can away from your incoming business line. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
116423	2003-01-25 08:36:00	I also run 2 lines on Telecom home business rates. I line is voice and fax (fax is detected by a small pabx/fax catcher) and ADSL One line is voice and backup 56k Its always possible that I may drop 1 line one day, so the ADSL is on the one I would keep. A router is much easier for networking on ADSL, and a router that uses Network Address Translation (NAT) provides an effective firewall against incoming nasties. An internal ADSL modem requires that PC to be on before the others can get access to the internet, and also requires Internet Connection Sharing arrangements / Network Bridging to operate, which can be a pain. Most routers are almost plug and play. Just set-up your log-in and password in them and you are away.	godfather (25)
116424	2003-01-25 10:39:00	Thanks What you say makes sense. Its most important to be able to respond to an enquiry than say order some more paper clips. I will basically be dealing with the public in a consultancy roll rather than b2b so the ph is going to be almost always the first point of contact. I have a fax catcher too G.F. (wasn't sure whether to use your christian or sir name :) left over from 1 line days, so thats another good option. Spoilt for choice aren't I. Think I'll hop over to trademe & pricespy to check out routers, hubs and nic's + the networking faq. thx very much to both of you. Murray P	Murray P (44)
116425	2003-01-26 03:49:00	Not sure if this is useful now after the other replies, but I went adsl - Jetstart 500 using a Nokia 500 and a switch (faster than a hub) from DSE. I too work from home in a consultancy role, and found that I could drop the second line - I used to have fax and dial up on one line and phone on the other. Dropping the cost of one line made Jetstart cost neutral in terms of monthly rental from Telecom. Now my set up is one adsl line with faxability. As noted earlier, the fax machine sits there like a slug for weeks at a time without being used. I can receive incoming phone calls when the computers are active on the net. I have had three computers networked, but gave one away to the kids at Aoraki, so now only have the mainbox and a laptop. I have recently added a wireless access point to the switch and a PCMCIA card to the laptop so I and other family members can use the net elsewhere in the house - it connects to the net wirelessly through the main box. Works really well for my needs and others in the family. And as I am going to have an office soon in the backyard, it means that I can work inside on cold evenings in front of the fire using the laptop to access my main box and the net. Extravagant I know, but really cool! John H	John H (8)
116426	2003-01-26 04:52:00	Hi John It's nice to know other home-based consultants have followed a similar path, when you work alone it is hard to get independent validation of your business decisions. I acknowledge that one line can be sufficient, but with two teenage children (who don't hog the phone) and all the phoning round necessary for sporting and other activities our "private" line is so busy that sometimes I have to phone home on the "business" line to get an answer. I hold firm to the view that when offering consultancy services, no impediment should be put in the way of customer contact. That is why I call out on one line and receive on the other. Just one job that didn't get away is more than enough to compensate for the extra line cost. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
116427	2003-01-26 04:59:00	It sounds like Billy has a similar need (but I don't have the private line traffic) to me. I run a consultancy business from home. I call out on one line too, but mainly for cost reasons. I have a different calling plan on the "outward" line, one that limits the cost to $5 nationwide all day every day. The "inward" line has a "city caller" plan for the outward calls to the nearby city, which are then free (apart from the $20 CityCaller cost) Faxes are almost non-existant these days. All in all this works quite efficiently.	godfather (25)
116428	2003-01-26 05:20:00	This is great Nice to get all this usefull info, tech and business wise. Thanks. Looks like you mainlanders have pretty much the same options I have in Lower Hutt but am almost certain to run with one of the iterations of jetstart, just checking the numbers now. Have heard that usb modems/routers can have problems so, am leaning the other way. Any suggestions? Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
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