Welcome to my unofficial Pacific Bell ADSL page. Here you will find some useful information and links concerning the use and maintenance of Pacbell's ADSL service. This includes a General FAQ, a Troubleshooting FAQ, and information on rival services available to those considering ADSL service. Please keep in mind I'm located in the Southern California service area so alot of the information maybe area specific and definitely extremely IMHO. Important!! DeltaNet's web service maybe discontinuing soon. Find the latest version of this page always at http://home.pacbell.net/golemite/ For the latest Videogames news, check out my new site: http://www.consoles.org/ 03/24/2001 - Thanks to A_Jagers for letting me know that Linux Drivers for the Alcatel USB ADSL modem are now available! 06/03/2000 - Loyal reader Wesley notes that Mac users weren't being allowed to save $99 by doing a self DSL install now that PacBell's free installation offer is apprently over.. check out what others had to say and leave your own comments at MacOS Planet. PacBell's service and support has been pretty substandard lately, probably due to the influx of new users from their promotional offers. The usenet service in particular is still unacceptable at this time. 05/05/2000 - Pacbell Users can no longer access the SWBell Usenet server, as they are requiring authentication for logging on to their news servers now. For an explaination of this move, see Steve Mueller's post to pbinet.dicussion; he's the News Admin at SBC Internet. 05/03/2000 - Here's a funny article on ZDNN; apparently Excite@Home isn't too excited about the Web Hog ads Pacbell has been running and have threatened a lawsuit! 05/01/2000 - Check out a new Pacbell DSL website, the Don't Do It Yourself Pacbell DSL Install page at Smellyeyeball! One man's perilous journey through a DSL self installation.. it's a detailed look at wiring up DSL if you're feeling adventurous, and well worth checking out even if you're not :). 04/21/2000 - For information on the new breed of Hardware Routers targed to home DSL and Cable Modem users, check out Tim Higgin's Excellent Hardware Routers/Firewalls page! It's got reviews and updates about many of the routers available out there, a very useful resource. 04/20/2000 - ZDNet has an article up: Cisco debuts IP DSL gear, inks major deal with SBC. 03/27/2000 - My page is currently light on PPPoE information, mostly because I have been grandfathered a static IP. One good page for information on PPPoE is Carrick Solution's PPPoE FAQ. Give it a spin! 02/26/2000 - Pacbell has set up a nice DSL Information Center for current DSL users to help them with technical issues. 02/24/2000 - Bob Augello informs me that you can also get your plan reduced to $39.95 by calling 1-877-863-8000. You may also be able to get a refund for installation fees if you got your DSL installed this year. He also says theres a PBI DirecTV installation deal (free equipment, 50$ installation fee) and that routers are available for $179 as part of the Project Symphony Promotion (I have no idea what this is). A firmware update should be coming soon for the Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL router will soon be able to support PPPoE (or you can try requesting a beta firmware upgrade). It seems like a nice product, with a built in 4 port switch, IP forwarding and NAT, and other features for a reasonable price. Check it out. PacBell has a support site up at http://63.196.151.75... seems to be aimed towards installers and PBI tech support.. pretty cool. 02/17/2000 - *FOR EXISTING PACBELL DSL CUSTOMERS* "Upgrade" to the new $39/month pricing on DSL here!. Security does matter! With a high speed connection comes responsibility, a fact that ZDNN's article on the recent DDoS attacks reminds us. Also check out security expert Dave Dittrich's Slashdot interview for some more grits for you to pour over. 02/16/2000 - Thanks for Wesely Chin for alerting me to the fact that Southwest Bell is running a promotion on new DSL signups. Get your first year at 39.95$ per month and free installation! Check it out here! According to Anandtech Forums the deal ends on April 30th. 02/14/2000 - There is a list of alternate ISPs available for Pacific Bell DSL users on PacBell's newer dsl information page here. Also, some of my friends who have recently signed up for PacBell DSL have been given the Alcatel SpeedTouch Home DSL modem... one thing is sure, it looks way more slick than the clunky 1000 ADSL I have :). 01/10/2000 - Dan Maize has a good tip if it seems that webpages are being slow to load on your dsl: "I got PBI DSL last month and, for the most part, love it. I was very frustrated by the delay it took to look up web addresses. I tinkered with the network settings and took out the Sacramento DNS address and substituted the LA/San Diego ones. It works a ton better now. " Many times in the last few months i have also found that some DNS servers at Pacbell are occasionally bigger than others and switching them around helps alot in those situations. Check out the faq for a listing of alternate DNS addresses! If you're still undecided between Cable Modem and DSL (consider yourself lucky to have the choice :) you might want to check out Vicomsoft's Cable Modem Knowledgeshare Page. Also check out Osterreichisches ADSL-Forum, an Austrian/German DSL page (not in english)! 01/03/2000 - Saw on /. that a "free" DSL service might be debuting soon (April 1st, according to ZDNN). Seems as if it's an AllAdvantage type ad pusher, but it maybe worth the hassle if you get free DSL. They're apparently a California based company. Check it out.. 12/10/99 - Thanks to Tom Engle who brought to my attention that Intel's WebOutfitter Service has a deal for members for Free Activation, Free Modem (I guess waiving the $200 installation charge) and 2 months of free Basic ($49) DSL service (I think you still have to sign up for a 1 year contract). Sounds like a pretty good deal if you were going to sign up already. To join Intel's WebOutfitter Service, you need a Pentium III computer. If you don't have one (it checks), just sign up at a friends house would work I suppose :) Check it out under Broadband Exclusive (they also have deals for other parts of the nation)! -- I don't have a P3 so I haven't been able to login.. if anyone has more details on this deal, feel free to email me. 12/05/99 - Saw on the newsgroup that Pacbell might now be installing SpeedStream 3060 internal DSL modems from Efficient Networks. 12/04/99 - Prodigy to run SWBell's DSL ISP service? See this article on C|Net. Noticed the default Pacbell/Snap page is also co-branded with Prodigy Internet Services now. 11/24/99 - Check out a new broadband portal from France, ADSL Experience! No ad banners and lotsa links. 11/20/99 - Just got back from Fall Comdex 1999.. One semi-interesting thing on display was Creative Lab's new Modem Blaster ADSL. It's based on the G.Lite standard (they are working with GTE), connects via USB port and will retail for $149. Unfortunately the GTE representative had gone AWOL when I was around, so depending on which Creative representative I was talking to at the moment, the modem already does or will support Alcatel's DSLAM (and others), and PacBell/SWBell may be considering future G.Lite support. The PBI.DSL Mailing list has moved to pbidsl@lists.best.com. 11/06/99 - Updated FAQ finally! Got rid of all the Prime Services references and added some new information about the Alcatel modem among other things. As usual, comments are appreciated. 11/05/99 - Here is some news about the almost certain move to Dynamic IPs from the Pacbell DSL Mailing list: Here is a link to where it shows Pacbell HAS switched (in policy at least) to Dynamic IPs for their lowest tier (Basic DSL) customers: Pacbell DSL FAQ (Official). But Darryl Lee was able to find out this: "However i just called PBI Tech Support, and was assured that this does *not* apply to current customers. Those of us that host at home will get to keep our static IPs, (until we move or discontinue the service.) And in fact, dynamic IPs may still be a little ways off, according to the rep i talked to. But it *is* imminent, he said." Check out the new Unofficial Pacbell DSL Mailing list by subscribing at this address: pbidsl-subscribe@iffy.com. 10/19/99 - From ZDNN: Alcatel lands huge SBC contract French telecoms equipment group Alcatel said on Tuesday it had won a contract to supply all the Internet equipment for SBC Communications' (NYSE:SBC) new $6 billion high-speed Internet access initiative. "It's not exclusive, but we are, for the moment, the sole supplier for this project," an Alcatel spokesman told Reuters. -- Reuters 10/13/99 - - Wewp! 9/28/99 - Hate your Alcatel 1000 modem? Check out this list of alternative modems that can be used on the PacBell network. click here for older updates this page is mirrored at http://home.pacbell.net/golemite/ Disclaimer: I do not work for Pacbell and I do not claim to know all the details of their ADSL implementation. The information provided here is for reference only and is not to be regarded as absolute fact. home / unofficial adsl faq / adsl vs cable / tweaking your connection / links to useful resources Feel free to send comments, suggestions and corrections my way.

Unofficial Pacbell ADSL FAQ Index General Pacbell ADSL Questions and Answers Before You Buy What is Pacbell ADSL? What are the requirements for ADSL? How can I find out if I qualify for ADSL from Pacbell? How do I order ADSL? What options can I get/how fast/how expensive is Pacbell's ADSL service? Wait, you mean I can choose different ISPs than Pacbell? The numbers all look big on the Pacbell page, but what do the download speeds really mean? Pacific Bell? Pacific Bell Internet? What other companies are involved in giving me my DSL service? Are there any usage limits on Pacbell ADSL service? How does Pacbell charge me for my DSL account? The Installation What is done during the istallation of my DSL service? I recieved my order confirmation but it lists the wrong prices for my DSL service! What is a MAC number/address and do I need it? What's an IP address? What's a Gateway? What is a DNS server? Why do I only have one? What if I run Linux/MacOS/FreeBSD/etc? Will Pacbell install service? The Prime Services Guy never called to give a date for installation/never showed up! What do I do? The Prime Services Guy put the POTS splitter inside my house! Is that ok? How does the Prime Services Guy/how do I verify my connection? The Prime Services Guy took off before my ADSL even started working! What do I do? Using Your Pacbell ADSL Service How do I setup my email account and dial up account? What news servers can I use? Ok my DSL connection was working fine before, but now its all wacky! Help! How do you get higher transfer rates? How do you optimize your dsl connection? I want MYOWNNAME.COM. How do I get one? I want to share my DSL connection with a few other computers, but I only have 1 IP address. Help! Troubleshooting Your Pacbell ADSL Connection Things You Can Do My DSL connection isn't working! What could be the problem? How do I get support for my DSL connection? How do I check the status of my DSL connection? How is techinical support handled at Pacific Bell? What other resrouces are there to help me with my DSL connection? What can I do? What is power cycling the modem? How do I "drain the capacitors" of the modem? Check your computer's configuration. What can cause interference with my DSL connection? None of that stuff worked! What now? The Alcatel 1000 ADSL Modem Tell me more about this Alcatel 1000 ADSL modem. What do the lights on the Alcatel modem mean? What does the Power/Sync light mean? What does the Line Error light mean? What does the TX/RX light mean? What does the 10Base-T light mean? Can I get a different ADSL modem than the Alcatel they provide? Older Updates: 7/13/99 - For more information about DSL services available in your area, be sure to check out DSL Reports. DSL Reports maintains a database of available DSL services as well as user comments and recommendations for many different parts of the US. Be sure to give it a spin to see what's available in your area. 7/10/99 - Pacbell is trying various fixes for modems with the serial number ABAA. If you are having problems with this modem type, ask Pacbell for more information about a possible firmware upgrade. 7/06/99 - SBC (SWBell, NevadaBell, PacificBell, and soon Ameritech) to open up its DSL network for competitors? Check out this article at News.com: "Northpoint, for example, says it pays about $21 per month per DSL line in California, making it impossible to compete effectively with Pacific Bell's cheap consumer DSL service. As part of its merger agreement released today, however, SBC said it would charge its new DSL subsidiary and its competitors about the same price for lines. Ultimately, it will also allow competitors to share the first line into homes, according to the agreement. ...But there's still a catch, which could delay the real competition for many more months. According to SBC and the other Bell companies, line sharing--using one piece of the wire for SBC voice traffic, and the rest for Covad's data traffic, for example--isn't yet practical." 6/26/99 - @Home Network to limit upload speeds to 128k? Read here.... 6/25/99 - Some minor changes to the FAQ in preparation for a larger update. Sections updated are: "How can I find out if I qualify for ADSL from Pacbell? How do I order ADSL?" - corrected telephone number "The numbers all look nice and big on the Pacbell page, but what do the download speeds really mean? How does it compare to Cable Modems?" - changed report on my max speed "What options can I get/how fast/how expensive is Pacbell's ADSL service?" - corrected notice of GSP charges "How does Pacbell charge me for my DSL account?" - added all DSL related charges on my telephone bill - Here's a number for "Pacbell DSL Maintenance" : 800-809-6222. I haven't personally tried it, but give it a shot if you're having problems. - For more information about speeding up your DSL connection, check out John Navas's How to increase cable/DSL speed in Windows page. He also wrote the excellent Navas 28800-56K modem FAQ, which I found really useful in my dialup days :) 6/24/99 - Be aware of security problems with permanent ips. Many wannabe haxors and some rude search engines love looking for unsecured netbios shares and other such network openings. Make sure you disable file and print sharing on the internet with a permanent ip or use a firewall such as SonicNet or PC Conseal. To monitor your connections use a program such as NetWatcher in Windows or better yet something like X-Netstat and report abuse to abuse@pacbell.net or other appropriate sysadmins. 6/18/99 - Saw some interesting info on comp.dcom.xdsl about a possible cause of sync and data error problems. Gary Archer says "Check the serial number on your modem...if it does NOT end in AA AA but instead has a 'B' in it, call pacbell... they installed some SDSL (AAAB) modems by accident... what happens is that is almost works, but you get some dropped packets, maybe lose sync now and then. Pacbell will switch it out at no charge (as so they should)." 4/12/99 - Pacbell has worked with Snap! to bring you a portal for highspeed users. Check it out at PacbellDSL.snap.com. 4/11/99 - Feel the pain. PacHell is an ongoing documentation of one user's SF ADSL experience. 4/09/99 - From what I hear, today is the last day for Prime Services' involvement with Pacbell ADSL. 3/27/99 - Pacbell drops Prime Services? Read this article... 3/26/99 - New Alcatel modems at their website. 2/26/99 - Moved all answers to a single page. Added links to Wingate, Nat32. Added link to pueblo.pbi.net helpdesk. 2/23/99 - Comparison page not done yet. Mid-terms are looming.

any comments/questions/suggestions? email me at golemite@pacbell.net counter provided by netdigits © 1999 the raid group page hosted by deltanet