[lug] Qwest's Actiontec 1520 and Linux Success?

[Frank Whiteley]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Timothy C. Klein" <teece at silverklein.net>
To: <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 11:50 PM
Subject: Re: [lug] Qwest's Actiontec 1520 and Linux Success?


> * Kirk Rafferty (kirk at fpcc.net) wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 02, 2003 at 09:23:35PM -0700, Calvin Dodge wrote:
> > > I've seen some good prices on Ebay for Cisco 675s and 678s. Might they
> > > fill your need?
> >
> > We've found QWest notoriously cranky about supporting older hardware
(such
> > as the Cisco 67[58]) on new DSL connections.  They will support your
> > existing setup, but they get mighty uncooperative when you want to use a
> > new line with old equipment.
> >
> > Having said that, if you have a choice between the 675 and 678, go with
> > the 678.  We've seen less problems by far on the 678 than the 675
(although
> > the 675 at my house has run fine for 2 years).
>
> Note that Qwest is generally just being stubborn, but not with the 675.
> The 675 is CAP only, and CAP service is now grandfathered at Qwest.  So
> at least a 678 would be required for new service.  This is not just
> just being stubborn -- the CAP and DMT equipment is on different bays in
> the Qwest CO, and the DMT is processed in the Qwest system in a far
> superior way.
>
> As far as getting some non-supported DSL equipment to work with Qwest
> DSL, I was under the impression you could not. Could have just been
> Qwest FUD, but they always said that the card in the CO/Remote would
> only work with certain kinds of hardware. Anybody know for sure?
>
The ActionTec upgrade on Qwest's site is for Qwest only and there is a
warning in the boxes not to use ActionTec's upgrade.  MSN provisioning on
Qwest facility is certainly proprietary on the AresCom(sp?).  At least some
of the compatibility requirements are related to the DSLAM in use at the LEC
or CLEC.

I've been doing a bit of digging into Speedstream bridges and routers for
example.  By serial number, different Speedstream routers work with
different DSLAMs.  In my particular case, I was given a couple of 5351's.
These are DSL (DMT) bridges, however, for $200;^( I can buy a firmware
upgrade that will turn them into 5851 routers.  Sadly, as built, they are
just crippled routers anyway, sold at half price.  By turning at least one
into a router, they could be deployed at either end of a dry pair for
LAN-LAN connectivity.  The city of Greeley did this in one case where Qwest
wouldn't give them DSL from the NOC to the sewage treatment facility.  Other
routers can do the same.  There are cheaper ways to go about this than to
buy the $200 upgrade.

Try the forums at www.dslreports.com.  There is information available there
that vendors and ISPs have removed from web sites and methods to overriding
these devices to reset the admin access and setup scripts.

Frank Whiteley
Greeley