[lug] colo at home info

[Nate Duehr]

B Giles wrote:

> 2) Qwest is... Qwest.  On the plus side, they aren't as clueless as they 
> have been in the past.  The DSL modem successfully established a 
> connection immediately - last time I tried it took months of attempts 
> and many hours spent on hold before I gave up... and I suspect somebody 
> at the CO had turned on service for my neighbor, not me.  (I've caught 
> them going to that unit first when I called for service, etc.)
> 
> But they're still Qwest.  I repeatedly said that I didn't need an ISP 
> because I would be self-hosting - I don't need their web or email 
> servers, I can run my own DNS servers, etc.  By the time the DSL modem 
> had arrived, I had actually decided to keep the cable modem for its high 
> speed downloads, so I could set up my DNS server to hit the comcast 
> server anyway, instead of the root server.
> 
> Yet when the box arrived I was missing a critical piece of 
> information... and discovered that since I MUST have an ISP they had 
> assigned me to a basic Qwest one.  Less than $9/month.
> 
> There was then a very frustrating couple of minutes spent talking to the 
> tech support person.  I needed the ISP for connectivity, the DSL was 
> something else.  Everyone must have an ISP.  Blah blah blah blah blah.  
> Even if she's technically correct because of the way Qwest has 
> structured their business - and I doubt I get unlimited 640k/256k 
> connectivity for less than $9/month - if so I want me a T-1 line for 
> under $60/month!!!  - it's unnecessarily confusing for people who 
> explicitly and repeatedly refer to "colocating servers" and "just 
> needing a dialtone" and the like.
> 
> To be honest, what really pissed me off and made me inflexible was the 
> fact that I don't being lied to.  If I agree to pay ~$32 for a DSL line, 
> then I expect to pay $32 for that line.  I will not be happy if you come 
> back and say that it's really over $40 but I just have to accept that 
> charge.  By one measure that's only $9/month, but by another that's an 
> unexpected ~25% increase and certainly enough that other options become 
> much more attractive.
> 
> As for my current situation, I'm exhausted and if I can get my mail via 
> cable modem for a few months then I'll do it.  Maybe we'll get a colo 
> coop up, or maybe I'll decide to go with a virtual system at tummy.

No no no, the fact that Qwest split their "transport" and their "ISP" 
business is EXCELLENT.

This allows those of us in areas where Qwest can provide service a way 
to get to a GOOD ISP other than Qwest or their partner, MSN.  One that 
will do a good job of outage notifications, can offer real static 
routable addresses, and who is run by locals who also have a clue!

My FRII connection is actually Qwest-transported DSL to FRII.  I get two 
bills... one for the DSL circuit from Qwest, one for bandwidth/services 
from FRII.  FRII puts a cap on the TOTAL bandwidth you can use a month 
across your DSL circuit, but you do run full-rate speeds all the time. 
If you do the math it would require you to download files at full rate 
for something like 22 days (back when I calculated it) 24 hours a day to 
hit the cap on the circuit I have.  I'm not planning on getting 
slashdotted for any reason, so no worries there!

The fact that Qwest did not tell you that their ISP service is separate 
sounds like you may have confused their sales wonks (which is easy, very 
easy, to do).

Since you know you're in DSL coverage distance, cancel whatever you got, 
and then call the *ISP* and have them handle the circuit order.  It 
works out *much* better that way.

Then if you feel you were intentionally mislead by Qwest, make sure you 
let the PUC know.

And while you're at it... complain that you can not purchase a DSL-ONLY 
line from Qwest.  They *require* that you have dial-tone on the line, 
which is obnoxious and not technically necessary.

Tell the PUC you'd like to use Vonage or similar (www.vonage.com) for 
your home phone service and use new technology, but if you have to pay 
for dial tone from Qwest on a line you only want DATA from, they're 
unfairly keeping you from using your chosen technology.  :-)

That last paragraph is my current pet-peeve.  I would have switched to 
Vonage already on the main line at the house, if it weren't for Qwest 
refusing to take the dial-tone off the DSL line.  :-(

-- 
Nate Duehr, nate at natetech.com