Advice for technophobe

[powerdesal]

Hi,

I know there have been many posts about ADSL and I have probably read them all, to the point of info-overload. I need advice.

I intend to bring a new PC from UK to Normandy in the next few weeks

and will be asking FT/Wanadoo for an ADSL hook-up. I am tempted to use

a Netgear wi-fi modem/router with the necessary PC adaptor. Would it be

best to buy same in UK or wait until arrival in France, am I, in fact,

making the right choice with a 54mbps unit or is a 108 recommended in a

stone built house with the usual thick walls. Are other makes more

highly recommended?

I assume that I will need a filter to allow phone use in parallel with

computer use is this correct?. Do FT/Wanadoo supply that as part of the

ADSL installation ?

We dont need a  super speed type hook up just normal e mailing,

web surfing etc, possibly voip (maybe), we dont download music files

and stuff like that, so how many mega-thingies should I go for?

Any (and all ) advice will be most gratefully received.

Regards

[Jc]

You're a technophobe??? after all that technospeak!!

[bigjimbishop]

The only thing that's different setting up the Netgear router in France are the VPI  and VCi settings

In UK it's 0 and 38, but here I think it is 8 and 35.

It's mentioned in some other post on this forum.

Don't know about the signal strength and stone walls but I assume that will be problematic.

You could buy USB wifi dongles and dangle them in places where they pick up better.

Dangle your Dongles

Jim

[powerdesal]

jc,

That wasn't technospeak, it was cut and paste speak !!!!!!!!!

Jim,

Presumably dangling dongles would then have to be wired to the PC which rather defeats the 'wireless' aspect does it not?

Many thanks for the reply though.

[bigjimbishop]

My mates found that it all worked with a 2 metre usb extention taking the dongle just below the door frame so that the wifi was not trying to get through 2 walls

[Eslier]

The Netgear units bought in France are exactly the same as those bought in the UK and come with a CD that enables you to load English software/drivers etc. It may not have written instructions in English but these are easily downloaded from the excellent Netgear US website - as is the latest firmware for your router (very important to do this).

I bought a DG834GT in France and it is very good. At the time, it was cheaper than I could have bought the same package in England.  I have no problem with wifi through 60cm stone walls. It will work at 108Mb if it's talking to another Netgear pci card etc. that is enabled for 108Mb communication but to be honest, your internet connection isn't going to be any more than 8Mb anyway !   I have subsequently bought a booster aerial and now have wifi access in four (and almost five but only outside on the patio for the furthest away) houses.

When you get your Wanadoo service connected, whatever you do DO NOT load the Espace Wanadoo software. Also, don't let them talk you into having their "Livebox", just accept the standard ADSL modem which they will sell you for 1€

[powerdesal]

Eslier,

many thanks, Will I need the standard modem as well as the DG834G or

does the netgear unit do modem and router function? Presumably the 54

mb unit will be more than adequate.

From a brief look it seems that the netgear price in Euro in France is

same numerically as pounds in UK, ie 33 % cheaper in France ( very

rough comparison).

My walls are about 60cm also so I should ok.

Regards

[bigjimbishop]

For your information

I have found that generally IT bits and pieces are cheaper here than UK.

If you search www.touslesprix.com then you find rueducommerce, LDLC and multepass are better than Misco and other UK based IT sellers.

Jim

Tiger OS X on AMD64 3000+ 2Gb ASUS A8V deluxe SATA Raid 1

mmmm I love nerdy gear-lust

[WJT]

[quote user="Eslier"]

When you get your Wanadoo service connected, whatever you do DO NOT load the Espace Wanadoo software. Also, don't let them talk you into having their "Livebox", just accept the standard ADSL modem which they will sell you for 1€

[/quote]

Eslier, when you say DO NOT load the Espace Wanadoo software when they send the modem. Is that separate from the modem software?

I am worried about this because, I really am a technophobe of the lowest form. I would not know how to load a modem without using their software and was pretty much counting on just inserting the disc they would provide.[:'(].

[Eslier]

You won't need touse the wanadoo usb modem if you have a DG834GT but at only 1€ you might as well have it and use it as a back-up.  The disc that comes with the modem has the driver on it - whichyou need to connect with the modem but you don't have to install Espace Wanadoowhich is on the same cd. It's much more obvious than it sounds.  The easiest thing is to follow the instructions and run the cd installer but stop the install at the obvious halfway stage.

[WJT]

[quote user="Eslier"]You won't need touse the wanadoo usb modem if you have a DG834GT but at only 1€ you might as well have it and use it as a back-up.  The disc that comes with the modem has the driver on it - whichyou need to connect with the modem but you don't have to install Espace Wanadoowhich is on the same cd. It's much more obvious than it sounds.  The easiest thing is to follow the instructions and run the cd installer but stop the install at the obvious halfway stage.
[/quote]

Thank you Eslier, that is a relief. I don't have one of the wireless routers or the card so it looks like I will have to use the Wanadoo modem. By the way they are charging me 3€ euro a month for the modem.

[Francais]

I am using a Netgear 834g and the installation was simple - plug it in, open IE, type 192.168.0.1, enter the user name and password, default is admin/password, tell it yor are in France, enter your username and password to log on to Wanadoo and 30 seconds later it is online and working well.

It really couldn't be simpler!

HTH

 

Tim

[Eslier]

[quote user="WJT"]

Thank you Eslier, that is a relief. I don't have one of the wireless routers or the card so it looks like I will have to use the Wanadoo modem. By the way they are charging me 3€ euro a month for the modem.

[/quote]

If you are paying 3€ a month then you must have the Wanadoo Livebox. This is in fact a wireless router which Wanadoo seem to be trying to fob people off with even though  a) many people don't need it and  b) they are notorious for causing  problems. The other option which you can have from Wanadoo is a simple ADSL modem for which they only make a one off charge of 1€ thereby saving you the 3€ per month

[Deimos]

If you have more than 1 PC and want to “share” or access via the network Wanadoo also do a “Ethernet pack”.  Used to be 10€ but now seems 30€ (http://www.wanadoo.fr/bin/frame2.cgi?service=wanadoo_et_moi&u=http%3A//nos-offres.wanadoo.fr/no1141212217/ext/of1.html%3F).

 

However, even 30€ one off is better than 3€ per month for ever (min 12 months) – and the router is yours to keep.  I got a Thompson Speedtouch when I used this offer (though at 10€ then).  However, I believe they send different products at different times.

 

However, I think these “offers” may only be available when you first subscribe.  No idea if asking for them after first starting their ADSL has any success.

 

Ian