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Iyashii
join:2010-02-03
Rolling Prairie, IN

2 edits

Iyashii

Member

ISDN: Still around? Can I get it?

Greetings!

I'll be straight forward with ya guys and get right to the point.

I am currently stuck with Dial-Up services provided by Verizon.
Where I live, I am unable to get anything better, aside from Satellite, which is absolutely out of the question for me at this point.

I have a whopping 46.6kbps connection speed minimum, with an average download rate of 3.5kbps.

So I was curious if ISDN Internet was still around, I know it was at some point, but today with all the DSL, Broadband, and Cable ISP, I'm not sure if it is or not.

I am under the impression it's kinda like Dial-Up, you use a modem to dial in to connect, but uses 2 data channels?

And if it is still around, what the the specifications for availability?
And what would the speeds be like, compared to what I have.

Thanks!

EDIT: Upon further investigation in these forums, I'll post more information.

I live in Northwestern Indiana.
My land line is with Verizon at Unlimited local & long distance for $40 a month.
I currently have Dial-Up though Verizon, 46.6kbps connection, 3.5kbps average download for $22 a month.

I've all ways had Dial-Up when the Internet was first readily available, as well as DSL when it came out.
Depending on where I lived, it was either or, so I am completely unknown to IDSN.

I will need an unlimited plan, I can't have any limits on my usage.
But should I be looking into IDSN or ISDL?
Seems ISDL is a crossbreed between IDSN and DSL.
rm12577
join:2010-01-16
Elgin, TX

rm12577

Member

ISDN is around, it has unlimited range... kind of... it has to be repeated, it is a special set of lines to your house its not just plain phone lines, they have to connect ISDN lines which are digital phone lines in a nutshell... then a router which can be found cheap, no always easy to configure without the right tools, but work well when set up, then an isp, like verizon or localnet or like me I only pay for a connection from peoplepc for 100 a year... so total cost for me is about 60 a month for 12-14k down, doesnt seem to get to the peak of 16k but thats understandable
Iyashii
join:2010-02-03
Rolling Prairie, IN

Iyashii

Member

Yea I understand most of the fundamentals of how it works, I was just more worried about pricing, what I would need to do, (as in replace all the wires in my house?) and what I would do with my current land line/Internet.

But considering I need an ISP to use ISDN anyways, I wouldn't need my land line, though?

Configuring it wouldn't be a problem for me, I'm pretty computer savvy so that's not a problem.

I was just curious in what I would need to do to get it started, how much $$ I would need to dish out upfront, and where I can even get a price for a monthly fee, most of the sites I checked didn't really help much.
rm12577
join:2010-01-16
Elgin, TX

rm12577

Member

Call up AT&T business support for a quote, best price for time ratio is 2 year contract but I went for 1 year hoping to get something better by then, then 52 a month for the two lines, which double as local phone lines if configured correctly and if phones are attached to them on the router side. I don't know if they would allow you to pay extra for long distance or anything though... just that they are local to whatever number is on them, I am outside of austin but both of mine are local austin numbers. the install price varies for the location I think but mine was 160 and I am about 50,000 feet from the closest CO I think, they were able to just use phone lines I already had though and just wire them in outside.
Iyashii
join:2010-02-03
Rolling Prairie, IN

Iyashii

Member

Hmm, doesn't sound to bad.

So aside from installation fees, monthly fees would consist of only what I have to pay to AT&T to use the new lines, as well as service form any Dial-Up provider, assuming they allow what I need.

I read something about not all ISP allow for the ISDN connection?

And if I wanted, I wouldn't need any land line, (Like I currently have with Verizon) if I wanted to use the lines for making calls?
rm12577
join:2010-01-16
Elgin, TX

rm12577

Member

right, there are some guaranteed isp's and some that are not, if you are in a high pop area, like within 30-40 miles of a metro you have a good chance of getting a local number to that place, and also better chance of a dial up provider having a setup in that town that you can dial and be able to bond the lines with, like I said I have people pc lol. I also paid for a month of an ISDN isp but when I found out the access numbers were really close I tried a cheapo and it worked, cant guarantee the same success elsewhere...
Iyashii
join:2010-02-03
Rolling Prairie, IN

1 edit

Iyashii

Member

Hmm, considering I live pretty far out from anything, (bout 10 minutes just to get to the highway/gas station) I can see a lot of problem arising from trying to obtain ISDN.

I all ready talked to Verizon bout ISDN, I didn't get much information, but I did find out that they do have accounts registered to ISDN, so I suppose that's a plus?

And what do you mean exactly by a "metro"?

EDIT: Also, should I contact AT&T Small Business or Enterprise?
Viper1873
join:2010-02-07

Viper1873 to Iyashii

Member

to Iyashii
I'm in western PA and stuck in a rural area too. My phone lines are provided by Verizon, but the OP said he couldn't get much info from them. Anyone had better luck? Can I get ISDN from any dialup ISP in the area or do I need new line(s) installed by Verizon? I don't quite follow. Who exactly has to hook me up?
Iyashii
join:2010-02-03
Rolling Prairie, IN

Iyashii

Member

Aff at least research a bit before posting.

You need your local phone company to install new phone lines, which are going to be used to transmit digital, not analog like your normal phone lines.

Yea good luck finding any information about ISDN from Verizon, like I said the most I got was they still have accounts registered to ISDN.

You will need to pay the phone company monthly fees to use the new lines they installed for your ISDN, from what I've read/told it would depend on your state and company.

Then you need to find the right Dial-Up ISP that will support a certain connection for ISDN.
Shouldn't be that hard, from what I've read.

After that, you need a Terminal Adapter (TA) which basically does what a modem does with DSL.

Then you can configure to use your ISDN lines to make and receive phone calls (depending on company, you may be charged extra, you may not) if you so wish.

And that's bout as much information that I have, so if rm12577 would like to help fill me in on getting it all started, that would be great!

xD

(Serious note, do I need to contact AT&T Small Business or Enterprise?)
rm12577
join:2010-01-16
Elgin, TX

rm12577

Member

I have my lines through ATT small business, but I know verizon does ISDN as well and it ideally would be cheaper if they are the main provider in your area, but that isnt always the case, and when I say metro like a large city nearby, like for me I am by a city of 5000 where my CO is but my lines are redirected from there to austin which is another 20 miles from the city i am near, and even then I am 10 miles from the small city nearby, so like within 30-50 miles of a large city like over 20,000 you would likely get a local number to that city instead of the area you live in. When you call ATT you will need to get to the business sector for your region, it may be the same for verizon that you need to talk to the business people to get any good info about ISDN vs them just saying I dont know or what is ISDN... so first off, call verizon see if they have a business sector, otherwise talk to ATT small business and they will get you to the right people, also I would suggest getting netonecom.net for an ISP personally because they are knowledgeable but that is just my opinion, I went with the cheapest after I worked with them to figure out why I couldnt bind one channel and it ended up being an ATT line problem, good guys though. If you have any other questions or issues let me know, and I will suggest a cisco 804 for the router to use, otherwise I have heard 3com and netgear ISDN routers work well too no experience with them though.

bbwithdrawls
join:2008-08-30
Vanleer, TN

bbwithdrawls to Iyashii

Member

to Iyashii
look in the phone book for ATT ISDN , its buried in the front pages , if you call regular ATT they will likely tell you that doesn't exist anymore , it was actually a section of bell south that handles ISDN in my area anyway

there are 2 many dial up ISP's that allow the multi link connection , if you call and ask an ISP for ISDN its like asking to be robbed , Only one i know of that's reasonable is millenicom , try MSN or people PC first , make sure its a local call

if you have experience with CISCO and the IOS by all means the 804 is a good choice , if not look for a 3com Pro TA on EBAY , its simple and easy to set up and reliable , Ive had them for years ,