robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ
| SBC-Yahoo Dial! - ISDN ISP
I've been testing the re-branded Prodigy, SBC-Yahoo Dial! for dual-channel ISDN for the past month, and it has been working well. It is certainly a bargain.
Before I even agreed to try it, I noticed that they had an ISDN FAQ in their support pages, but it wasn't specific about their support of ISDN. I called their customer support number, and as you would guess, the person on the line really had no idea if the service supported 128k ISDN, but after checking with others assured me that it did. I was skeptical, but signed up anyway, since the arrangement in SBC Ameritech land is the first month free, the second and third months at half price, and $21.95 per month thereafter. If you use SBC-Ameritech for local toll calls, they drop the monthly rate to only $15.95 per month.
Even though SBC-Yahoo Dial! support implies that you need their installation CD, I didn't want "extra" software on my PC, and I didn't want an AOL-like experience, so I found a web page that let me complete the registration for the Yahoo features (mail, web space, etc.) without the installation diskette. The actual internet connection (logon ID, password, etc.) can be obtained on the web or by telephone.
MY ISDN experience has been very good with SBC-Yahoo Dial!. I have two local access numbers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and both provide reliable dual-channel connections just about all of the time. Using the "tweak tester" on DSL Reports, one POP shows latency of about 62ms, while the other indicates about 120ms. My speeds on both POPs range from about 115-120 kbps, depending upon the speed test used. The consistency of the speeds appears to be less than with the local ISP I have been using.
Generally, I'm satisfied that this is a bargain, especially at $15.95 per month (I use Ameritech's local toll service), and I intend to keep using SBC-Yahoo Dial!.
I hope this information is useful to others, since I know how difficult it is to find an ISDN ISP at a reasonable cost.
Rob
|
|
Deacon
Clever Saying Goes Here
Premium,MVM
join:2001-12-13
DFW | Can you get a static IP? I would be interested to find a National ISDN ISP that offers this, for my remote salespeople.
Thanks
Deacon
--
My business: »www.3nf-inc.com |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
 ·Comcast
 ·magicjack.com
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to robhouston
Great info. I don't plan on moving any time soon but I am happy to see that someone has looked into this. I know we had some messages going around questioning this new service a few weeks ago.
Do you know their policy on unlimited use (definition of unlimited)?
--
A happy ISDN user! Read more info about ISDN at brawney.com |
|
JerryC23
Character Counts 40,41,43
Premium,ExMod 1999-03
join:1999-10-08
Humble, TX | reply to robhouston
Let me echo the other responses -
It would be VERY helpful to know if this kind of service is available outside of your immediate area. |
|
qwertycus
Elephant
Premium
join:2001-04-01
Schererville, IN | reply to robhouston
Wow!
$15.95 for 128K?
Do you have any problems connecting with both channels? |
|
robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ
| reply to robhouston
In answer to your questions:
- Like other national ISP's, I don't think SBC-Yahoo Dial! provides static IP's.
- I'm not entirely sure of their definition of "unlimited use", but I believe they kick you off after 8 hours of use. I don't know how quickly they kick you off for no activity, since my router disconnects after 15 minutes.
- I don't know how many POPs outside of my area support 128k ISDN, but for what it is worth, the support person I spoke with, after checking with someone else, told me that they support 128k ISDN. This conversation was not specific to my location, so I suspect they support ISDN (or at least it works) nationally.
- I have had no problems connecting with both channels at 128k, except for the very rare dropped second channel. I would say it has happened twice in the last month. |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
| By unlimited I guess I was talking about total hours per month. Do they mean unlimited as in 150 hours a month or unlimited in 744 hours a month (24 hours x 31 days)? I don't advocate using a dialup connection as a permanent connection.
Did you have to ask for anything special to get ISDN service or did you just sign up for the normal service?
--
A happy ISDN user! Read more info about ISDN at brawney.com |
|
robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ
| Brawney:
To my knowledge, SBC-Yahoo Dial! does not have any monthly hourly limit--it is "unlimited" in that sense.
No, I didn't have to do anything different for ISDN when registering. I just signed up online, which gave me internet access by ISDN or otherwise. I then had to find the web page to complete the registration for the Yahoo features, which wasn't easy, since the support people didn't seem to know about it.
Rob |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to robhouston
Do you have any links to help us find local numbers that are supported for SBC-Yahoo?
Also, do they provide email support via POP3/SMTP to your email account so I can use Outlook Express?
Thanks for all the info. I'm just looking around to see what my options are since Screaming Internet is still having problems getting their number in my area working.
[text was edited by author 2002-08-16 13:24:51] |
|
qwertycus
Elephant
Premium
join:2001-04-01
Schererville, IN
| said by brawney:
Do you have any links to help us find local numbers that are supported for SBC-Yahoo?
»sbcyahoo.prodigy.net/openPhone/index.html
I went to look for local numbers and it took me forever to find it. |
|
tower29
Premium
join:2002-02-12
Loveland, CO
| reply to robhouston
How much are you paying for your isdn line from your telco?...I pay 67.30 for the line with Quest and another 21.95 for my isp which is unlimited. Thanks for the info..............tower
Ill leave the old post for laughs.....What in the heck is a Yahoo Dial that can provide 128k? I realize all isdn is dial-up but also needs two spid numbers which entails two separate phone lines. So the taxes alone should be around 4 bucks by themselves. Well let me know:)
[text was edited by author 2002-08-16 16:47:14] |
|
robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
| said by tower29:
...I realize all isdn is dial-up but also needs two spid numbers which entails two separate phone lines. So the taxes alone should be around 4 bucks by themselves...
Tower29 -- Posts like that are really going to confuse people. One ISDN line supports 128Kbps as you know. The fact that there are two b channels has no relation to "two separate phone lines".
The original post by robhouston was informative in nature -- giving us specifics of using SBC-Yahoo Dial! for ISDN connections. By federal law, taxes are not allowed to be charged for internet connectivity (except in a few states which are grandfathered by virtue of having already passed taxing legislation prior to the federal law). Therefore, there should not be any taxes! The fact that people pay taxes on their ISDN lines supplied by the telco has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. -- Robbin |
|
robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ | reply to brawney
Brawney:
I see Qwertycus gave you the link for local access numbers (yes, it is hard to find!).
I use Outlook Express for my mail, so yes, SBC Yahoo Dial! supports POP3 mail, as well as web access mail.
Rob |
|
robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ
| reply to tower29
Tower:
For what it's worth, I pay $48/month in Michigan for my ISDN line, and this includes all taxes/charges with no per call charge. This is entirely unrelated to the $15.95 per month I pay for SBC Yahoo Dial, my ISP.
It's interesting that I pay only $15.95 per month for ISP service because I have local toll calling with SBC Ameritech, but SBC Ameritech doesn't seem to have a similar bundling arrangement with ISDN lines.
Rob |
|
tower29
Premium
join:2002-02-12
Loveland, CO
| reply to robhouston
Thanks!!!  :):)
[text was edited by author 2002-08-20 17:54:33] |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
|  reply to robhouston
I signed up for SBC Yahoo! tonight. Signup went smooth. I was able to get my local access number and sign on immediately. ISDN works fine with dual channel 128k. It is a PAP authentication and compression works with my 3Com router.
SBC says they will send me a kit in the mail in 7 to 10 days. I assume this will have a bunch of software in it that I don't want to install. I found this link that shows support information such as their news and mail server addresses. »support.sbcglobal.net/index.shtml
If robhouston or anyone else has been able to get into their account online and view their settings and billing please let me know how to do this. Also, if anyone has received a bill for this service yet I'd like to know for sure that they're not going to charge me a "premium" service charge for using ISDN.
It looks like SBC Yahoo (Prodigy) is using Level 3 Communications for their backbone.
Thanks to robhouston for giving us this info on SBC Yahoo. I have become somewhat frustrated with SI due to the varying answers I get and lack of response to my voice mail and email messages lately. I don't know how many times I heard that something would be fixed or working "by the end of this week" and it never happens. |
|
robhouston
join:2001-09-15
Chester, NJ
| Brawney:
You can complete your registration online using this link:
»isp.member.yahoo.com/regisp/y/st···ion=dial
You won't have to install any software, and after registering with this link (for the Yahoo features), you'll have full access to your account and all of its features.
Also, I have not been charged for any "premium features" by using ISDN. In other words, I'm just paying the regular monthly dial-up charge.
I'm glad to hear the service is working for you at 128k. It is still working flawlessly for me!
Rob |
|
PitBull0
Premium
join:2002-07-25
Orange, TX
| reply to brawney
said by brawney:
Thanks to robhouston for giving us this info on SBC Yahoo. I have become somewhat frustrated with SI due to the varying answers I get and lack of response to my voice mail and email messages lately. I don't know how many times I heard that something would be fixed or working "by the end of this week" and it never happens.
I went with SBC Yahoo today also, SI really sucks. THANKS robhouston!!
--
Hug a PITBULL Today!! |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to robhouston
Thanks for the link. I thought I was going to have to install their software to get fully setup.
I notice that on their support pages they have a link that explains what ISDN is and gives you a link to SBC if you want to install it. It doesn't actually say they support it but it sounds like they do. At $21.95 a month this is a great deal. Cheaper than most other ISDN ISPs.
It looks like they setup a special Yahoo account for you that has some of the Yahoo features that normally cost extra (more storage, etc). You have the chance to merge your current Yahoo account with this new SBC Yahoo account. However, if you do that you can never unmerge them. If you cancel SBC Yahoo that special Yahoo account goes away or at least you can't keep it for free.
So far so good but I can't get my email to work with Outlook Express. But I assume that is because I have not gone through the whole account setup process yet and probably don't even have an email account. I'm going to do it right now. Thanks a lot!
--
Ever consider ISDN? Read more info about ISDN at brawney.com
[text was edited by author 2002-09-01 13:46:05] |
|
brawney
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to robhouston
I went through the setup process on the link you gave me and I'm up and running. Web site works and mail via smtp/pop3 works fine too. I even got my news reader up and running. Thanks for the info.
The SBC Yahoo! trial period has begun.
--
Ever consider ISDN? Read more info about ISDN at brawney.com |
|
