🚀 go-pugleaf

 Rob Hemmings wrote:
>It sounds like a very exciting development, effectively providing ISDN
>connections at an affordable price.

 I wouldn't describe 120 quid quarterly rental as 'affordable'.
 Also, if you want 128k then that ties-up TWO of your HH 64k lines
 which thus doubles your call-charges. Ditto for minimum call-charges.

 I'd call it Home Highway Robbery.  Nice if you /can/ afford it though.

-- 
  (~._.~)
   ( * )
  ()~ ~()
  (_)-(_) Rob Wilcox

Rob Hemmings <rhemmings@argonet.co.uk> wrote in message
na.86bbb34880.a70160rhemmings@argonet.co.uk...
>I've just been reading all about this, having followed a link from the
Acorn
>Cybervillage.
>
>It sounds like a very exciting development, effectively providing ISDN
>connections at an affordable price.  However, can anyone answer some
>questions:
>
>1. Are there suitable ISDN connectors/adaptors that will work on a Risc PC
>and if so how much do they typically cost?
>
>2. Do they attach to the serial port and is the standard one on the Risc PC
>fast enough to get the full benefit?
>
>2. I currently use a USR faxmodem with !Arcfax.  If I switched to an ISDN
>connection what would I have to do to keep the fax capability?


I connect to Argo via ISDN at work using a PC or an SARPC.  The modem we
have is the external USR Robotics ISDN TA/33k Modem.  It work fine except
connections are limited to 64K as only one of the two ISDN channels can be
used at once - still, works fine if you want to be able to internet and
receive calls at the same time. - this modem did cost �200-�300!!

The modem plugs into the COM/SERIAL port as usual.  The alternative on PCs
at the moment is a TA (terminal adapter).  These invariably allow both ISDN
channels to be used at once thus allowing connections of 128K!!!!! - these
vary from �100 to �500

Look out for MODEM/ROUTER combinations which for about �300 allow upto 128k
connections, four machines to be plugged in via NICs and will automatically
switch one of the channels over for phone calls and then back to data when
the call has been finished - not having had a chance to try this on an Acorn
yet I can't say if they do work for us, no reason why they shouldn't though!

Cheers

Nad
nad@mindless.com
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/nad

In article <na.7608754881.a50220rob.direction@argonet.co.uk.spam~shield>,
Rob Wilcox <rob.direction@argonet.co.uk.spam~shield> wrote:
 
 
>  Rob Hemmings wrote:
> >It sounds like a very exciting development, effectively providing ISDN
> >connections at an affordable price.
 
>  I wouldn't describe 120 quid quarterly rental as 'affordable'.
>  Also, if you want 128k then that ties-up TWO of your HH 64k lines
>  which thus doubles your call-charges. Ditto for minimum call-charges.
 
>  I'd call it Home Highway Robbery.  Nice if you /can/ afford it though.

Yes you are right - I'd only glanced at the pricing and assumed it was ukp40
per quarter not per month :-(.

Are you sure about the double charges?  That definitely kills it off IMHO! 

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
 Rob Hemmings                 Southport
 
 Tel: +44 (0)1704 573210      robh@argonet.co.uk

In article <na.7608754881.a50220rob.direction@argonet.co.uk.spam~shield>,
Rob Wilcox <URL:mailto:rob.direction@argonet.co.uk.spam~shield> wrote:
> 
>  Rob Hemmings wrote:
> >It sounds like a very exciting development, effectively providing ISDN
> >connections at an affordable price.
> 
>  I wouldn't describe 120 quid quarterly rental as 'affordable'.
>  Also, if you want 128k then that ties-up TWO of your HH 64k lines
>  which thus doubles your call-charges. Ditto for minimum call-charges.
> 
>  I'd call it Home Highway Robbery.  Nice if you /can/ afford it though.

It'd be ok if they included the phone charges in that, or at least gave free
local/internet calls.
-- 
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http://www.matrix.clara.net         (` o-o ')           & Web Design
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In article <6ss8mr$kil$1@plug.news.pipex.net>, Nad
<URL:mailto:nad@mindless.com> wrote:
> I connect to Argo via ISDN at work using a PC or an SARPC.  The modem we
> have is the external USR Robotics ISDN TA/33k Modem.  It work fine except
> connections are limited to 64K as only one of the two ISDN channels can be
> used at once - still, works fine if you want to be able to internet and
> receive calls at the same time. - this modem did cost �200-�300!!

A cheap external TA that will do channel bonding (2 at once) is the Hayes
Accura ISDN box - it's a rebadged Zyxel Omni, and can be got from PC world
pretty cheap (under 200 quid) - it's also got 2 analogue ports. Remember,
though, that your ISP has to support channel bonding - many don't (Demon
don't, I think www.dircon.co.uk do) - and that if you use both channels,
you pay for 2 phone calls.

If you want to use the full rate from it, you'll need a serial card:
eg, the Atomwide one which will do 230,400 and 460,800 - ideally, ask for
it with the 16c750 UART, as then you get a bigger FIFO (64 bytes) which
will help prevent overruns at 230,400bps.

> Look out for MODEM/ROUTER combinations which for about �300 allow upto 128k
> connections, four machines to be plugged in via NICs and will automatically
> switch one of the channels over for phone calls and then back to data when
> the call has been finished - not having had a chance to try this on an Acorn
> yet I can't say if they do work for us, no reason why they shouldn't though!

Zyxel do one of these, no limit to the number of machines on the router,
and does NAT (IP translation) allowing all the machines to use a single
user account at the ISP end. Yes, they do work on an acorn, but you'll
obviously need network cards for the machines on the local network.
The zyxel IP-only (no IPX) one is around 300 quid - try www.seg.co.uk

Hugo

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