🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi,

Here are a few comments on our experience of getting ISDN in Omaha.
Dale, you can use this as a FAQ if you'd like.

ISDN setup, for us, was simpler than I thought it was going to 
be. We started talking with USWest about it, but no one there
seemed to be able or willing to answer our questions. Finally
we were directed to Digitronics (Eric Rost (402) 339-5340 ).
They act as an intermediary between you and USWest, and really
know how to make things go right. USWest calls ISDN service
PCPhone, and you'll have a better response from them if you
call it that rather than ISDN.

We had already purchased a Motorola Bitsurfr ($349 mail order from
Computability 1-800-558-0003) a Terminal adapter and network terminator.
This is the only special piece of equipment we needed to buy. It 
gives us an ISDN connection and a serial connection for the computer 
plus a regular phone line. So, we just plug our computer and phone
into the BitSurfr rather than into the phone line. It acts like a
regular Hayes-compatible modem and responds to the standard AT
commands. 

Setting it up was pretty simple. The manuals for the Bitsurfr were
well written, thought the index could have been a little better.
Eric at Digitronics gave us the information on the type of switch
the phone company would be using, which we needed to set up
the Bitsurfr. (There are a couple of different ones, and you
don't have any choice in which ones you get connected to.) 
We had to fax Digitronics a form authorizing them to act as our
agent with USWest to order the installation. We could have mailed
it, but we wanted it to happen as quickly as possible. 

We were asked what our long distance company was, and were able
to keep the one we had before. (Not one of the big 3.)

The installation was simple as well. We were able to run our
modem line and our voice line on a single twisted pair inside our
apartment, so we didn't have to add anything there. The installer
from USWest rewired and tested the line at the junction box in
just a few minutes. 

We were able to keep the same two phone numbers as we had had before,
though when we got the bills from USWest, it looked like we had
disconnected and then reconnected our service. I was a little concerned
about that, but there wasn't a real problem.

The service is costing us $55/month for the equivalent of two
phone lines, though we can only do voice on one line because we
are using the BitSurfr. Installation and setup was $75.00 billed
on the phone bill. 

We really like the quality of sound on the voice line. It is so
quiet compared to a regular phone line.

The other minor problem we had was with the phone we were using.
I called the Motorola technical support number about this one,
the person I talked with was knowledgeable and helpful.
The BitSurfr puts out a Ringer Equivalence (RE) of 1.0. When
we had the answering machine (RE 0.0 0.0)  and the phone (RE 0.9)
on the line at the same time, the answering machine wouldn't
pick up. We traced it to the phone, which was always suspect because
it was a cheap phone to begin with. We replaced it with a newer
ATT two-line phone. If you have a newer phone, or a phone that cost
more than $15.00, you probably won't have any problem with it at
all. 

We really like ISDN. The data connection has been rock solid,
the voice connection quiet. It only takes a few tenths of a second
to connect to another phone number now. It is so fast that quite
often the other person will pick up before you even hear the ringing
on the line.

Evelyn Mitchell
efm@tummy.com
http://www.tummy.com