PCA Forums

Well after being jerked around for last 8 months, comcast@home is finally available in my area. I just ordered the self install pkg. I get a cable splitter and a USB cable modem.

Price is $19.95 for the first 3 months and then it goes to $32.95 per month after that. Add 7 bux a month for modem rental, but the dude told me I could buy one at R-Shack or Cicuit City for 99 bux. I'll prolly do that..

Question 1:

Should I get the USB modem or the one that uses a NIC?

I have 3 PCs w/ Intel PRO 10/100 NICs that will all be using the same connection. I thought I'd get the USB modem so I wouldn't have to use two NICs in the LAN Gateway

Question 2:

How do the prices I've quoted match up to what everyone else is paying for cable and/or DSL for that matter?

thanks in advance for any input.

VidmanII

I would go the way of the nic rather than the USB modem. You will get better d/l spped with it. You may want to use a router or a switch and crossover to share your connection.
Also what ever you do get a firewall proggy like Black Ice or Zone alarm. You will be suprised at the amount of people out there with bad intensions and sniffing around the net.


Bookmark this sight it is very informative.

http://www.speedguide.net/index.shtml

I'm getting cable installed on the 15th. W00T!! We are also going to pay $19.95 for the first 3 months, but then it goes up to like $35. Cable modem rental is like $6.95 a month. I am going to be using Linkseys network in a box to share my connection between 2 computer. Will add 1 maybe 2 computers within a few months.

1.) Get the one that uses a nic.
2.)Your prices are almost exactly what I'm going to pay.

Frost.

I'm with @home, and bought my 3com cmx modem for $190 back around June/July (I don't think they were available for public purchase at that time and if so, it was probably pretty hush hush on where you could).

I pay $32.42 a month.

Since you're planning to share with the other systems in your house, Sygates latest version supports a One nic setup.
Guess it sets up a virtual gateway, etc...
So you don't have to deal with getting two nic's working in one machine. Pretty cool.

BTW, has anyone using Sygate, been able to have a bud over and both play Halflife on the internet with one cdkey ?

I have Road Runner cable service and pay $39.95 a month that includes the U.S. Robotics modem and they gave me a USB nic card. If possible don't use the cable splitter they did that when mine was installed and I had all kinds of problems they finally came back out and ran a dedicated line and it made a tremendous difference. I have been told the USB is not has fast but I have compared with others in my area who use PCI nics and there is no difference in speed.

I too have RR (since last July) and it came with a modem, nic for $43 per month including taxes, etc (which is close to what I was paying before for the extra phone line (now gone) with an unlimited ISP service.
If you're using or planning to use a home network, it's easy with Win98SE (or newer) and another NIC for the network.

comcast rips us off man. We have to pay $55 a month (including modem rental) They gave us free basic cable for no reason though? I don't have to pay so its not like it hurts me, but I'm sure my parents would like a little extra dough, ya know?

that basic cable isn't free...... That's the reason you are paying more. Non cable subscribers need to pay more

I heard nothing but bad with USB Cable Modems. Actually I think recently 3COM pulled their USB model off the shelves due to problems with a lot of users.

$299 for Self Kit (3COM Sharkfin Modem, 20 feet of Coax, Splitter) w/ $200 rebate from the Wiz.
Final cost: $99.

Optimum Online
$29 a month ($39 if you don't have cable TV)
no contracts

Thanks for the tips....I'll prolly use the USB modem, that they're sending me, for a month and see how it shakes out. I'll be buying my own in the first month.

The dedicated line certainly sounds like a winner when you think about it.

Checked out that Sygate 4.0 ( 3user ). Looks like a decent buy for the price considering you get all the firewalls included. Just wondering whether that Virtual NIC is the real deal...hmmm.

I figure once I dump my 2nd phone line, I won't be paying much more than I am now for my dial-up ISP. Currently just using x-over cable, for whichever two are on at the same time, and Win98se's Internet Connection Sharing

LAN config will be: ( all running win98se)

T-Bird 1 gig (LAN gateway, Biz box) K7 Pro / G400 Max
T-Bird 950 (gaming rig, DVD) A7V / AIW Radeon
P3 866 ( Kidz' / Wife's PC ) Soyo 6ba+IV / V3 3k agp

Cheers, VidmanII

Another vote to get a external modem and nic, dump that usb thing. Either way congrats, was just the other day you had said you still didn't know, good stuff.

I am a little confused with people talking about USB modems. I have a USB Percom NIC then a US Robotics modem. Is there a modem that hooks to the PC via the USB port with out the NIC card or are these regular cable modems hooked to a USB NIC card? The instalation of my USB NIC was the simplest thing I have ever seen on a PC they just pluged it in without even shuting down the PC and away we went. As for speed I know at least 5 people in my area with PCI NIC's and if any thing they have a slower connection but mostly we have the same download speed I just checked and I aam getting 3.7 Mbs download speed right now.

Good question! I was under the impression that with the USB modem I would avoid having to use a 2nd NIC in the gateway PC. Anybody???

Tru USB modem would about a second NIC, but apparently its needs some stupid software and it just plain sucks.

My friend has a USB cable modem and he maxes at about 1.2 mega bits/s, but he's also running 98. I'm running 2000, have a great nic (intel pro 100s), the tcp/ip stack is much better in 2k. I max at about 4.8 mega bits/s. Usually i get around 2.4 mega bits (300KB/s)

Makes sense. Well that's what I'm getting initially as I've already put the order in...doh! After the first month I'll just ditch it and grab the non-usb modem and get another Intel NIC. That's what I have in all the boxes now, so one more ain't a big deal I guess.

Thanks for all the tips.