Internet connection through an ISDN line?

dcGT

Hi,
I have a work phone line at home. Last week I tried to connect my laptop through it for a dial-up internet connection. Trouble was, I was getting no dial tone. (Connecting though my private phone line worked no problem) So I called work and asked them what the story was with the line, they said they'd let me know, but they _think_ it's an ISDN line. My question is, if it turns out to be an ISDN line, what is required in order to dial-up to the internet from this line? Some sort of ISDN modem?
Any help on this would be great!

Cheers,

DC

Frank Grimes

If you make a phone call from that line, do you need to press 9 or some other number before you make the call?
You should be able to use an analog modem on the ISDN line anyway, there's usually a couple of ports on the box that will allow you to connect an ordinary phone/modem.

dcGT

Hi,
No I don't need to dial 9 or anything. I use the phone like a normal phone to call landlines/mobiles and send faxes. In that case, do I need to get Eircom out to enable the ports perhaps?

Cheers,

DC

Frank Grimes

No, if the line is working ok for voice calls it should be ok for the modem.

Gavin

Do you have a special phone ? You may have a specific ISDN phone, for use on ISDN lines.

If you have ISDN, there will be a white box on the wall, with two sockets on the underside of it. I think one is these is digital & the other is analog, ie will accept an ordinary phone/modem.

If not, then yeah, you can get ISDN modems, or ISDN terminal adaptors as they are called. You can probably pick one up in any shop selling modems, peats, maplins, compustore etc..

Gav

dcGT

Well it's a phone/fax machine I use. It's just a bog-stanard sharp fax mahine as far as i know. Nothing special about it. I'll check a normal phone in it just to be sure though.
Yeah there's white box on the wall, I'll check it later when I get home, but I think there's only 1 socket in it (coming straight out of the front of it) but not certain.
As for these ISDN terminal adaptors, do they just plug into the box? Are they just a kind of digital - analogue converter?

Cheers for all the info, much appriciated!

DC.

BKtje

Everything goes throught that white box on the wall. Your phones will be either plugged or wired into this box.

There are (i believe) 2 ISDN ports and 2 analogue ports(one may be wired into the phone line in the place so these would have wires comign out of it and therefore can't plug a phone into it.)
The ISDN ports require a specific wiring and cable/connectors. You can plug a normal analogue phone line into the analogue ports and ull get an analogue signal. If you plug the phone into this one (where u plug the laptop in do u get a dial tone? )

If you want to use the ISDN through your laptop then you will need (as has been said) a terminal adaptor. You can pick a decent one up for abut €30 (may be more for a laptop i guess). You will then connect at 64k instead of whatever you get on 56k therefore if you will use the inet a lot its worthwhile especially seeing as you already have ISDN installed.

Just to confirm again, regular modems do work through the ISDN Box. (i used it when i couldn't get my Terminal Adaptor workin for a while)

dcGT

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info B-K-DzR. Now I'm not sure if it is an ISDN connection (I'm still trying to find out for sure), I was told that the box on the wall would a lot larger than a normal telephone point if it was an ISDN. The box I have at home is just the size of a normal phone point (square box, about 1.5 - 2 inches deep with just 'eircom' written on it). Does this mean it's not an ISDN connection?
Also, if it's not an ISDN, can there be any other reason why a 56K modem won't pick up a dial-tone on a normal phone line?

Cheers,

DC

oscarBravo

There is one possibility: using a 4-wire lead to connect the modem to the wall socket. This can cause problems with some modems.

Get a spare phone lead, and very carefully cut through the outer two wires. Make sure you don't cut the inner wires, and make sure you completely sever the outer wires. Try that lead on the modem and let us know how you get on.

dcGT

Cheers oscarBravo,

I'll try that, but from what I recall, there are only 2 wires connected on the cable,

Will let you know though,

Thanks,

DC

BKtje

I was told that the box on the wall would a lot larger than a normal telephone point if it was an ISDN

Ah yer an ISDN box is fairly big and u'd only have 1 of them. It also has 2 lights, an orange and green one, and also has to be plugged into the mains.The ISDN box also make a clicking noise if someone were to ring you.

Im afraid i can't help more than that, sorry.

dcGT

Well I tried oscarBravo's suggestion, you were spot-on! I used a cable with just the two inner TX/DX wires and the modem got a dial tone Cheers mate! I thought it was strange as the modem socket in the laptop only has two pins for the two inner wires anyway ?????

Well, tis sorted out now anyway. Thanks for all your help lads!

DC.

oscarBravo

np

meandmypalimmy

ISDN is crap.. ur better off goin for broadband at this stage

oscarBravo

Originally posted by meandmypalimmy
ISDN is crap.. ur better off goin for broadband at this stage

Dude, you find a way to get me affordable broadband, and I'll buy you drink from now until Christmas.

...sez he with his IrelandOffline committee member hat on...

meandmypalimmy

how mcuh are ya gonna b payin for isdn a month if u use it.???? cause if u got with broadband its 49.50 with esat and they give ya the modem free untill u stop using broadband and its only 100 for connection providied u can connect it urself which isnt exactly rocket science... or if ur lucky and live in tallaght, dublin u can get ntl broadband for like a score a month...isdn is a waste of time.. 56 k modem u get like 5/6 k downloadin 128k ISDN my mate has and he gets 8... is it really worth payin da extra for an extra 2/3 k downloadin?

andrew163

Originally posted by meandmypalimmy
56 k modem u get like 5/6 k downloadin 128k ISDN my mate has and he gets 8... is it really worth payin da extra for an extra 2/3 k downloadin?

the only major advantages that ISDN has over POTS (these days) is that pings are MUCH lower, and its not vunerable to the ravages of evil pairgain devices :rolleyes:

oscarBravo

Ooh, my head hurts from deciphering txtspk.

Originally posted by meandmypalimmy
how mcuh are ya gonna b payin for isdn a month if u use it.???? cause if u got with broadband its 49.50 with esat and they give ya the modem free untill u stop using broadband and its only 100 for connection providied u can connect it urself which isnt exactly rocket science... or if ur lucky and live in tallaght, dublin u can get ntl broadband for like a score a month...isdn is a waste of time.. 56 k modem u get like 5/6 k downloadin 128k ISDN my mate has and he gets 8... is it really worth payin da extra for an extra 2/3 k downloadin?

Believe me, as soon as I can get broadband, I will. Not everybody is fortunate enough to live close to an exchange that Eircom have decided to upgrade.

Or in Tallaght for that matter.

Living in Tallaght? Fortunate? Hmm...

oscarBravo

Originally posted by andrew163
the only major advantages that ISDN has over POTS (these days) is that pings are MUCH lower, and its not vunerable to the ravages of evil pairgain devices :rolleyes:

ISDN is a long way short of broadband, but it's pretty cool as far as it goes:

• It gives me two lines, which I need, for less than the rental of two PSTN lines
• It allows me to make or receive calls on either line while remaining connected to the Internet
• It prevents accidental disconnects by picking up a handset
• It allows the possibility of having up to 8 phone numbers associated with a single line

Don't get me wrong, ISDN is by no means everything I want, but it's everything an ordinary phone line should be. We should all have had ISDN since the eighties instead of the mickey mouse lines we have now.