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Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

rhinocratic
Grafter
Posts: 59
Registered: ‎23-08-2008

Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Hi all
I'm on my way Smiley  The order tracker says move is due to take place on on the 2008-08-28. We will send an email to you once this is complete. Please wait for this email before you try and connect to PlusNet Broadband.
I've also received an email from my my current isp saying my broadband account will be cancelled on the 28th - hooray!!!
My questions:
Can I set up the PlusNet emergency dialup now or must I wait until broadband is connected? (it would be typical of my current isp to close my account early)
If yes can I use the Automatic configuration on the connection settings page or is that only to be used once the completion email is received?
The order tracker says the router order has not yet been placed. Does this mean that realistically the router is unlikely to be received before the 28th (bearing in mind this is a bank holiday weekend?).  Arriving after the completion date is not a problem as I can (I assume) use my speedtouch 330 usb modem as a temporary measure. But I will need to change the delivery address for the router because I shall unexpectedly be working away from home on Friday and probably for much of the following few weeks Sad
I've read that during the first 10 days 'training' you should be connected for long periods. It is unlikely that will happen during my absence. I think broadband useage is likely to be infrequent and for short periods. Is this going to cause me or PlusNet problems? Sorry if it's a dumb question but high speed broadband is new to me; I stayed on a 1Mb connection with my present isp because I didn't trust them enough to switch to higher speed.
Thanks for reading and apologies for such a long first post. I hope the questions don't show up my ignorance too much  Embarrassed
Regards

12 REPLIES 12
MickKi
Grafter
Posts: 543
Registered: ‎30-09-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Welcome rhinocratic,
Quote from: rhinocratic

My questions:
Can I set up the PlusNet emergency dialup now or must I wait until broadband is connected? (it would be typical of my current isp to close my account early)

You can set up a dial up connection whenever you feel like.  Better if you set it not to connect to the Internet automatically though.  Also, bear in mind that you cannot be simultaneously logged on to your PlusNet Broadband and your PlusNet dialup account - they will be both trying to use the same login and IP address.
Quote from: rhinocratic
I've read that during the first 10 days 'training' you should be connected for long periods. It is unlikely that will happen during my absence. I think broadband useage is likely to be infrequent and for short periods. Is this going to cause me or PlusNet problems?

No problem.  The training will start when you first connect on to PlusNet broadband.  The training period can be extended until enough performance data has been collected.  If you are away when broadband is activated, the 10 day training will not start until you switch on your router.  All of this is dealt with automatically by the BT exchange.  All you need to do is reboot a couple of times a day your router (but not in quick succession) to help the aforementioned training to complete quicker.  Remember, the best way to do this is by connecting to your router and selecting 'disconnect', before you switch the router off at the wall.  Never pull the telephone cable off the router when it is powered on - otherwise the BT exchange may read this as a line fault and reduce your sync speed (by increasing the Noise Margin) to stabilise the line.
HTH.
alanf
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 1,931
Thanks: 78
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎17-10-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

You can set up the emergency dial-up before the go-live date but you won't be able to test it. (At least that was my experience and CSC couldn't tell me if it was supposed to work before go-live or not. Like you I was also expecting delayed delivery of my router and was trying to ensure that I had a working system when my old ISP puled the plug. I couldn't get it to work but it worked fine on go-live date. In the event the router had arrived by then anyway so there was not a problem)
During training the router should be left on. There is no requirement to leave your computer(s) on.
Mal08
Rising Star
Posts: 562
Thanks: 6
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎20-08-2008

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Quote from: MickKi
Remember, the best way to do this is by connecting to your router and selecting 'disconnect', before you switch the router off at the wall.  Never pull the telephone cable off the router when it is powered on - otherwise the BT exchange may read this as a line fault and reduce your sync speed (by increasing the Noise Margin) to stabilise the line.

I'm in the habit of closing down my PC completely and then turning off power to PC and router when not in use.
Is this likely to cause this problem ?Huh
MickKi
Grafter
Posts: 543
Registered: ‎30-09-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Not if it hasn't caused it already.  Most routers when switched off send a packet to the BT exchange to signify a normal shutdown, rather than a disconnection because of a fault.
Heloman
Grafter
Posts: 519
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Agreed.
I'm usually only online a couple of hours daily. Powering both computer and router off when not in use has never caused a problem.
Mal08
Rising Star
Posts: 562
Thanks: 6
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎20-08-2008

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

OK thanks - I haven't noticed a problem - but reading the message below made me wonder.
So how does a router send a message if it's turned off - unless it has a small lithium battery ??
I have a  Netgear DG834 at home an a DG834PN in the office
MickKi
Grafter
Posts: 543
Registered: ‎30-09-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

We're only talking about a single packet.  Probably sent as the current runs down - perhaps by discharging a capacitor?  I don't know really.  I don't think simple routers like Netgear have BIOS batteries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_gasp
Mal08
Rising Star
Posts: 562
Thanks: 6
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎20-08-2008

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)


OK - yes I see - so probably a reasonably large capacitor as you say and a voltage monitoring circuit - so it closes down gracefully.
It's been years since I did any electronics - having done it for my early career.
rhinocratic
Grafter
Posts: 59
Registered: ‎23-08-2008

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Thanks for the replies and the tip about connecting to your router and selecting 'disconnect', before you switch the router off at the wall.
Another learning curve for me to climb Roll_eyes
The method I use for my Speedtouch 330 usb modem is
i) click work offline /disconnect from the internet
ii) shut down computer
iii) switch off power to pc & modem.
Regards to all
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Doesn't matter what order you do it in - I've reset my router before now without even closing my browser window and the connection gets automatically re-made.
I wouldn't do this if I was in the middle of a bank transfer though  Wink

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

puddy
Grafter
Posts: 1,571
Registered: ‎10-06-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Turning off my router stops me making and recieving voip calls
I leave my desktop off every night and my mrs turn her laptop off every night but I leave my laptop on 24/7 when at home
I had been told leaving the router off every night lowers your sync rate and download speeds dont know if this is true?,
"but they call  it an always on connection"
puddy
MickKi
Grafter
Posts: 543
Registered: ‎30-09-2007

Re: Be with you shortly meanwhile a question or two or three :)

Quote from: puddy
I had been told leaving the router off every night lowers your sync rate and download speeds dont know if this is true?,

Strictly speaking it is not true, but it can interfere with your IP Profile being increased if you had a resync at a lower speed in the past and you are now waiting to recover from it.