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Can I use my DSL at another location?

cozmium
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎19-07-2008

Can I use my DSL at another location?

Ok, this might possibly be the most stupid question in a long time, but until a friend made me think it over yesterday I am starting to wonder that maybe it isn't as simple as I thought.
As I stand, my DSL is located here at home in Southampton. However I go to university in Sheffield, and because of moving in to a new house there, there will be no installed internet. There IS an active DSL line because the people who were there before had DSL, and the light on a router I plugged in lights up detecting it. I assumed that it would simply be a matter of connecting with my PlusNet details - I tried but it failed which, again I made an assumption, I thought was due to the fact it was unable to force off my connection back in Southampton.
However my friend suggests yesterday that it is not as simple as that, and it is tied in to the phone number/line? Giving it further thought i'm starting to agree, because otherwise i'm not sure how it would know 'where' to log in to unless some part of the system could track down username@plusdsl.net from any location. I don't want to have my line moved however, so if this is not a simple thing, then I will just get another account there.
Could anyone shed some clear light on this slight confusion? Thanks!
8 REPLIES 8
HPsauce
Pro
Posts: 6,998
Thanks: 146
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎02-02-2008

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

In general the answer is no you can't do it, for a whole host of reasons.
itsme
Grafter
Posts: 5,924
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

You could do it if the other line is a PN connection. Basically you have a line to the exchange which can be connected to BT ADSL or LLU equipment after that it's routed to the ISP to verify the logon details. So you may be able to sync with the exchange but you will not be able to logon. You probably will find that the adsl in Sheffield will be disconnected when BT get around to doing a cease to free up the equipment. At the moment you may sync but the account on that line has been stopped.
If BT is the ISP than the account can only be used on that line as the telephone number is checked.
oliverb
Grafter
Posts: 606
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

AFAIK BT will automatically cease broadband if the phone line subscriber details change.
Not applicable

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

@Oliverb - You are correct, BT do have a habit of it, even in the case of changing the name of the person on the bill this has been known!
@cozmium - Technically its possible, but only if the line is provisioned as a PlusNet line.
When a line is provisioned, it has a number of "realms" attached. These realms are used to determine which route the DSL traffic should take across the network, and to which ISP it should be delivered.
Your home line will typically be provisioned with a realm of @plusdsl.net
This means that DSL traffic is routed to PlusNet.
Clearly we can see that if the DSL service on another line was provisioned with a different ISPs realm, the traffic would be sent to their network, and thus your DSL credentials could not be validated.
If you were attempting to enter your credentials on another one of PlusNet's customers lines, chances are that it would work. (There are some older realms which were used in the past, so it can't be said that it would work universally, but for the largest majority it would - particularly anybody who had been with PN for less than four year - could be more than that Wink )

When you move house, PlusNet can arrange to have the line in the new house provisioned with the required details to allow you to connect to their network.
James
Grafter
Posts: 21,036
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

Oliver - You're right.  A name change on the BT Bill instigates a stop/start on the line which is a PSTN cease, meaning that broadband is ceased 5 working days later.
oliverb
Grafter
Posts: 606
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

Which seemed a bit "off" when surely the wholesale contract was between BT and the ISP. I suppose they justify it somehow.
cp:quote
itsme
Grafter
Posts: 5,924
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

Because 99% of the time a name change is for a new customer  Roll_eyes and perhaps the new customer will be getting their BB from another ISP
James
Grafter
Posts: 21,036
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Can I use my DSL at another location?

Not that it helps at all, but this has been happening as long as I've been working in the ISP world (since 2001).