The most important thing I can tell you about DSL at my office is:
IT'S WORKING!
After surviving the Kafka-esque order fiasco I described in the last issue (#3.06), the installation of the "self-install kit" and the DSL service itself was anti-climactic. So much so that, while now surfing the Internet at a healthy 768 Kbps downstream, I still have to occasionally pinch myself.
More TNPCers wrote to me about this topic than any other to date. You were all sympathetic, and I thank you for that. Most of you had your own horror stories to rival mine, while some lucky souls related that getting DSL ordered and installed was like snapping your fingers. I hope I didn't leave any of you with the impression that I was about to give up on DSL, rather that I was just thoroughly disgusted over GTE's inept handling of my order. The lesson to be learned from my nightmare, or anyone's service- oriented nightmare, is to take good notes, escalate when your request for assistance is blocked, and persevere.
Here's how the actual install unfolded. This will give you an idea of what to expect should your DSL provider offer a self- install plan. All told, it only took an hour and a half to do the following: unpack and inventory the equipment; install the microfilters and modem; install and configure a second network card (DSL modem connects to this network card while the other network card provides PC-to-PC networking services); tweak some simple browser and email client Internet connection settings (see sidebar below); then reboot and verify that the modem had "three greens." (This is telephone company jargon for the Power, Modem, and Data lights on the DSL modem all lighting up green, indicating a fully functional DSL connection.)
When I rebooted, I was *immediately* connected. GTE had honored its commitment to handle whatever magic it does back at the Central Office to actualize the service on my phone line, and to leave my existing GTE access account unperturbed. Whew.
If you have access to DSL in your area, I strongly encourage you to place the order. Once it's on, you'll be hooked.
(Sidebar: For those of you interested in the actual software changes, all I had to do was flip Internet Explorer 5's dial-up setting to never dial a connection, and tell Outlook to use the LAN to connect. Steps in IE: Tools, Internet Options, Connections, "Never dial a connection," OK. Steps in Outlook: Tools, Services, select my Internet E-mail account, Properties, Connection, "Connect using my local area network (LAN)," OK to Confirm everything then close/restart Outlook.)
