Uncle Iceburns Tech Help Desk

[Autocon]

The green means you're on a site with a secure connection, the red i assume means you're on a site with what has been identified as a non-secure connection?\. Maybe someone else can confirm this too

it was the same site, hotmail. One minute green and another red

[Lint]

Getting intermittent bursts of performance on my ADSL2+ connection since Monday. Basically I get 5-30 seconds of good data volume, then 1 minute+ of zero and then it picks up again. This is very apparent when streaming from youtube and direct downloads. Torrents provide a very steady stream of data but they seem capped at around 100kB/s



I've tried resetting the router, checking the line filters, upgrading firefox. Just want to know if theres anything else I need to check before I call my ISP?

[Hursticon]

Just want to know if theres anything else I need to check before I call my ISP?

Did you check to see what other programs are running in the background of Windows? - Certain programs can definitely eat into your bandwidth.

[Paulbot]

My sister's modem has a broken power cord. It's an older Netgear modem from Telstra.

I've looked on ebay and found a few sellers selling the same model rather cheaply and figure I could get one of those and just use the cord.

But I was wondering if there's other ways to get replacement powercords (with the right amp/voltage etc requirements). We tried a DSE store and the salesman said none of the power adapators they had were the right fit; they were either too high or too low.

Or a better way to get a new cable modem? I can only find ADSL ones for sale and the Telstra site is full of 'must use a Telstra supplied cable modem' warnings.

Anyway, any tips or advice appreciated.

[iceburn]

Paul, if its an old modem...it's time to get a new one; it's as cheap as it gets now and it'll benefit you/your sister.

You can try calling telstra and see what offers they can give you first.. then decide; maybe trick them saying you might opt to transfer your contract to other telco if you do not get a good deal?

[GoktimusPrime]

So I've got a technician who was supposed to install our NBN box this morning, but he's saying that the ideal place to install it is our garage, because our external NBN box is just outside of our garage. I wanted the internal NBN box to be in our lounge room which is where the PC is (currently connected via cable to modem (DSL)), but the tech guy is saying that it's not possible due to the distance, at least not without drilling through walls.

The easiest option atm is to put the box inside the garage, but it also means that our telephone will need to be connected to that box in the garage. Also, I'm not sure how the NBN box will connect to the PC in the lounge room.

I'm a very, very non-tech savvy person, so please excuse me if this seems like a silly question, but I would very much appreciate any advice on this matter.

[Lint]

So I've got a technician who was supposed to install our NBN box this morning, but he's saying that the ideal place to install it is our garage, because our external NBN box is just outside of our garage. I wanted the internal NBN box to be in our lounge room which is where the PC is (currently connected via cable to modem (DSL)), but the tech guy is saying that it's not possible due to the distance, at least not without drilling through walls.

The easiest option atm is to put the box inside the garage, but it also means that our telephone will need to be connected to that box in the garage. Also, I'm not sure how the NBN box will connect to the PC in the lounge room.

I'm a very, very non-tech savvy person, so please excuse me if this seems like a silly question, but I would very much appreciate any advice on this matter.

I don't have the NBN, but it sounds like the technician is looking out for his own interests and not yours. However I'm not sure if he's contractually obligated to locate the connection box where you want. He may refer you to a local cabling technician that can run a cable to your lounge the painful way.

However if you have a free power outlet at both your garage and lounge you can use a set of powerline adaptors to exploit the existing electrical wiring in your home for data transmission to your lounge. I currently do this for my cable TV service.

Alternatively depending on your house design would you consider going wireless? You can base a wireless router in the garage to provide internet via wifi. All you'd need to do is install a wireless card in your PC in order to receive the signal. Only problem is that areas furthest from your garage may not have the best wireless signal. This can be solved by installing additional transmitters around the house but that is another additional cost.


http://www.nbnco.com.au/content/dam/...user-guide.pdf

[kup]

So I've got a technician who was supposed to install our NBN box this morning, but he's saying that the ideal place to install it is our garage, because our external NBN box is just outside of our garage. I wanted the internal NBN box to be in our lounge room which is where the PC is (currently connected via cable to modem (DSL)), but the tech guy is saying that it's not possible due to the distance, at least not without drilling through walls.

The easiest option atm is to put the box inside the garage, but it also means that our telephone will need to be connected to that box in the garage. Also, I'm not sure how the NBN box will connect to the PC in the lounge room.

I'm a very, very non-tech savvy person, so please excuse me if this seems like a silly question, but I would very much appreciate any advice on this matter.

Yep, that's total BS. All houses have the ability to reconnect cables though the ceiling/walls. I had an Optus Technician come in earlier in the month and he connected the modem in the living room (front of house) and through the ceiling, pulled the telephone cable to the kitchen (back of house).

He is just telling you BS so he doesn't have to make the effort.

As Lint mentioned, perhaps wireless would most likely be the best option for you. You don't really game or anything of the sort to require a 100% stable internet connection. Given how you have described your internet usage in the past, WiFi would be perfectly good for you and a much richer experience with the NBN.

[GoktimusPrime]

I called my ISP... was on hold for 2h and their techie division had closed by time we got connected. So I've told the operator to get hold of a techie first and then call me back tomorrow evening.

Then the initial NBN technician called me back and told me that because our place is two-storeys, he cannot run wires under the house. And apparently there's a danger with running the wiring through walls. Anyway... awaiting a second opinion tomorrow.

[kup]

I called my ISP... was on hold for 2h and their techie division had closed by time we got connected. So I've told the operator to get hold of a techie first and then call me back tomorrow evening.

Then the initial NBN technician called me back and told me that because our place is two-storeys, he cannot run wires under the house. And apparently there's a danger with running the wiring through walls. Anyway... awaiting a second opinion tomorrow.

It's possible that since this is government ran, they want to avoid any possibility of mishaps by restricting what the technicians can do. They probably don't want to risk tradies getting injured or killed doing stuff like it happened with the insulation scandal.

To add some logic - If the wall has powerpoints then you can run cables through.