April 28, 2004
Home Phoneline Networking
Reference: Entry of March 15, 2004 The 2Wire Portal didn't work -- seems that Verizon DSL has a different line protocol for static IPs. Plan B is to get a standard dynamic IP DSL line on the second telephone line, get that working, and then disconnect the business DSL. Go HOT date was yesterday, today we made it work.
Ask client how many existing telephones on line 2. About 8, which is a contraindication for distributed filters. So I start by installing a Siecor Splitter at the MPOE. Swing the existing IWs from the MPOE to the voice terminals of the splitter, jumper the MPOE to the network terminal of the splitter, verify that the phones work through the filter. Connect the IW going to the upstairs family room to the data terminals of the splitter -- this will carry the DSL signal to the 2Wire Portal. Move the IW off the MPOE marked "ISDN" (long gone) to the data terminals of the splitter -- this will carry the HPN signal from the 2Wire Portal to the downstairs office, right to an existing jack by the desk.
Upstairs, the 2Wire DSL Portal is placed atop the entertainment unit, out of sight and out of mind. It transmits a wireless signal to the two computers in opposite corners of the 20x30 room. After a bit of a struggle, Charles and Greg get the DSL working. Meanwhile I was downstairs verifying my connection into the office. Greg comes downstairs, we unbox the 2Wire HPN to USB adapter and connect it up to the company computer, disconnecting the business DSL. It links up. Click on the VPN icon and the client is able to log onto the SBC Intranet -- it's all up and working. The 2Wire Portal claims that the DSL line is running at 1792/160 == SMOKING!
Which now makes it clobbering time. The Ethernet cable snaking out of the office and up the stairs and accross the giant room is coiled up, ready to be given back the the fine gentleman that lent it to the client. The old modem is unplugged, along with the microfilter that fed the fax. The Netgear hub and the Linksys are unplugged and stacked. All replaced by a dongle connecting a USB port to a phone jack. Toss a no longer needed power strip on the stack, as we dropped three AC connections.
Much cleaner, everything works, a very productive morning.
Well, mostly everything works. The one upstairs computer is infected and as I leave for my next job Charles is busy disinfecting it. He took a bath on this job -- about 80 hours actual and no way he can charge that to the client and survive. It is chalked up as a learning experience. I get a lot of those.
Posted by at April 28, 2004 09:12 PM