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jshrall

Jun 25, 2003, 5:58 AM

Post #1 of 13 (1348 views)

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Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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I am trying to find out if anyone has had any success (or failure) in installing a high speed broadband Internet connection. There appears to be DSL, satellite, wireless (WiFi) and possibly cable modems available, but it seems that getting it to work depends a lot on your location.

Any info on the type of broadband, who provides it and a general Lakeside location, would be greatly appreciated.

My wife and I have been to Ajijic a couple of times with another trip planned soon. We have made the emotional decision that a move to Lakeside offers us an extraordinary opportunity that is too good to ignore.

I would however, like to continue doing some work for a couple of years and all I need to do that is a reasonably quick connection to the Internet.

johanson / Moderator

Jun 25, 2003, 9:32 AM

Post #2 of 13 (1320 views)

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Re: [jshrall] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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I've had wireless broadband since its inception three years ago. I have friends who have had ADSL since the beginning perhaps 9 months ago. There is no internet cable access.

We've all had good service with minimal periods of down time. Are both systems perfect? No Which is better? I think wireless is best my friends with ADSL think it is best.

Some people have had bad luck with one of the two, have signed up with the other and swear by the new method and badmouth the old one. Often the problem was with the customer or his equipment not the service provider

With ADSL you have to be within 3 Km of the telephone switching station in Ajijic and now possibly in Chapala

Wireless has 90% coverage of all neighborhoods from just West of Chapala all the way to Jocotepec. What's that, 15 miles to the West?

There is presently no wireless coverage in Chapala or the the East of Chapala. The WISP is contemplating extending coverage to that area. The quesion is when. Only wireless offers a fixed IP #. (sometimes important if you are hooking up a home network)

Jun 25, 2003, 10:33 AM

Post #3 of 13 (1310 views)

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Re: [johanson] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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johanson writes:
....Only wireless offers a fixed IP #. (sometimes important if you are hooking up a home network)

There are millions of high-speed (DSL, cable, satellite, 1xEV-DO/GPRS, etc.) connections users which share a single account (uplink) amongst multiple users in a home or small office network without a "fixed" (static) IP address. The cheapest, but most resource-inefficient method is to use the "internet connection sharing" function available with every modern desktop computer operating system (MacOS, Linux, Windows). In the US you can also find VCR-cassette sized routers sold for $35-75 USD specifically for the purpose in every consumer electronic store (Best Buy, Circuit City), office supply chains (Staples, Office Depot), discount warehouse (yep, found them at Costco) as well computer stores. This router is connected between the high-speed connection device (cable or DSL modem, etc.) and the home network, and is configured by typing basic 3-5 entries into a web-based configuration utility. The router then handles the logging onto the provider's network, collection of an IP, and if desired, assignment of IP numbers within the local network (commonly by acting as a DHCP server). The router also acts to isolate the home or office network from the rest of the internet (although people sometimes call these routers "firewalls" because of this isolation they don't offer the degree of protection a true firewall will).

Static IPs do make it easier for somebody running a home or small office network to access resources on the network from another internet-connected location. There are, however, a number of dynamic DNS services specifically set up to allow a user who's provider uses a dynamic (changing) IP assignment system to automatically compensate for the IP changes and access services remotely. These dynamic DNS services work well enough that there are many high-speed connection users who make various internet services (webservers, keyservers, etc.) available publicly from locations with dynamic IPs.

(This post was edited by ET on Jun 25, 2003, 12:43 PM)

johanson / Moderator

Jun 25, 2003, 1:07 PM

Post #4 of 13 (1292 views)

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Re: [jshrall] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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I might add that I have several friends that before they bought or rented, made sure that broadband was available in the house they were contemplating. They told the real estate agent that the house had to be close enough to the Ajijic telephone switching station to get ADSL or line of site of a wireless transceiver (access point) so that they could connect via high speed Wi Fi.

I have a home just north of the center of Ajijic about as high up on the hill as you can go. Although there is one transceiver mounted high up on top of an antenna mounted above the ISP, I am supposed to point my wireless antenna towards, I can choose some 4 others should I wish. My point? Wireless has pretty good coverage over most of the shoreline from just West of Chapala all the way to the Western end of Lake Chapala some 20 miles to the West.

Is one system better than the other? In most areas you can only connect via wireless if you want a high speed connection. But if you have a choice, as I posted earlier, both provide good service. I love wireless. My neighbor loves his ADSL connection. And each of us believes our connection and service is better than the other's.

If you are given a choice and if price is all important, although both offer a 256Kb/sec connection for about $55 to $60 per month only Lagunanet (Wi Fi) offers a slower 128 Kb/sec connection. The cost? $40 per month.

My advise? talk to your new neighbors and check out what they say at the computer club and if you are still confused flip a coin.

Now before you techies jump all over me, remember I did not write this for you. I wrote it for the average user or poster to this forum. That is why I used words like transceiver instead of AP or SSID etc

(This post was edited by johanson on Jun 25, 2003, 1:10 PM)

Jun 25, 2003, 10:32 PM

Post #5 of 13 (1265 views)

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Re: [johanson] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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johanson writes:
....Now before you techies jump all over me, remember I did not write this for you. I wrote it for the average user or poster to this forum.....

It doesn't matter who your intended audience is, you still need to provide correct information.

You actually have a higher standard of care if you're going to "write it for the average user or poster", who may actually believe some of the misinformation you post, such as your claim about what you called a "fixed IP #" being important for connecting broadband service to a home network. The modern day equivalent to the used car salesman is the customer/technical service representative, help-desk attendee, or computer store sales person who uses their position and title to abuse the vulnerable like my parents and their friends, by telling them that their equipment is "cheap" or "outdated" and urging them to purchase new equipment, without seriously attempting to assess the problem and/or without actual knowledge of the interworkings of the company they represent.

Review the information you post and ask yourself before you hit the "post reply" button whether each element has some basis, if it's conjecture or opinion on your part, or if it's simply smoke. On the internet somebody can and will call you on it.

johanson / Moderator

Jun 25, 2003, 11:22 PM

Post #6 of 13 (1261 views)

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Re: [ET] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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Gee ET you just love to dish me. This time you compared me to a used car salesman just because I commented about fixed IPs. I stand by what I said. And I don't choose to debate you about the topic. Sure if you know what you are doing, it doesn't matter whether the IP is fixed or not. I am simply suggesting that life is easier, if one is not as smart as you if the IPs are fixed. Now I could provide quotes for you from various publications, but i choose not to.

I shall simply say, that you are the smartest person I have ever met. and that you are always right and that any time you challenge me I am always wrong.

And I very humbly suggest to you as you continue to attack me, and I am sure you will continue, that you communicate in a language that the normal person will understand, that way when I am wrong, and I am occasionally wrong, they will understand what you are saying and take your side.

I've had too much to drink tonight so I am going to be honest with you. Every time you attack me, I meet some of the nicest people sending me private emails giving me support. I want to be your friend, yet every time I post something even slightly technical, you attack me finding fault with anything I say. It's as if you want to be thought as the only expert and everyone else stupid. OK I will call myself stupid if that makes you feel better. It doesn't matter to me if you are smarter than me. It doesn't matter to me if everyone knows it. It seems to matter to you and that is sad, very sad.

I wish you luck in all of your endeavors. It sure would be nice though, when you posted if you could do it in a more civil manner. Forgive me for saying this, its the Bacardi talking, but when you post a negative email, when you put me down comparing me to a used car salesman, people are going to look at these posts and wonder where you are coming from.

It would be interesting to know how you relate to persons that you meet. You know the answer to that question, and I have a pretty good idea too. You have problems.

Please keep on posting. Please do it in a language that the majority of the readers can understand, and please stop being so challenging and angry when someone posts in a manner that you do not approve.

jshrall

Jun 26, 2003, 6:45 AM

Post #7 of 13 (1243 views)

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Re: [johanson] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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As the original poster of this thread, I would like to reply to ET's assessment of Mr. Johanson's reply. First to johanson. Thank you for posting some facts and advice on my question of broadband availability in Lakeside.

Facts: ADSL is available within a 3km radius of Ajijic, wireless is generally available along a 15 mile stretch of highway between Chapala and Jocotepec, wireless offers static IP addresses. Costs - $55-60 for 256kb and $40 for 128Kb Wifi.

Advice: Inform your realtor that you want broadband and either make sure the house is in the DSL perimiter and/or find the location of the nearest transceiver to the property. Talk with potential neighbors and the computer club before choosing a property.

To ET: You took exception to 1 sentence of the original reply: "Only wireless offeres a fixed IP - sometimes important if you are hooking up a home network". Your tirade that belittled the need for static IP's versus using dynamic IP's in shared network environment added no value to my original question. While your long discussion about ICS, DHCP and DNS servers is true, I don't think that this thread is the place for a tutorial on Home Network configuration.

Do you have a broadband Internet connection? That's what I'd like to know.

I happen to have a 1.5mb SDSL circuit with 5 static IP addresses right now in Dallas. I use broadband to connect to some companies using Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnelling. In my case, a static IP address works better, allowing the network administrators to enter a single address to get me through their firewall. It also allows me to use one of my computers as a FTP server to eliminate the need for large email attachments. But I too digress.

My concerns about broadband have been eased by johanson's reply and for that I am grateful. It is still up to me to do the final research and legwork when it comes time to looking for a property, but at least I know that it can be done. I'd like to get higher than 256K, but that too can be addressed at a later time.

johanson / Moderator

Jun 26, 2003, 9:02 AM

Post #8 of 13 (1240 views)

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Re: [jshrall] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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Please forgive my comments last night. They were too strong.

You indicated you wanted greater bandwidth. Both suppliers offer a faster connection. TelMex offers 500 Kb/sec ADSL (not 512) and I believe 2 Meg

Lagunanet will offer faster service as well on a case by case basis

Jun 26, 2003, 9:33 PM

Post #9 of 13 (1221 views)

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Re: [jshrall] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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"jshrall" writes:
Do you have a broadband Internet connection? That's what I'd like to know.

As a matter of fact yes. Depending on how you want to count it, either one (in my name) a basic ADSL connection that I've had long enough that it has a static IP because it long predated PPPoE service, or a total of four, three ADSL (from two different service providers) and a cable modem, which we've aggregated and are sharing between the 8 homes that make up what we jokingly call "Neighborhood Bits and Pixels". Bandwidth aggregation is handled by an engineering test unit somewhat resembling a Cisco 12000 series router (massive overkill but both hardware and engineering service came from one of the members); interconnects between the homes is single mode fiber and distribution within the home is up to the residents with the hard and fast rule that wireless cannot be used. Remote access is available via IPSec VPN; interestingly, the member who set up the remote access and handles network security in general opted to use the dynamic IP uplinks rather than those with static addresses to add an additional layer of obscurity.

Esteban

Jun 28, 2003, 5:28 AM

Post #10 of 13 (1206 views)

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Re: [ET] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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As you know, I'm not a real heavy tech person but I was wondering why no one on your system can use a wireless network? Are you trying to keep control over how many computers have access? I know that with the broadband here in Mazatlan, if you use a wireless network, the ISP cannot detect another connection and therefore you don't have to pay for the extra computers.

Thanks ET

Jun 29, 2003, 1:31 PM

Post #11 of 13 (1183 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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Esteban writes:
....I know that with the broadband here in Mazatlan, if you use a wireless network, the ISP cannot detect another connection and therefore you don't have to pay for the extra computers.

This is not a function of the network being wireless. This is the function of a network device, most commonly a router, which is performing Network Address Translation (NAT), sometimes referred to as "masquerading". When performing NAT, the router presents itself to the ISP as the one authorized device on the connection. All devices on the local area network (LAN) which need internet connectivity send their outgoing packets to this router, which rewrites the packet headers with the router's (authorized) address (IP #) as the sender, and then forwards them upstream. This router also receives all incoming packets from the internet connection, rewrites the packet headers with the actual recipients address, and forwards the packets onto the local network for use by the appropriate device. The NAT activities are transparent to the end users on the LAN, and in consumer-channel devices easily configurable, typically in less than 10 minutes. Many wireless "base" stations have a NAT router built into them as do some DSL modems; the "connection sharing" routers I described in my initial post to this message thread almost always have the capability, whether they be for wireless or twisted-pair networks, combinations, or something involving #4 baling wire.

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....I was wondering why no one on your system can use a wireless network? Are you trying to keep control over how many computers have access?

The concerns about the security of current consumer wireless networking standards, particularly 802.11b/WiFi was the subject of a discussion in this forum that you participated in about a week ago.

In the case of our neighborhood network:
1. We're paying for the network and connectivity and don't feel it's anybody else's right to use it for free.

2. Far more importantly, it opens up security holes in the network. Because the network is segmented so that each participating household is isolated from the others the impact of somebody entering into the network would be generally localized to the segment containing the wireless link, where it would be the household's own fault and problem. Nonetheless, unless more effort is invested in a wireless network than we want to bother with, with the current WEP encryption used in consumer-channel equipment it means that somebody's data, including small amounts of network information, is vulnerable for interception and deciphering. To prove that vulnerability is more than a theoretical concern, the person handling our network security set up a demonstration in which using purely passive techniques (i.e. not "hacking" as you were going on about in the other thread) and without any type of trespass, within a bit more than a week collected enough data off of somebody on the block's wireless network to allow the encryption to be broken and both collected data and further transmissions to be monitored (somebody's got a taste for asian pornography). For temporary and casual use, such in a school classroom, trade show lounge, or coffee shop this isn't a real issue; for long term use either as part of a network or for internet connectivity it is.

Kip

Jul 22, 2003, 2:18 PM

Post #12 of 13 (1123 views)

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Re: [johanson] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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Too strong?? Is the Grinch masquarading as ET? There is a similarity. The complextions different,...hmmmm,....

Kip
kip

Kip

Jul 22, 2003, 4:41 PM

Post #13 of 13 (1119 views)

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Re: [Kip] Broadband Access in Lakeside - Any Success?

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Like my spelling? Argh!!

Kip
kip