Why Does This International Move Hate Me So?

[toosuto]

Things I discovered today that I really didn't want to have learned:

The speedtouch 330 USB ADSL modem is such a piece of shite that attempting a video conference in iChat (which I enthusiastically sold both mine and Sara's parents on) will hose my entire internet connection.

ichat can have port conflicts with Vonage our stateside phone service (which is still an answering service since I got such a crap modem to begin with.

And to think I hated my old Arescom DSL modem.

frickin razmafrazzin farbot

Comments

[lovecarnievan.livejournal.com]

At first none of this made any sense to me until I realized that you must be learning some local phrases and dialect. Good for you! And a "Arescom DSL modem" right back atcha! Glad to see you all hale and in one piece and I hope to hear more of your adventures soon.

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Pip pip, 330 USB! What what?

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Sho' 'nuff gov'na whotcha got ta loook for is a rum-tiddly devoice what ain't naff.

[belladonnalin.livejournal.com]

Skype is good for parental conversations on internet phones (it's free, too) - I would get a headset, though, as the "out of the computer speakers and in the microphone" thing gets a little old.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

I'm running Skype too (although my parents aren't) but the selling point on the new Macs for the fam was "See your granddaughter" so getting that to work is a pretty big priority. And it really is shit equipment. Even worse than the crap Qwest used to hand out for their DSL...

[belladonnalin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you've noticed the tech is about 5 years behind, huh? It's frustrating, especially if your laptop breaks.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm finding good stuff that I didn't really find easily in the states ever (ADSL gateway + router and WAP: I didn't even to think to look for it back home) but they've got them here on the shelf at Curry's even an idiot proof version for the non-technically inclined from Belkin. The here-is-your-free-equipment-so-you-can-access-our-service is 100% lame. Lame, lame, lame.

Lamer than that even...

[0nce-and-future.livejournal.com]

Do you know if it's barfing up on the streaming issue or the high-bandwidth issue?

The latter can be tested at lower settings in iChat to see if you can squeeze a lower grade image through... or even will it sustain a voice chat?

Just some ideas to test out.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure it's the streaming (I couldn't a single bandwidth setting that would work for longer than 4-5 minutes yesterday). I've got a D-Link ADSL Gateway/wireless & 4 port router that should arrive today or tomorrow which should solve the issue. Or go a long way towards solving the problem. And it will mean that Sara can access internet protocols other than http from teh laptop as well as making the Vonage go...