Hammer Hands wrote:
Steve Turner wrote in news:RrhXl.20916$8_
:

Len wrote:
Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news server.

Len

wrote in message
...
Please note that on or around July 15, 2009, AT&T will no longer be
offering access to the Usenet Netnews service. If you wish to
continue
reading Usenet newsgroups, access is available through third-party
vendors.
Distribution: AT&T SouthEast Newsgroups Servers
Yeah, I sent them a reply asking how much they were going to refund me
on my monthly bill. I expect a prompt and satisfactory reply.


Yeah Steve I did the same thing. I reminded them since they have been
providing the service for free along with my internet service, I should
expect a lower bill after July. Like you I expect a quick response to my
issue (yeah right!!!)

I actually did get a response from their "Usenet Team Lead" this
evening... He was cordial enough, but of course he said "there are no
plans to reduce prices as a result of the announcement". He also
mentioned "the sheer volume of email feedback to the discontinuation of
AT&T's Usenet service" (gee, ya think?), and he expressed disappointment
that the announcement posting was "re-injected" back into the open
Usenet "without our knowledge or consent". Hmm... Did they really
expect such an announcement wasn't going to cause a big stink?

--
As an artist, I like to work in many different
mediums, but my favorite (by far!) is VAPORS.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

I use a Cisco 54GS with the high gain optional antennas.

My computers in the office are hardwired. My printers are wireless.
My wife and Son are wireless and the shop 300 feet from my office and
a 30x30 metal building - gets very good wireless.

I'm pleased with the hard work this wireless router does for me.

Martin

Jack Stein wrote:
TD Driver wrote:
Didn't mean to get off track on this, but let me clarify my set up.
Two offices in the house, 75 feet apart. My 'puter has wireless, my
wife's does not so needs to be wired into the combo modem/router.
That modem/router's signal doesn't reach my office -- probably due to
the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen that stands between the
two offices.

What router do you use?

I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless and it easily reaches 75 feet for sure.
I can also run the laptops in our kitchen, and our kitchen is full of
stainless steel appliances, no problem. There probably is something
interfering with the transmission, but I'd be surprised if it was the
stainless steel stuff. Something else must be going on.

How far does your wireless reach?

(Yes, I've thought about moving the kitchen :-)). I've tried
intermediate "signal booster" to no avail as well as trying to send
the signal via housewire. I know I can run cable between her router
and my office, but there isn't an easy path between the two
locations. Hence, the two DSL lines.

Some phones use wireless and can attach to a G based network.
That is really nice when the house has DSL and a wireless router
and no cell phone because the tower is down the road and digital
phones are short range. Now some have the internet attachment
ability so one can get phone service as well.

Martin

jtpryan wrote:
On Jun 9, 4:54 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
jtpryan wrote:
On Jun 9, 8:18 am, "HeyBub" wrote:
TD Driver wrote:
I'm in the same AT&T boat. I have another server, TeraNews, that
offers a pretty good package for a one-time fixed fee of a couple of
bucks.
I've got too much stuff with ATT to drop 'em, but they are tops on
my list for terrible service. When I signed up for my DSL, the
sales gal swore up and down that I'd be able to cover two computers
at opposite ends of my house with one connection. She said 300 feet
is quite doable, so my 75 feet between units was easily doable.
Hah. I now have two DSL services in my house. You think they'd give
me a break on the second service, right?
Larry
You DSL line SHOULD go to a router - even if you have only one
computer connected - because the router acts as a hardware firewall.
Once your router is online, you can connect multiple internet
devices* to the router. Say you get an 8-port router. One of the
ports can host a second router which now gives you a potential total
of 15 connected devices. On the second router, you can connect yet a
third router for a (now) totals 22 computers, and so on. All sharing
the ONE DSL connection.
You may need a 12-year-old male to help with the connections.
----------
* This includes not only computers but VoIP telephones.
Actually, I think you are confusing switches and routers. The DSL
modem connects to a router, preferably wireless and typically with a
built in 4 port switch. Then you can connect 4 wired devices and
numerous wireless devices to that. If you want to connect more then 4
wired devices you can then buy a 4, 8, or 16 port switch, connect it
to one of the ports on the router and get more. The router isn't a
true firewall, but does provide an acceptable level of defense for
most home networks via "NATing" or Network Address Translation.
I'm not confusing routers and switches - the public has. Originally, they
performed separate jobs. Most "routers" today are combination "routers" AND
"switches."

"Preferably wireless" is problematic. Wireless routers suffer from two
debilitating characteristics: they are much easier to hack than wired
routers and they are ususally about half the speed of a comparably-priced
wired device.





Anyway, paying for 2 DSL lines is not the solution unless you live in
a VERY large house, in which case you probably don't care about the
expense;+}. Each Cat 5e wire can go 100 meters. If you don't want to
pull wire then the wireless *might* get you 100 ft. You can also buy
wireless repeaters which would give you more range. Another option
would be using the power line network stuff. All of this would be
cheaper then paying 30-40/month for another line.
Now that I have digressed from the original post...
I use Google Groups for news reading now. No binaries, but it really
is better for reading groups like this one. And it's free. If you
want to share photos of projects then use one of the free web based
photo sharing services like Picassa. No, I don't work for Google...
Google Groups is significantly brain-damaged. It loses or misplaces posts
quite often. It's biggest disadvantage is the time interval before a message
or reply shows up. This interval, sometimes, is measured in days.

You are correct about wireless, I only mentioned it because it's nice
to have as an option. You can turn it off if you don't use it much.
I've never had that experience with Google. If I start a thread, I
almost immediately go back to the group, see it on top and star it.
It does seem to appear more quickly in active groups like this one,
but that just may be a perception.

-Jim

Jack Stein wrote:
TD Driver wrote:
Didn't mean to get off track on this, but let me clarify my set up.
Two offices in the house, 75 feet apart. My 'puter has wireless, my
wife's does not so needs to be wired into the combo modem/router.
That modem/router's signal doesn't reach my office -- probably due to
the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen that stands between the
two offices.

What router do you use?

I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless and it easily reaches 75 feet for sure.
I can also run the laptops in our kitchen, and our kitchen is full of
stainless steel appliances, no problem. There probably is something
interfering with the transmission, but I'd be surprised if it was the
stainless steel stuff. Something else must be going on.

How far does your wireless reach?

(Yes, I've thought about moving the kitchen :-)). I've tried
intermediate "signal booster" to no avail as well as trying to send
the signal via housewire. I know I can run cable between her router
and my office, but there isn't an easy path between the two
locations. Hence, the two DSL lines.


I have a WRT54GL with DD-WRT firmwa

http://www.dd-wrt.com

It has quite a few improvements over the stock Linksys firmware, one
being the ability of adjusting the transmit power.

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:50:49 -0500, Jack Stein
wrote:

TD Driver wrote:
Didn't mean to get off track on this, but let me clarify my set up. Two
offices in the house, 75 feet apart. My 'puter has wireless, my wife's
does not so needs to be wired into the combo modem/router. That
modem/router's signal doesn't reach my office -- probably due to the
stainless steel appliances in the kitchen that stands between the two
offices.

What router do you use?

I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless and it easily reaches 75 feet for sure.
I can also run the laptops in our kitchen, and our kitchen is full of
stainless steel appliances, no problem. There probably is something
interfering with the transmission, but I'd be surprised if it was the
stainless steel stuff. Something else must be going on.

How far does your wireless reach?

I can log into a router somewhere up the street. Last year, when I
lived in a condo, I could see at least 20 routers and log into the
unsecured half dozen.

(Yes, I've thought about moving the kitchen :-)). I've tried
intermediate "signal booster" to no avail as well as trying to send the
signal via housewire. I know I can run cable between her router and my
office, but there isn't an easy path between the two locations. Hence,
the two DSL lines.

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
My wife and Son are wireless and the shop 300 feet from my office

My wife is wireless too. She complained about the wire digging into her
wrists and ankles. Maybe I'll try velvet ties.

Steve Turner wrote in
:

Hammer Hands wrote:
Steve Turner wrote in news:RrhXl.20916$8_
:

Len wrote:
Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news
server.

Len

wrote in message
...
Please note that on or around July 15, 2009, AT&T will no longer
be offering access to the Usenet Netnews service. If you wish to
continue
reading Usenet newsgroups, access is available through third-party
vendors.
Distribution: AT&T SouthEast Newsgroups Servers
Yeah, I sent them a reply asking how much they were going to refund
me on my monthly bill. I expect a prompt and satisfactory reply.


Yeah Steve I did the same thing. I reminded them since they have been
providing the service for free along with my internet service, I
should expect a lower bill after July. Like you I expect a quick
response to my issue (yeah right!!!)

I actually did get a response from their "Usenet Team Lead" this
evening... He was cordial enough, but of course he said "there are no
plans to reduce prices as a result of the announcement". He also
mentioned "the sheer volume of email feedback to the discontinuation
of AT&T's Usenet service" (gee, ya think?), and he expressed
disappointment that the announcement posting was "re-injected" back
into the open Usenet "without our knowledge or consent". Hmm... Did
they really expect such an announcement wasn't going to cause a big
stink?


Interesting. I have not heard anything back from them. Their reply seems
to be pretty much what I expected though. Most likely the bean counters
looked at the numbers and figured that dropping newsgroup service would
save them money. But as usual they never bother to check on just how much
their customers use the service, hence the high volume of complaints.
They never seem to learn.

I'm still interested in what router TD Driver is using, and how far his
current wireless reaches. It could be it doesn't even work, or the
receiver is broke, or is set up wrong, or any number of things other
than stainless steel getting in the way. With a laptop, I would hook it
up in the same room, then start walking until I lost the signal, and
figure out if it was distance or some sort of interference causing the
problem... he may have already done something like that, who knows?

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
I use a Cisco 54GS with the high gain optional antennas.

My computers in the office are hardwired. My printers are wireless.
My wife and Son are wireless and the shop 300 feet from my office and
a 30x30 metal building - gets very good wireless.

I'm pleased with the hard work this wireless router does for me.

Yes, wireless is wonderful... I have my second computer in my office
hardwired, but only because it has a network card, and not a wireless
card. I used to use it to back up my primary PC but now use a USB hard
drive for that.

--
Jack
Go PENNS!
http://jbstein.com

Len wrote:
Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news server.

Len

wrote in message
...

Please note that on or around July 15, 2009, AT&T will no longer be
offering access to the Usenet Netnews service. If you wish to
continue
reading Usenet newsgroups, access is available through third-party
vendors.
Distribution: AT&T SouthEast Newsgroups Servers



I have used Astraweb http://www.news.astraweb.com/ for a year now. I use the pay
as you go. $10 for 25 gig. They have a lot of different plans. I have used less
then 2 gig in one year and I subscribe to two binary groups also. They also have
a one year retention rate.

Chris

On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:51:27 -0500, Jack Stein wrote:

I'm still interested in what router TD Driver is using, and how far his
current wireless reaches. It could be it doesn't even work, or the
receiver is broke, or is set up wrong, or any number of things other
than stainless steel getting in the way. With a laptop, I would hook it
up in the same room, then start walking until I lost the signal, and
figure out if it was distance or some sort of interference causing the
problem... he may have already done something like that, who knows?

I'd be looking at changing the channel - could be any number of things
interfering with it. Not sure about the US but over here in the UK 1,6
and 11 are the three channels of choice to try as they are the only set
to not overlap.

Cordless phones, baby listeners, video retransmitters/remote extenders
can all interfere badly with wireless.

I've had good experiences in an old house with four floors and foot thick
stone walls by putting a directional antenna up in the roof space
pointing downwards - you can transmit through floors much easier than
stone walls.

I now use Forte' Agent new server, since AT&T did what it did to us.
It's only $2.95 a month for 12 GB of d/l. That's a lot for this type
of group. They have plans up to $14.95 for unlimited.
http://www.forteinc.com/apn/index.php
Regards,
John


On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:58:03 +0000 (UTC), lid (Drew
Lawson) wrote:

In article
"Ed Pawlowski" writes:

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
. ..
"Len" wrote:

Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news server.

Can you get Verizon?

Lew

Verizon is terrible as far as the groups it carries. No alt or binaries.
I just signed up for Giganews at $3 a month. www.giganews.com

I'm with giganews as well, same rate.

The odd-timing thing is that I had closed (technically, scheduled
for closing) my giganews account about 2 weeks ago as part of
trimming my spending. Then the AT&T posting came through. So I
switched giganews to the low-volume setting instead of the unlimited
that I had been using.

Another good deal is http://www.news.astraweb.com/downloadplans.html
180 GB There are no fixed monthly terms, just pay as you download.
The credits last forever. This allows you to truly pay only for what
you use.

On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:56:32 -0400, John
wrote:

I now use Forte' Agent new server, since AT&T did what it did to us.
It's only $2.95 a month for 12 GB of d/l. That's a lot for this type
of group. They have plans up to $14.95 for unlimited.
http://www.forteinc.com/apn/index.php
Regards,
John


On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:58:03 +0000 (UTC), lid (Drew
Lawson) wrote:

In article
"Ed Pawlowski" writes:

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
.. .
"Len" wrote:

Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news server.

Can you get Verizon?

Lew

Verizon is terrible as far as the groups it carries. No alt or binaries.
I just signed up for Giganews at $3 a month. www.giganews.com

I'm with giganews as well, same rate.

The odd-timing thing is that I had closed (technically, scheduled
for closing) my giganews account about 2 weeks ago as part of
trimming my spending. Then the AT&T posting came through. So I
switched giganews to the low-volume setting instead of the unlimited
that I had been using.

"TD Driver" wrote in message
...
Didn't mean to get off track on this, but let me clarify my set up. Two
offices in the house, 75 feet apart. My 'puter has wireless, my wife's
does not so needs to be wired into the combo modem/router. That
modem/router's signal doesn't reach my office -- probably due to the
stainless steel appliances in the kitchen that stands between the two
offices. (Yes, I've thought about moving the kitchen :-)).

No suggestions on your wireless ills, but I can add to them. We spent
literally 6 man months hunting down reported connectivity issues with our
product only to find we can induce the same symptoms by cooking lunch in the
microwave. Y'all don't want that kitchen between you and your wireless,
stainless or not.

Try teranews.com, they have free news servers and do limit downloads
but I have never hit the limit. Use it all the time

Marty

Len wrote:
Looks like this is it for me, unless I can find another news server.

Len

wrote in message
...

Please note that on or around July 15, 2009, AT&T will no longer be
offering access to the Usenet Netnews service. If you wish to
continue
reading Usenet newsgroups, access is available through third-party
vendors.
Distribution: AT&T SouthEast Newsgroups Servers