Ah Happy me... (btopenworld.co.uk)

Member Name: mfowlis

Product:	btopenworld.co.uk
Date:	28/06/01 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speed, Speed, Speed, Stable, Well integrated

Disadvantages: Only the cost, Only if near exchange

Alas my BT openworld ADSL connection is no more...

Yes, I was one of the seemingly relatively few fortunate to live within a stone's throw of their local exchange, and managed to get BT to deliver the service quickly (read less than 2 months).

HINT 1 - Ask your company's Telecoms manager to "persuade" BT to move you up the queue - we did this by switching to the "business openworld" service which had a much shorter queue.

Despite the initial delays (exchange needed upgrading??) and a delayed appointment to install a second business line to convert to ADSL (as my company was paying for the line) as a remote-access pilot project, the engineers were very helpful and I managed to get the point installed right next to the computer.


HINT 2 - Make sure you have a phone point to convert within 1m approx from the computer. The socket is converted (by a changed socket) to a dual phone/ADSL port cover, and the ADSL modem plugs into this with a short (approx 1m cable).

However it did take two visits - one for the line and another for the ADSL install as a result. Fortunately my "whoosh" test came out well (a very good reading being close to the exchange).

The Siemens (UFO?) ADSL modem is an odd appearance - bluey-green and roundish with a large cable out the back which connects after a short distance to a USB/ADSL line splitter connection.

HINT 3 - If your PC is under your desk or on the opposite side of the room to the ADSL point you may have fun with the cables. You may need to use a longer ADSL cable (I used a powered USB hub to give an extension and more ports). Note that as USB hub will need to be powered to drive the modem as it gets all its power from the USB port. If you don't it won't work!

Two LEDs on the front of the Modem indicate USB and ADSL status. They aren't particularly informative apart from showing your connection is present and you
r PC is powered up, and when the link is being used heavily (flashing LED).

HINT 4 - Hence as long as you can get access to the modem for diagnostics when you have problems you can probably hide it away somewhere, except your friends won't be able to see it!

The software installs well and provided few problems. You do need some information from the information packs sent out in advance to configure the system, but it's pretty straightforward once you figure it out.

In use you can either use the Openworld software or just open a browser and select a URL and after a connection authentication window you are on-line.

And it's fast! How fast doesn't dawn fully until you lose it (sob) but it is how the internet should be. Downloads are no longer a worry with MB files downloading in seconds rather than a good part of an hour.

HINT 5 - Bear in mind that the actual speed you get depends on the line quality and distance to the exchange - the closer and better the faster. I managed to get max speed (576,000 compared to the usual 40,000 dial-up !)

I had remarkably few problems and the software/connection was very stable. Very occasionally I lost a connection (twice in several months) and a couple of times I couldn't get a connection at all (but after a few hours was OK again). One oddity was that after a non-internet session (e.g. games) I found that I couldn't get a connection and had to reboot at which point it worked fine. (Almost as if someone had grabbed the connection).

Fortunately we managed to get an initial offer which waived the installation fee (which is a bit steep). Once you have the service then paying £40 a month is pretty damn good for the speed and service. If only BT would drop the install charges to less than half it would get more takers.

Incidentally, if you cancel the service (or it is cancelled for you) then you do get to keep the modem! (Or at least BT have
n't asked for it back) so that explains at least part of the higher install charge.

BT should do a months free trial for people - it is SO hard to hand back after having it...

HINT 6 - Live close to A BT exchange!!! Otherwise you can't get it - we had a 1 in of 4 success rate for getting it installed in people's homes whose checks on the web site said they should be able to get it....

Summary: