DSL from hell

Bell Atlantic's do-it-yourself DSL kit just doesn't do it.

By Tom Spring
PC World, 02/10/00

Bell Atlantic's broadband Infospeed service may be able to pipe lightning fast Internet access to millions of its customers. But it's stuck in the breakdown lane when it comes to rolling out the service.

Like any sensible Web addict, I absolutely crave broadband access at home. So I jumped when Bell Atlantic, our local phone semimonopoly, began touting a do-it-yourself kit for Digital Subscriber Line access and claimed this was "easy" to install and "a snap" to use.

But I soon found myself in a quagmire.

I suffered through two months of glitches, spent days waiting on hold for polite but clueless technicians, and finally was struck by a total wipeout of regular phone service.

In fact, I might still be locked in DSL hell had I not revealed to Bell Atlantic that I write for PC World.com. As it turns out, installing DSL service using Bell Atlantic's HomeConnect kit actually cost me more money than having Bell Atlantic technicians set it up for me.

What's Not to Like?

The saga starts back in October when Bell Atlantic, in partnership with 3Com and retailers such as CompUSA, began selling its HomeConnect DSL installation kit.

HomeConnect promises two advantages.

First, it should save some money since Bell Atlantic doesn't need to send out a technician to install a "splitter" on your phone line, or a second technician to install a DSL modem for your PC.

Second, you need not wait for the notoriously slow Bell Atlantic to install DSL service for you. You should be all set in seven days, the company says.

So in December I paid a visit to my local CompUSA and qualified for DSL service at the in-store Bell Atlantic kiosk. The 3Com DSL modem cost $250 and came with a $130 rebate. Bell Atlantic's Infospeed basic service costs $49.95 per month and features download speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second with unlimited use.

Lost in the Atlantic

In theory, getting this all working takes a week. After you qualify your phone number and sign up for service you simply wait about five days for your phone line to be "activated." Now you're ready to crack your PC open and install the 3Com internal ADSL modem into a free PCI slot.

At this time you simply plug "microfilters" on phone jacks throughout your house. (HomeConnect comes with a half-dozen of these beasts, which was plenty for my house.) Next install Bell Atlantic Infospeed software on your PC, and start cruising the Net at turbo speeds.

In theory. But in the real world, Bell Atlantic fumbled from the outset. I couldn't even sign up for service.

I was given three excuses that kept me waiting weeks. At first I was told its DSL registration database had crashed. The next week I called Bell Atlantic, and it said it was having "database parsing errors." A third time I was told I didn't qualify for service.

After straightening matters, I eventually qualified, signed up for service, and was told my phone line would be DSL-powered within a week.

Two weeks later I heard that I was all set. I followed 3Com's modem installation directions to the letter and installed the modem into a Dell Dimension Intel Pentium III PC. But after the installation a red light on the 3Com software indicated the modem was not receiving a DSL connection.

After a flurry of phone calls to tech support and hours of hold time, Bell Atlantic promised to double-check my phone line for problems. I called two weeks later and Bell Atlantic knew nothing of my problems. I recited my saga. It promised to check my line again.

The following week, a technician called to say Bell Atlantic was still brooding on the problem. I insisted that the company do some troubleshooting and rule out a faulty modem.

Don't Drop the Swap

Only when I was asked about a "swapper" for my 3Com modem did we make a breakthrough.

"What's a swapper?" It turns out that 3Com DSL modems have a "known issue" that requires another small microfilter to be placed on the end of the RJ-11 phone jack.

I'm assured that this must be the root to my problems. "We'll send one right out," I'm told.

Meanwhile a bigger screwup was ahead.

Further Phone Follies

The next day all phone service was lost.

At this point, high-speed Net access seemed ludicrously lavish. I just wanted my phone service back.

When Bell Atlantic offered to lend me a cell phone until it could figure out how to restore phone service, I gave up and revealed my secret identity as a lowly reporter for PC World.com.

Bell Atlantic delivered a heartfelt apology, and I climbed a little higher on the tech-help totem pole.

The next day phone service was miraculously restored-and even DSL service was good to go.

Well, no. After affixing the swapper, the DSL signal was strong. But it took another half-day and four hours on the phone to actually open a Bell Atlantic.net account. Bell Atlantic says this is because its installation software had a few bugs and that its registration servers kept crashing.

Finally, exactly two months from the day I bought the modem, I have DSL service. The speed is great, and everything's running fine (perhaps while I work for PC World.com, anyway).

Attack of the Killer Squirrels

According to Colson Hillier, Bell Atlantic marketing specialist, my problems were an "isolated incident." However, judging from the broadband horror stories I've heard recently the experience was not that uncommon.

Bell Atlantic can't even say for sure why phone service was lost; technicians speculate that it could have been hungry squirrels chewing through the phone line just as easily as complications activating DSL service.

To add insult to injury, I ended up paying way more to go this route. In a special promotion right now, Bell Atlantic charges $99 total for the 3Com DSL modem, installation, and the activation fee. (In comparison, buying the modem at CompUSA costs $250, with no rebate.)

The company says it now offers a simpler version of its HomeConnect kit and is getting better at meeting consumer needs.

Let's hope so. If Bell Atlantic really wants to slug it out with cable firms for the golden last mile connecting our homes to the Net, it will have to get rid of all these bumps on that broadband road.

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