[LINK] Do It Yourself?

[David Boxall]

At 2:50 AM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> ...
> I've been thinking of multi-homing. Two accounts, two phone lines & two 
> modems, all true, though it's not hard to set-up. So, maybe ...
> ...
If you're considering that sort of bother & expense, ISDN Home 
<http://www.telstra.com.au/customerterms/home_isdn.htm> might be a 
better solution. You'd end up with two 'phone numbers and, potentially, 
128kb/s. When I used it, ISDN Home worked out cheaper than two standard 
phone lines. You only need one account and Telstra provides the Network 
Terminator, so you don't need a second modem. The Telstra NT1 Plus II 
box uses an extended Hayes command set, so it's no mystery to anyone who 
can set up a modem. The only gotcha I found is that the NT1 has no bell: 
any calls to the bell crash the box, so you need to check the software 
configuration carefully.

Your current ISP might support ISDN. Failing that, search at 
<http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc/?action=search> (you'll need to uncheck 
everything except ISDN and select "no minimum speed" for both upload and 
download).

Unfortunately, as far as I know, Telstra is your only option if you want 
ISDN. As with most things involving Telstra, patience and persistence 
may be required (and probably a touch of mongrel). My experience is 
detailed at <http://david.boxall.id.au/ISDN.html>. Since that time five 
years have passed and, by all accounts, extracting service from Telstra 
has grown no easier.

Anyway, whatever you decide to try, good luck.

-- 
David Boxall                         | ignorance more frequently
                                     | begets confidence than does
                                     | knowledge
                                     | --Charles Darwin (introduction
                                     |   to 'The Descent of Man' 1871)