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Re: A couple of questions
>
>
>> > Secondly, does anyone have any personal experience of Actvnet's
Internet
>> > connection system? It looks quite tempting, but I would like to know
the
>> > downside before I fork out my money. Also, are there any other
companies
>> > offering a similar package for a comparable (hopefully smaller) price?
>>
>>
>> > 4. Installation time is two months.
I was probably among their first customers, at the time when they still
promised installation in 45 days. It took them just under three months, by
which time I knew most of their customer service people and had managed to
alienate nearly all of them... If you decide to use Actvnet, tell yourself
that it's going to take a few months and then forget about them. You should
also know that it takes several technician visits to install the connection
(three visits in my case), and you'll probably have to take time off work
each time.
By the wording on my contract, it appears that I'm not allowed to use the
connected computer as an internet server for other customers "with or
without pay". By this wording I conclude that I *can* use it for connecting
a second computer in my own home, for example. Note, however, that the new
contracts are more limiting; read the contract they offer you carefully. I
haven't attempted using my computer as a server, but I probably tried every
client-type service known to Man, and everything works fine (including
online games). The connection really is fast. I made them add a clause to
the contract that says I can terminate the agreement at any time if I begin
getting consistently slow access times, but fortunately none of my neighbors
are connected by Actvnet so I get the 64k to myself. Take a good look at
your neighbors, and try to guess how many of them might want to connect to
Actvnet in the next 18 months.
If what you need is a full-time, no-strings-attached connection, Actvnet
definitely isn't for you. Go with frame-relay.
Oren Hurvitz
orenh@actvnet.com