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[IPS]

Thanks HA Dave.
I have spent hours with bell tech support. All a waste of time. Bell canada does not even have new modems unless it is for fiber line, which is not available in my area. So I have no choice but to find a modem that will at least provide a stable service.

I do appreciate you taking time to reply.

[Knightrider]

IPS:
I spent years waiting for DSL to come to my area. Finally, thr phone company admitted it just wasn't feasable due to the limited nuber of customers in my area. Worse yet, my dial-up would only connect at 28.8 due to the quality of the lines.
I finally found a company that was willing to sell me a 3g modem that had marginal service in my area. I mounted the antenna up in the peak of the roof and get 2 out of 4 bars.
It may not be the fastest, but it is better than anything I have ever had.

Point is: there might be a better solution -- you just have to think a different way.

[HA Dave]

.... I finally found a company that was willing to sell me a 3g modem that had marginal service in my area. I mounted the antenna up in the peak of the roof and get 2 out of 4 bars. It may not be the fastest, but it is better than anything I have ever had.

Point is: there might be a better solution -- you just have to think a different way.

I was wondering how/if you got that working. Of course I knew you were on line. And I see enough pictures via Facebook to know you were running better than dial-up. Thanks for posting here! You're much more expert at rural connectivity than me.

It's a darn shame that so many have such limited connectivity. I've read the percentage of Americans without broadband although small no longer continues to shrink. We seem to be stuck with about 3% (although I'd guess slightly higher) of the population without broadband. For many... it isn't such a big deal... as rural living has many benefits that greatly outweigh a broadband connection. But using the internet with HA has benefits too.   

[Brian H]

I have AT&T DSL and it is deteriorating as the years pass.
In the AT&T DSL Section of the Broadband DSL Reports Forums. It has been documented that the equipment is old and no parts are being made for them now. If something breaks they may have to scour the country to see if a spare is available.
If available in your area. They may move you to U-Verse Internet access. If the equipment is there.

AT&T has sold all their CT. Wire Line business {POTS, DSL and U-verse} to Frontier Communication. They made some promises to CT to grease the process.  

I have no desire to use Comcast as they have a very bad reputation with customer support.

[HA Dave]

I have AT&T DSL and it is deteriorating as the years pass.
..... the equipment is old and no parts are being made for them now. If something breaks they may have to scour the country to see if a spare is available....

I get the impression that DSL is a.... passing technology like the once ubiquitous dial-up, and AOL itself. Do you/anyone/everyone think coax with be the broadband delivery technology of the future? Or will the future be 4G, 5G... maybe some higher number of "G".

[JeffVolp]

We have had broadband (coax bundled with cable TV) for a decade.  Except for one time when a careless backhoe operator ripped up the main fiber-optic trunk link for the city, outages have been a few hours or less.  Overall it has worked very well.  I don't think any "G" wireless will provide the ultimate bandwidth available on a cable or perhaps a future fiber-optic link.

Jeff

[Knightrider]

I agree with Jeff. While my 3G is the fastest thing I ever had, I think optical is the wave of the future. I still lose signal in a heavy rain.

[HA Dave]

Before I retired I worked for the government. At work we had fiber optic connectivity as early as 1992 I believe. I believe the backbone is fiber optic as well. So... I think that means whether we use 3G, DSL, or coax [cable]... that is only the connection method which is quickly connected to fiber optic anyway.

As far as the download intensive uses.... video and such...... the phone seems to work as well away from home (3,4G) as it does connected to my home broadband (15.002 Mbps)   

[IPS]

Finally somebody in the Bell Canada support group took time to trace and admit that the problem was with the equipment in their central. After two months, it is working at close to what it is supposed to. No optics in my area due to lack of customers. It happens to be a farm belt within  the fastest growing city in Quebec. So I have hopes for the future.

Thank you all for your inputs.

[HA Dave]

.... After two months, it is working at close to what it is supposed to. ......... I have hopes for the future.

Glad things improved! The future is a very nice place. I spend as much time there as I can.

[toasterking]

Anybody else miss the old x10.com website? Remember those sleezy ads, and incredibly low prices?? Like EIGHT 3-pin appliance modules for 40 bucks! WOW!! Those were the good old days. Wish I would've bought an extra cm15a when they were so cheap. Sigh.

Does this make you feel more comfortable?
http://web.archive.org/web/20130702032644/http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

Or do you prefer even more retro?
http://web.archive.org/web/20040303094047/http://ads.x10.com/?bHgxMHdlbGNvbWVhYjIuZGF0=

[dave w]

Wow! Like deja vu, dude! 

[birdzeye]

Hey toasterking, THANKS! There was something addictive about those old x10 eye-candy ads.....and there's even a link to the old PR511 Floodlight for $79.99!! Do they even make it or sell it anywhere anymore?

[Brian H]

I have seen a few independent automation dealers. Indicating the PR511 is discontinued.
I have also see some post from PR511 users looking for replacements. With no luck in finding any.

[toasterking]

I have the X10 PR511 and Leviton 6417 (which are slightly different functionally) floodlights installed all around my property.  I installed them in 2009 and they were discontinued not too long afterward.  As I remember, I had to replace one right after the warranty expired and it was difficult to track down.  Now one of my 6417s occasionally does a "rapid-fire" of its appliance switch when switching on or off, so it won't be around much longer.

I've thought about what it would take to replace a single PR511 with something nearly identical in functionality, and I've come up with:

- A third-party floodlamp assembly
- XPFM inline fixture module to switch it on and off

Then, for motion options, one of the following:
1. For ALL FOUR motion addresses but no dusk/dawn detection:
   - Third-party PIR motion detector with a generously adjustable time delay for contact closure
   - Power supply for PIR motion detector
   - XPT3 and four diodes
   - Enclosure for above
2. For ONE motion address and dusk/dawn detection (but only 1 dusk/dawn address, not 4):
   - MS16A ActiveEye Motion Detector (and batteries)
   - TM751 Transceiver Module (since the RR501 is no longer available)
3. For ALL FOUR motion addresses AND dusk/dawn detection:
   - All items from options 1 and 2

What a mess!