Early Service Ready Date?

I'm due to receive my self-installation DSL kit today from Verizon but the "Service Ready Date" isn't set until the 8th of September, which is still awhile away. I was just wondering that if I connected the DSL filters and software onto my computer, would I still be able to access the DSL before the SRD? They also haven't 100% comfirmed if my house lines are DSL eligible, even though they've sent out the kit. Help?

And also, I'll probably have to buy a NIC for my laptop to use with the home networking...any recommendations?

AND also, how do you CHECK to see if a computer already has a NIC installed, so as to see if I even need to buy one.

Thanks

 

I'm not sure if you know how DSL works. But what they mean by service ready date is when the DSL has been enabled on your phone line. Usualy this wouldn't take too long. Also you would need an Login name and password to access the internet. So in other words Nup U cant use it even if you plug everything up.

 

Right, so what you need to do is ask them to turn it on now. I'm not sure why they have confusion as to whether or not it will work, it's really pretty black and white.

As for a NIC card, I'm assuming you want to plug in directly to your router with a cable. Every notebook made in the last several years has a network card. It's really not an Easter Egg, it should be pretty obvious. Looks like a wide phone jack.

 

And the notebook probably has wireless too. That would let you use the laptop anywhere in the house if you add a wireless router to the DSL modem - really cheap to do nowadays.

 

Is it possible to do that; to just ask them to turn the DSL service on earlier than the expected date? They didn't really say I could do that. They made it pretty clear that once I receive the stuff I should just wait for the expected date -- they didn't mention anything about calling in if I received my kit early. I'm dealing with Verizon, if that matters.

And about the NIC card, the computers I have are FAIRLY new. One is a recently bought, couple of months old HP m1160n Home Media Desktop and the other is a two year old Sony Vaio PCG-FRV25. They both have ethernet jacks but I don't know if either of them is WiFi capable.

 

According to the Specs., the Sony does NOT have wireless ... but even that is relatively easy to add. You have two ways to do this: 1) a pcmcia wireless adapter or 2) a USB wireless adapter. CompUSA has the Linksys 'b' version on sale this week. While the 'b' is only 11Mb/s, for Internet work, this is more than adequate since it is faster than the DSL connection. And you can use the wired NIC on the Sony for faster transfers of files between it and the desktop.

 

Since the laptop has an ethernet jack can I set it up with the modem and make the desktop use wireless instead?

 

Usually the setup is this:

The desktop system, because it is stationary, is connected to the DSL modem so there is no need for it to be wireless enabled. Also because it is not portable, it serves as the wireless access point for the laptop - the portable device. In other words, there is no need to make the desktop wireless. But if you have a SECOND desktop then by all means, you can make this one wireless instead of running the Cat 5 cable to the router on the first desktop. If you do not need to move around with the laptop while accessing the internet, then sure, you can connect it directly to the DSL modem.