Helping Friend Set Up DSL...

[TheAnswer]

...My computer illiterate friend ordered SBC Yahoo DSL the other day...in the midst of setting it up, he called me with a problem. Long story short, I'm heading over there tomorrow with no idea about how to set up DSL either. I really don't want to waste all day with it. From what I've figured out from his questions and looking online, he needs a account name and password for access over PPPoE (he swears he hasn't been given either, so I'm guessing he as to go online to get that set up somehow).

Here's my main question, will it be as easy as: 1) Call customer service and say "we can't get online to establish the account", 2) have them establish it, 3) enter account name and password into Preferences>Network>Ethernet>PPPoE settings or are there other steps we'll have to take?

Any advice?, I've already asked him for the Modem make and model in case he messed something up and I need to figure out how to access it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[balamw]

The folks at dslreports should be able to help you better than MR for this http://www.dslreports.com/forum/ilec,pcb

I used to have SBC/Yahoo in my last house. You're setill better off having a router handle the PPPOE for you and just plug your machine into that. Even thoug you may have a Mac, it doesn't mean you want to be on the 'net without a hardware firewall...

Note also that if you have an existing Yahoo account that you might want to keep, do not tie it to the SBC account, 'cause when you close it you would end up losing the old Yahoo account.

B

 

[TheAnswer]

Thanks for the advice and the link.

Is adding the router into the mix going to complicate or simplify the setup process?
Will the router do all the heavy lifting as far as the PPPoE setup is concerned?

Sorry, I'm completely new to DSL and PPPoE, as I have a cable modem.

Thanks again to any who respond!

 

[balamw]

Is adding the router into the mix going to complicate or simplify the setup process?
Will the router do all the heavy lifting as far as the PPPoE setup is concerned?

The router will simplify the PPPOE since it will do the authentication and hides it from the computer, it also stops the CSRs from telling you "we don't support Macs".

PPPOE is an aberration, to make DSL look like dial-up, and I'm glad my current DSL from Verizon doesn't use it.

Best of luck!

EDIT: Check out this thread from earlier in the year... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/179039/

B

 

[TheAnswer]

Excellent. Thanks so much.

 

[eji]

From the SBC Yahoo Help page:

Remember to replace the @sbcglobal.net with the right domain. I also tried to PM/e-mail this rather than posting in this thread, but you've not chosen those options in your MR user account.


From the Apple menu (in the top-left corner of the screen), select System Preferences.
In the System Preferences window, select Network.
From the "Location" drop-down menu, select New Location. You will be asked to name your location. You should name it something simple that you will remember, like "SBCYahoo."
From the "Show" drop down menu, select Built-in Ethernet.
Next, click on the PPPoE tab and fill out the fields.
Check Connect Using PPPoE.
Under "Account Name," enter sbcyahooreg@sbcglobal.net.
In the "Password" field, enter sbcyahooreg (Please note that passwords are case sensitive. If you enter an incorrect password, OS X does not generate an error message.)
Click PPPoE Options.
Under "Session Options," make sure Connect automatically when starting TCP/IP applications is checked. The other Session Options choices are optional.
Under "Advanced Options," Send PPP echo packets should be checked.
Click OK.
Click Apply Now and close the window.
Open Internet Explorer (included with OS X) and type the following URL in the Address field: https://sbcreg.sbcglobal.net
Follow the directions on screen. When you are finished, write your new account information down and keep it in a safe place.
Once registration is complete, you'll need to enter your new account information in the "Network" settings under "System Preferences."

From the Apple menu, select System Preferences > Network.
Select the location that you created in Step 3.
From the "Show" drop down menu, select Built-in Ethernet.
Click on the PPPoE tab.
Make sure Connect using PPPoE is checked.
In the "Account Name" field, Delete sbcyahooreg@sbcglobal.net. Enter your SBC Yahoo! Member ID (your entire email address, e.g. YourMemberID@sbcglobal.net)
In the "Password" field, replace sbcyahooreg with your own SBC Yahoo! password. OS X saves your password by default. (Please note that passwords are case sensitive.)
Click Apply Now.
Close the window and open Internet Explorer to access the Internet. If your homepage doesn't automatically default to yahoo.sbc.com, you may set it to do so at this time.
If you cannot access the Registration Site while following the procedure above, take these additional steps:

On your desktop, double-click the Macintosh HD icon.
Double-click the Applications folder.
Double-click the Internet Connect application.
In the "Configuration" drop-down menu, make sure that Built-in Ethernet is selected.
Ensure that sbcyahooreg@sbcglobal.net is displayed under the "Name" field.
Re-enter sbcyahooreg in the "Password" field (you must enter the password in lowercase).
Click Connect.
Once you are connected, open Internet Explorer and go to Step 9 above for registration instructions.

 

[MACDRIVE]

Mine is configured to connect via TCP/IP and seems to work ok.

 

[Makosuke]

Yeah, that's weird... I set up my account with them last year and while the process was similar, their install app did most of the settings changes for me and the PPP is configured directly in the modem (by their installer, no less), so from my end it just looks like DHCP. Are those instructions old, or have they gone back to PPPoE for new users like they had way back when? If so, I guess I'll count myself as lucky that I've got a modem that doesn't require it.

One note, and I'm really curious about this (just asked the same question in another thread):

When their installer launches the https://sbcreg.sbcglobal.net site, it does so with IE as their instructions say it should. This is of course stupid since IE isn't even a supported product on the Mac any more, but every time I did it the "Accept" button at the bottom of the user agreement was scrolled down off the bottom of the visible page, and there was no scrollbar to get to it.

It was intended to be a fixed little window down at the botom, but IE mangles the code and effectively "hides" the accept button unless you know it's there (you can click-drag to scroll to it, or click on the top edge that is just barely visible). Other browsers render the page fine, but if memory serves there was a script or something on a later section of the registration process that would only work in IE at the time.

Have they fixed this boneheaded mistake now (I don't get the buttons, since I'm already signed up), or does it still do that?

 

[MACDRIVE]

[Snip] but every time I did it the "Accept" button at the bottom of the user agreement was scrolled down off the bottom of the visible page, and there was no scrollbar to get to it.

Yeah that happened to me. You just have to relocate your Doc out of the way so that you can click on the "Accept" button.

 

[Makosuke]

Yeah that happened to me. You just have to relocate your Doc out of the way so that you can click on the "Accept" button.

That's not the problem I'm talking about (though IE doen't respect the dock if memory serves)--in my case, the issue was that the button was literally off the bottom of the window, and there was no scrollbar for the frame that contained it, so it was invisible with no indication that it was hiding down there.