Geek quiz, geek “how to”, or just a handy reference?!??

In this…  list of 100 things; you’ll find a lot of descriptions of things you take for granted, and a few that you may have ALWAYS WONDERED “how do I do that?”.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/07/100-basic-geek-skills-for-geeks/

Giving credit when credit is due – Wired magazine is where you’d expect to find such a list.

Having worked in the telecom industry for ten years, I especially like #98 because I’ve taken mysterious black boxes from the US into Canada a number of times; demo units for voice gateways which never have any moving parts, always have a few blinking lights. When powered up the box wouldn’t show that it’s actually DOING anything.  Short of giving airport security a full telephony demonstration with hundreds of telephones initiating simultaneous calls – I’d be hard pressed to prove that the black box wasn’t really a B _ _ _ (that word that you never mention during a security pat-down).

When security cleverly recognizes the shape in their X-Ray machine, you do well enough to just agree: “yeah, it’s just like a VCR”.

LiveJournal Tags: Geek Dad

T-Mobile @Home – a “TA” terminal adapter for home use

The heart of T-Mobile’s broadband home telephone service is a Cisco “Hi Port” single port analog phone adapter to connect to your home Ethernet network. It serves as the interface for a traditional analog telephone, like you’d plug in with a modular RJ-11 jack. In fact, although it’s intended for a single phone to be plugged into the Hi Port we have ended up with all the analog phones in the house all being on line because the desk phone which we plugged in had the rest of the house wiring still connected – all the phones in the house ring when we get an incoming call on the T-Mobile number.

Because we were already T-Mobile wireless customers, we’ve been paying $10 per month extra for the service; the fact that we’ve been customers for a long time meant the HiPort was essentially free – and the incremental monthly service means it’s inexpensive enough to be compared to Magic Jack (and, of course, the Verizon Hub – but it is much less expensive than Verizon’s IP Phone). Check this web site: tMobile @home.

You don’t gain the features of a Verizon/Hub type IP Phone. So you can’t use a TXT MSG or Photo send/recv features or having it double as a picture frame! The HiPort with @home service provides just a “plain old telephone service” (POTS) line provided over an Ethernet interface. It can use any broadband connection – it does not mandate a specific vendor as your ISP. It can be cable modem, DSL, or fiber optic, as the connection to the internet (we happen to use Comcast cable modem).

You still have the issues associated with broadband telephony:

* it’s NOT an exactly the same as the analog land-line, so most like a security systems or a TiVO type dial-up will not work

* E-911 is an issue; you need to promise not to take the box with you (it’s registered at your address)

* when the power goes out you wont have a working home phone (but, maybe you have a cell phone anyway)

The equipment, is relatively inexpensive, (less than $150) for the phone adapter (Cisco HiPort, or Cisco Linksys)

The monthly bill is roughly $10 (plus taxes and fees) and that means anywhere that my usual T-Mobile wireless account services, so it’s across the US and Canada for sure – not just my local calling area.

The remaining issue for us is the alarm company (we use ADT) will not provide their security monitoring without a land line; with the exception of charging another $12. The $12 may not seem like much except we were trying to reduce our monthly bills and we intended to get the land-line fees down closer to $0.

Although it is repeating a point made above, the significance here is that these VoIP products are using broadband Ethernet, and as such there are two implications:

* T-Mobile @Home provides the analog phone port working over generic network protocols so it does not matter who’s service provides the access to the internet (any media is acceptable: DSL, Cable, or fiber optic) it will work on any ISP’s Ethernet – it just so happens to be billed thru T-Mobile!

* T-Mobile @Home does not “emulate” a real land line (so, it’s not like a Comcast Digital Voice capability, with putting a land line over some other media) it is a VoIP line and only works when the Ethernet is alive and working. Hence, the issue about the not working when the power goes out.

The nice difference in using T-Mobile @Home service relative to some other VoIP products is that our extension phones through the whole house are still active.

The voice quality of the HiPort is excellent.  We have used the service with high demand network traffic going on at the same time and NOT had any issues with voice quality – you can not tell that this line is not a traditional telephone.

LiveJournal Tags: T-Mobile @Home

T-Mobile @Home – a “TA” terminal adapter for home use

The heart of T-Mobile’s broadband home telephone service is a Cisco “Hi Port” single port analog phone adapter to connect to your home Ethernet network. It serves as the interface for a traditional analog telephone, like you’d plug in with a modular RJ-11 jack. In fact, although it’s intended for a single phone to be plugged into the Hi Port we have ended up with all the analog phones in the house all being on line because the desk phone which we plugged in had the rest of the house wiring still connected – all the phones in the house ring when we get an incoming call on the T-Mobile number.

Because we were already T-Mobile wireless customers, we’ve been paying $10 per month extra for the service; the fact that we’ve been customers for a long time meant the HiPort was essentially free – and the incremental monthly service means it’s inexpensive enough to be compared to Magic Jack (and, of course, the Verizon Hub – but it is much less expensive than Verizon’s IP Phone). Check this web site: tMobile @home.

You don’t gain the features of a Verizon/Hub type IP Phone. So you can’t use a TXT MSG or Photo send/recv features or having it double as a picture frame! The HiPort with @home service provides just a “plain old telephone service” (POTS) line provided over an Ethernet interface. It can use any broadband connection – it does not mandate a specific vendor as your ISP. It can be cable modem, DSL, or fiber optic, as the connection to the internet (we happen to use Comcast cable modem).

You still have the issues associated with broadband telephony:

* it’s NOT an exactly the same as the analog land-line, so most like a security systems or a TiVO type dial-up will not work

* E-911 is an issue; you need to promise not to take the box with you (it’s registered at your address)

* when the power goes out you wont have a working home phone (but, maybe you have a cell phone anyway)

The equipment, is relatively inexpensive, (less than $150) for the phone adapter (Cisco HiPort, or Cisco Linksys)

The monthly bill is roughly $10 (plus taxes and fees) and that means anywhere that my usual T-Mobile wireless account services, so it’s across the US and Canada for sure – not just my local calling area.

The remaining issue for us is the alarm company (we use ADT) will not provide their security monitoring without a land line; with the exception of charging another $12. The $12 may not seem like much except we were trying to reduce our monthly bills and we intended to get the land-line fees down closer to $0.

Although it is repeating a point made above, the significance here is that these VoIP products are using broadband Ethernet, and as such there are two implications:

* T-Mobile @Home provides the analog phone port working over generic network protocols so it does not matter who’s service provides the access to the internet (any media is acceptable: DSL, Cable, or fiber optic) it will work on any ISP’s Ethernet – it just so happens to be billed thru T-Mobile!

* T-Mobile @Home does not “emulate” a real land line (so, it’s not like a Comcast Digital Voice capability, with putting a land line over some other media) it is a VoIP line and only works when the Ethernet is alive and working. Hence, the issue about the not working when the power goes out.

The nice difference in using T-Mobile @Home service relative to some other VoIP products is that our extension phones through the whole house are still active.

The voice quality of the HiPort is excellent.  We have used the service with high demand network traffic going on at the same time and NOT had any issues with voice quality – you can not tell that this line is not a traditional telephone.

Also: Verizon Hub

tech info: description of Verizon/Hub

TO BE CLEAR, a "Verizon/Hub" is an IP Phone.  The most recent slogan: "the Home Phone, re-invented”.  So, it is NOT your old four port Ethernet hub like we all talk about for the Ethernet 10/100 MBPS (or, now-a-days it’s Gigabit). This is a new product which allows you to connect the phone to your Ethernet — and, use it like your traditional phone.

 

It would seem like an unfortunate choice of name. If you want to find reviews the "hub" portion of this product branding is about as ubiquitous for communications. A bit like water is for living organisms. Verizon Web: vzw/hub

 

The great benefits of a "hub" from Verizon, is that they have brought wireless phone type features into the home to our traditional phone. Things such as TXT MSGs, and Photo send/recv features are natural extensions to what people expect to do on a cell phone and you’re not usually expecting your home phone to do the same. Now, it can.

 

On the other hand, this phone and the service associated with it, is NOT your traditional land-line service. So, the downside of a Verizon/Hub is the same as other broadband services such as "Vonage", or "Magic Jack" have tried to address:

   * it’s NOT an analog line, so security systems, or a TiVO type dial-up service will likely not work

   * E-911 is a sticky point; you need to promise not to take the box with you (it’s registered at your address)

   * the power going out, will mean you don’t have your home phone (but, you probably have a cell phone anyway)

   * if you have various extension phones which plugged into a land-line (rather than a cordless handset) you are probably NOT going to use those anymore

 

The equipment, is relatively inexpensive, $150 – $200 for the phone which has a nice 7": LCD display

The monthly bill is probably $35 (plus taxes and fees, and this includes $2.00 for a "detailed billing" summary.  I am not sure what is meant in the terms and conditions of a equipment assurance program — maybe the Verizon telesales professionals will explain it.

 

The sticking point, for us, is the alarm company (for us, it’s ADT) will not provide their security monitoring without a land line; with the exception of charging another $12. The $12 doesn’t seem like much, except that was a part of what we were trying to accomplish, was trimming the home phone fee down closer to $0.

 

 

 

 

I will send an update — or, comment back to this blog entry… when we’ve tried it out.

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS – Sept, 2009

The Verizon/Hub service is remarkable! The interface on the IP Phone unit itself is a bit clunky, and this is "Version 2.x" of their software so I guess I’m pretty happy that I hadn’t tried to use it with earlier versions; another reviewer made comment that this was a product which should have been shipping five to ten years ago and although I agree with that sentiment — it’s still a couple of years away from being READY.

 

However, let me highlight the most remarkable aspects of the Verizon/Hub residential IP Phone:

  * It installed, in minutes, with NO HUMAN INTERVENTION from Verizon. From the time the Fed-Ex truck arrived, it was literally minutes until it was able to make a call and receive calls and begin to get used to the user interface. The human service representative was only necessary a few hours later when I wanted to port my old land-line phone number over to the unit.  It was easy and straight-forward, and the phone reminded me that I wanted to do that (but, it was necessary to have assistance from Verizon to make it happen).

  * There are features in the Verizon/Hub which are unique and differentiate it from the previous wired-line capabilities. Such as: multiple number ringing (calls are forked to my cell phone), call forwarding, and call conferencing, number blocking, web based voice mail…   there’s bunches of "extras".

  * It looks cool — my old phone wasn’t cool, but this looks like a modern desktop phone. It doesn’t look cooler than an iPhone, but it does look like new technology.

  * The service fess (especially when considering taxes and fees) is lower than the previous wire-line charges.  There is more functionality, and less cost; it is not the cheapest alternative to local phone services, but it is less than the wire-line equivalent from Verizon. The reality is that it does not provide an analog line; that is a fact; and also the fact that the unit will not operate when the power goes out, or that your E-911 service needs to be carefully considered.

  * The large touch screen is nice; the feature of displaying photos is nice, if you have photos (they provide a few images, right out-of-the-box).

  * The cordless handsets work great (I did purchase an extra handset which comes with a charging cradle); they are not as nice as most cell phone designs but the functionality is well design and very functional. A few features from the handset seem awkward, just like the desktop unit still has a few glitches that are still to be worked out.

 

Overall, my impression is very positive — I’m glad I got the unit, and I was very pleased with the functionality, appearance, new features and lower monthly service fee and even considering that there are lower cost options… the Verizon/Hub provides an excellent quality voice call with a lot of excellent features for telephony services which I want/need/like and I’m glad I bought it!

 

PostScript: This is worth mentioning; as far as customer service goes: A guy named Jonathan answered when I used my Verizon-Hub to call the “Customer Support” contact (already entered into the phone for me). He quickly acknowledged that the “number portability” has been a problem with a few other customers, so he wasn’t surprised that my old home number was getting a “no longer in service” message when people call me.  He took ownership of the problem! First he tried to just forward our old number to my cell – but, that didn’t work. So, he said he would call me back with someone from the support group who specialize in number portability.  They escalated my problem; he called me back in less than a half-hour… and solved the problem.  With the three of us on the line, they verified that it’s now working and it took less than an hour from the time I first called them.  In short – I was impressed. Great customer service.

 

 

For further information, the Verizon Wireless web site is the best place:

   * http://support.vzw.com/faqs/Equipment/hub.html

 

LiveJournal Tags: Verizon Wireless,Verizon/Hub

 

<summary> of other technical topics (tech info)
<other topics>of Jim’s Blog entries (various topics)
Jim writes blog entries on technical topics in software development tools, software quality, initiatives in green energy and conservation as well as yoga, meditation, and chronicles of his family history. Profile LINK to his “Microsoft LIVE” profile, Facebook, or Linked-In profile

 

 

 

 

 

Verizon / Hub – using an IP Phone at home

To be clear, a "Verizon/Hub" is an IP Phone.  It’s NOT a Four Port Ethernet hub like we’ve all become accustomed to for a 10/100 MBPS (or, now-a-days it’s Gigabit Ethernet). This is a new product which allows you to connect a phone to your Ethernet — and use it like a traditional phone.

It would seem like an unfortunate choice of name. If you want to find reviews the "hub" portion of this product branding is ubiquitous. In the world of communications products a hub is a bit like water is to living organisms. Note: The web site which describes the product is under their “Verizon Wireless” site, that may be as telling as anything about the business unit which is offering the service. And, it places it squarely in competition with the tMobile “at Home” service. Verizon Web: vzw/hub

The great benefits of a "hub" from Verizon, is that they have brought wireless phone type features into the home to our traditional phone. Things such as TXT MSGs, and Photo send/recv features are natural extensions to what people expect to do on a cell phone and you’re not usually expecting your home phone to do the same. Now, it can.

On the other hand, this phone and the service associated with it, is NOT your traditional land-line service. So, the downside of a Verizon/Hub is the same as other broadband services such as "Vonage", or "Magic Jack" have tried to address:

* it’s NOT an analog line, so security systems, or a TiVO type dial-up service will likely not work

* E-911 is a sticky point; you need to promise not to take the box with you (it’s registered at your address)

* the power going out, will mean you don’t have your home phone (but, you probably have a cell phone anyway)

* if you have various extension phones which plugged into a land-line (rather than a cordless handset) you are probably NOT going to use those anymore

The equipment, is relatively inexpensive, $150 – $200 for the phone which has a nice 7": LCD display

The monthly bill is probably $35 (plus taxes and fees, and this includes $2.00 for a "detailed billing" summary.  I am not sure what is meant in the terms and conditions of a equipment assurance program — maybe the Verizon telesales professionals will explain it.

The sticking point, for us, is the alarm company (for us, it’s ADT) will not provide their security monitoring without a land line; with the exception of charging another $12. The $12 doesn’t seem like much, except that was a part of what we were trying to accomplish, was trimming the land-line fees down closer to $0.

Although it is repeating a point made above, the significance here is that the VoIP product is using a broadband Ethernet port with two implications:

* Verizon Hub provides an IP Phone is running on generic network protocols so it does not matter who’s service provides the access to the internet (any media is acceptable: DSL, Cable, or fiber optic) it will work on any ISP’s Ethernet – it just so happens to come from Verizon!

* Verizon Hub does not “emulate” a real land line (so, it’s not like a Comcast Digital Voice capability, with putting a land line over some other media) it is a VoIP line and only works when the Ethernet is alive and working. Hence, the issue about the not working when the power goes out.

 

A key differentiation… in any assessment of the features and capabilities of these various VoIP solutions is voice quality; to understand how it’s different (let’s say: “better”) from free or low-cost options, it had better have good voice quality. This is something for which the “jury is still out”, we’ll let you know!

I’ll send an update — or, comment back to this blog entry… when we’ve tried it out.

Also, see: T-Mobile @Home