Getting High-Speed Internet:
Choosing Between Telus ADSL & Shaw@Home

by Raymond Kam
location: Vancouver, British Columbia
originally written on February 16, 2001
last edited on April 22, 2004

(The following article was originally written in 2001 when Rogers and Shaw were still offering the @Home service in Canada. @Home is no more. Shaw is now running its own network. The incidents mentioned below happened a long time ago, so please do not assume things would be the same as years ago.)

It all started on March 26, 2000. That's when I applied for Telus ADSL. At that time, the price of high-speed Internet access for home had dropped to the $40 level in the Lower Mainland. Several friends were already using either cable modem or ADSL at the time. In the world of multi-megabytes downloads, having a high-speed Internet connection would really help to enhance the Internet experience.

 

Why I Initially Decided to Get ADSL?

The horror stories of the @Home network and the reputation of Rogers Cable probably got a lot of people thinking about ADSL. On web sites or TV news, it was easy to hear complaints by frustrated @Home subscribers about the loss of connection, poor service, lost mail, slow speed, etc. I was also hearing that ADSL, being a dedicated connection, should not be affected by the number of neighbours being online at the same time.

 

Long Waiting List

From what I read, I knew I should expect to wait for months. However, I was hoping to get ADSL installed within a few weeks. Wrong. On May 3, 2000, I got an e-mail from Telus about the option to remove myself from the waiting list. I replied to remove myself. However, on July 4, 2000, an e-mail from Telus: "Please call our special registration line within a week from the date on this e-mail (we do not guarantee supplies will be available)." After reading that e-mail, I somehow got angry about the attitude of the e-mail. There, I waited for several months, and the notice I got was that they couldn't guarantee supplies. So, I asked to delete myself from the waiting list. A month later, Telus introduced the $35 self-installation program, where one would require to purchase an ADSL modem from an electronic store and install the modem and noise filters for all phones on the same line.

 

Yet Another Long Waiting List

The $35 price was pretty attractive once you considered the speed and the "always on" feature of ADSL. Thinking that I was lucky to remove myself from that waiting list a while ago, I applied for the "QuickConnect" self-install ADSL service on October 21, 2000 for my fax line. A friend living in Burnaby was also interested in the "QuickConnect" ADSL service. She asked me to apply for her using the Internet. No news after two weeks, she phoned Telus and got the connection within a week. I applied again on November 26, 2000 for my main line. My friend's ADSL connection started working on December 3, 2000.

It was the first week of December, 2000. I asked myself, "Could it be that I waited for more than a month for nothing?" I was not happy about that I could not get ADSL after waiting for weeks while my friend could get it so fast. I asked Telus to delete my fax line from the waiting list on December 2, 2000 and my main line from the waiting list on December 3, 2000. Was it remorse or desperation? On December 4, 2000, I phoned Telus as soon as they started taking calls that day. Initially, I was using one phone to dial. I hung up after 10 minutes or so and tried again and again. The line was too busy. An hour later, I used two phones to dial. About 10 - 15 minutes later, I got through the line. I was told that my number was not on top of the list. Well, I decided that ADSL was not worth the wait. Sure, ADSL might be faster and more reliable, but it was like rationing. If I kept waiting, I might just as well wait for the high-speed wireless Internet access (HDR by Qualcomm).

 

Turning Point

Minutes after hanging up the phone, I immediately visited Rogers@home's web site. I got a phone number from the site. Surprisingly, I could get through this number in 2 rings!! The Rogers representative transferred my call to Shaw@home. (Shaw and Rogers just exchanged subscribers. Shaw took over the cable operation in the Lower Mainland.) It was the Shaw representative's first day on the job. So, she needed the help from the supervisor quite often. However, she was very polite and cheerful. Since I already got a home Local Area Network for my Macs, I asked for the self-install option. With self-install, the cable technician would come and install the cable and leave you the cable modem and the install kit. You would be responsible for installing software. Another surprise, I learned that I could get my Shaw@Home service on December 7, 2000. After signing up Shaw@Home, I received an e-mail from Telus ADSL asking me to expand the e-mail I sent to them concerning my e-mail about my main line. So, that main line was still on the waiting list at the time. The fax line, however, was off the list.

 

Dream Came True

On December 7, 2000, the installer was on time to install the cable modem service. There was no need to drill holes. We added a spliter, so one line connected to the home theatre and the other to the home office. It took 5 minutes for the Terayon cable modem to be "online." After that, it was declared a success. After the technician left, I added a surge protector with cable protection to protect the whole connection. Using my iBook, I was able to surf the web and do e-mail immediately by following a few simple steps mentioned in the user guide. In 20 minutes, I configured my cable modem/DSL router (for Internet sharing) and AirPort Base Station (for wireless networking). I chose not to use the proxy server. There was no need to register the MAC address (Ethernet card address) of a computer by visiting a web page, unlike Telus ADSL. For Shaw@Home, it just needed to disconnect the power to the cable modem for a minute for the system to register a new MAC address.

 

My Network

How did I connect my network, which consisted of two network printers, two notebooks and one minitower, to the Internet? Those notebook would need to be mobile. All computers required to share the same Internet connection. Also, my network would need to be protected by a simple firewall. Those were the requirements. Pieces of the puzzle were solved a while ago. All computers and printers were connected to a Farallon 100Base-T Ethernet hub. And, I learned that Apple's AirPort Base Station could wirelessly network my computers at 10Base-T Ethernet speed (10Mbps). In fact, I had been using it for more than half a year already. AirPort Base Station allowed AirPort and Ethernet-connected computers to share a 56K modem connection. It could also act as a bridge rather than a router. I would use it as a bridge for my new network. So, how to share cable modem or ADSL? With a cable modem/DSL router, of course. Many cable modem/DSL routers or "home gateways" could act as a simple firewall. I chose the Xsense XRouter Pro MIH 130 because the firmware could be uploaded from the Mac side. The XRouter Pro was set up to accept a dynamic IP address from @Home's DHCP server. Internally, I gave each device on my network a static IP address. This configuration allowed my Macs and printers to communicate via TCP/IP and AppleTalk. I did not configure my Macs to get dynamic IP addresses from the router because a Mac with File Sharing over IP required a fixed IP address to be easy to find. Non-IP File Sharing did not require this procedure. However, File Sharing over IP proved to be an improvement over regular File Sharing when transferring big files over AirPort. I did turn on the XRouter Pro's DHCP for internal dynamic IP distribution for easy connections of older computers or other Ethernet-enabled devices, such as my Newton MessagePad, that did not require a static IP address for file sharing purposes. Update: For a while, I had been struggle with the question of having internally dynamic or static addressing. After using a static address, I couldn't get Shawmail. If I didn't use a static address, other machines on my network would have trouble finding the server. I just discovered the key to the setup is the "search domains" field in the Network control panel (Mac OS X) or TCP/IP control panel (Mac OS 9). Essentially, this completes the address "shawmail.vc.shawcable.net" or shawmail.whatever. Shaw has given us the name of the host. Normally, we get the complete address with DHCP. Since I wasn't using DHCP internally, I forgot to fill out that "optional" (according to the control panel) field. In fact, that field is not optional in our configuration. Shaw has publish a list of mail servers in this FAQ (the question is "My router/firewall requires that I provide the full mail server names"). You just need to copy the vc.shawcable.net part or cg.shawcable.net part (depending on your location, so please go check that list to confirm) in your Mac's search domain field. They have also published a list of DNS addresses. (March 12, 2003)

(Note: AirPort software 1.3 or later is required for Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) and DHCP client ID support. Shaw@Home requireds DHCP Client ID. If you are using a separate DSL/cable modem router, like me, your AirPort Base Station would function as a bridge, which does not require supports for PPPoE and DHCP client ID. If you use the AirPort Base Station as a router, you need to update your AirPort software to get support for PPPoE and DHCP client ID. Update: The DHCP Client ID is no longer needed for Shaw@Home. (November 11, 2001)

 

A Simplified View of My Network

The following is a simplified view of my network. With this set up, I can copy files between different computers at 100Mbps. Or, I can carry my PowerBook or iBook around my house and still connected at 10Mbps via AirPort. AirPort Base Station's coverage is quite big for a home wireless device. It is actually possible for me to access my network when I am in a car parked just outside my house. My AirPort connection is closed, encrypted and is access-controlled, so it is relatively safe.

 

My Shaw@Home Experience

After using it for more than two months, the overall experience was pretty good.Sure, the mail server was a problem, but this problem should be gone soon as Shaw and Sun Microsystems were building a new data centre., It was not a big problem for me as I could check my non-@Home pop servers and use an external smtp server to send mail. (Other people could probably use web-based mail instead of the @Home e-mail accounts.) There were a few times that the Internet connection went down for a few minutes. Looking back, I believe it was the right decision to choose Shaw@Home. The speed was really fast, and the connection was "always on." Do you remember the friend who got ADSL? We tried to download some pages at the same time. We also visited a test page. My cable modem's speed beat her ADSL connection. (ADSL depends on the distance between the subscriber's home and the central office. I do not know if this is the cause of the problem. Her computer is fast enough: it is a newly purchased iMac.) She told me that it took a long time to connect to customer service. She called many times trying to solve problems. Sometimes, it took 20 minutes to talk to a real person. I only called once for Shaw@Home's customer service in an evening asking about the free, extra Ethernet card I received. Someone picked up the phone in 2 rings! On February 12, 2001, Telus ADSL was finally available to me again. Or not. "Please call our special registration line within a week from the date on this e-mail (we do not guarantee supplies will be available). " Why risk that after waiting for so many weeks when you can have cable modem service now? I do not see why one should wait for weeks or months when cable modem service is easily available. I am not going back to ADSL now. On February 17, 2001, my friend could not connect to the Internet because her ADSL connection was down. So, ADSL did not mean "trouble free." In conclusion, I just want to say that cable modem is not necessarily bad, and ADSL is not necessarily good.

 

Events

March 26, 2000
I applied for the $40 Telus ADSL Consumer Package.
May 3, 2000
I got an e-mail from Telus about the option to remove myself from the waiting list. I replied to remove myself.
July 4, 2000
Availability of ADSL for my location. I guess I was still on their list. I replied to remove myself again.
October 21, 2000
I applied for the "QuickConnect" self-install ADSL service for my fax line.
November 26, 2000
I applied for the "QuickConnect" self-install ADSL service for my main line.
December 2, 2000
I asked Telus to delete my fax line from the waiting list.
December 3, 2000.
I asked Telus to delete my main line from the waiting list. It turned out that they did not delete it.
December 3, 2000
My friend in Burnaby started using "QuickConnect" ADSL. Speed not particular fast for a high-speed connection.
December 4, 2000
I phoned Telus as soon as they started taking calls that day. They confirmed that my numbers were not on top of their list. I immediately applied for Shaw@Home.
December 7, 2000
The installer was on time to install the cable modem service. Really fast Internet connection.
February 12, 2001
Telus ADSL was finally available to me again. I did not contact Telus as I would rather stay with Shaw@Home.
February 14, 2001
For the whole week, problems with Telus' routers in Seattle: "Due to network difficulties, ADSL and Dial-up customers in British Columbia and Alberta may experience problems with packet loss and slower than usual connectivity due to network troubles with routing across the US border. We thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this issue. " (Network Status & Bulletins for British Columbia)
February 18, 2001
My friend living in Burnaby told me that she could not connect to the Internet with ADSL for a whole day.
November 11, 2001
The DHCP Client ID is no longer needed for Shaw@Home. It was required for Rogers@Home and during the transition period.
November 13, 2001
@shaw.ca e-mail addresses are available to Vancouver customers. It seems that access from Shaw@Home to my vanvr.com site is now much faster.
January 16, 2002
I am introducing a product called Ground Guard by Tributaries to my system. This product would break the ground loop. I do not know if this would speed up Internet downloads. However, it is not slowing down my Internet access.
February 16, 2002
Due to interference from my kitchen's microwave oven, I have connected my room's computers to the network via Ethernet. Often, my parents would use the microwave oven while I was using Internet via AirPort. This made the connection extremely slow. I will have to wait for IEEE 802.11a solutions, which use the 5 GHz band rather than the 2.4 GHz band, in the future. BTW, I made silly mistakes when I was extending my Ethernet network. One important point: Be sure to read your router and Ethernet hub's manuals when connecting the two together. This would save a lot of time. (My manuals were packed in big boxes somewhere, so it was not an option for me.)
February 16, 2002
Apple's new AirPort Base Station includes one WAN port, one Ethernet port, and one modem port. it supports 128-bit encryption. This solves the problem of having just one Ethernet port, like the previous AirPort Base Station.
February 16, 2002
My preferred operating system is Mac OS X.
March 25, 2002
There were problems with the connection between SFU and Shaw (see the headlines section):
 
Shaw users having connection problems
3/19/2002 8:33:44 AM
Due to problems with the Shaw domain name servers, Shaw users may be having problems connecting to the popserver or using ftp to fraser. If you are having this problem please contact Shaw and ask them to register your IP address in both the forward and reverse lookup databases on their DNS servers. Both Fraser and popserver will allow connections when it can authenticate the hostname and IP address.
March 25, 2002
I use Apple's iTools for e-mail and other services. It is reliable.
March 25, 2002
I am using a longer Ethernet cable to replace my 10Baset-T hub. Now, the whole network is 100Base-T.
April 1, 2002
I have finally figured out how to use shawmail in a LAN with internal static addressing. You need to find out the name server addresses in the router's status monitor screen.To find out the search domain, I use the AirPort Base Station's setup screen. If you are not using the Base Station, then I am not sure. Maybe try WhatRoute to do a trace of the host shawmail when you are configured running DHCP. Make a note of the domain information from the first address. Change the addressing to static and assign that search domain to the search domain field. If the whole thing sounds confusing, just forward your shawmail to your regular e-mail address. If you don't have a router, you don't have this problem to begin with! (Please see the March 12, 2003 update below)
April 18, 2002
Can you believe this? I have been a customer of mybc.com's onebox (from Telus) for a long time. Today, I got a message about the shutting down of the service. Fortunately, I haven't used it as my main e-mail address.
July 4, 2002
Telus has two packages: "Bundled Telus Install" and "Telus QuickConnect Self-Install Kit". For QuickConnect, the user needs to purchase the QuickConnect Kit.
July 4, 2002
Shaw has three options: "Shaw High-Speed Internet - Cable Modem Purchase", "Shaw High-Speed Internet - Cable Modem Rental Option," and "Shaw Lite-Speed Internet."
October 6, 2002
For two days, people could not receive my e-mail messages. Luckily, I could use my mac.com account to send mail. The problem happened since September 26, 2002. Shaw's smtpserver simply ate my outgoing e-mail messages. Today, I found out what happened. While testing the system again by sending messages from my old PowerBook as well as my PowerMac, I discovered that I could use my old PowerBook to send messages via Shaw's smtpserver but not my PowerMac. I verified that the IP address lookup was the same for both of my computers. So, I compared the smtp settings for my E-mail clients. The only difference was the smtp's password authentication was off for my PowerMac. After trying a few more combinations, I determined that the problem was caused by Shaw's new security procedure. In the past, Shaw's smtp server didn't require password authentication. Now, it does. If your E-mail client has that option, turn it on.
March 12, 2003
For people with static IP addresses for computers on their internal LAN: If you cannot receive e-mail messages with just the "shawmail" host name in your e-mail program's pop server field. Shaw has published a list of mail servers in this FAQ (the question is "My router/firewall requires that I provide the full mail server names"). I think you can either enter the full mail server address in your e-mail program. Or, you just need to copy the vc.shawcable.net part or cg.shawcable.net part (depending on your location, so please go check that list to confirm) in your TCP/IP configuration's search domain field. Keep the shawmail host name in your popserver field. They have also published a list of DNS addresses. So, for each computer on your own network, you enter its unique internal IP address (created by you), your router's IP address, the DNS addresses, and the search domain.
March 10, 2004
iFido. "Finally you can enjoy wireless high-speed Internet, unlike Internet service from your phone or cable company. It's also so easy to install you don't need a technician." Currently available in Richmond (British Columbia) and Cumberland (Ontario).

 

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