[kwlug disc.] Atria WiFi as ISP

[Kareem Shehata]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: kwlug-disc-bounces at kwlug.org [mailto:kwlug-disc-bounces at kwlug.org]
> On Behalf Of unsolicited
> Sent: Tuesday 05 February 2008 22:06
> To: kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
> Subject: Re: [kwlug disc.] Atria WiFi as ISP
> 
> Two buddies have had their service cut due to viruses, or so they say.
> (I tend to believe them, but I could find no evidence of the virus.)
> Next time they lose it for a week. The Rogers guy I talked to about it
> at the time seemed to know his stuff. Or, at least, he didn't ask me
> "What's a virus?"
> 
> Couple of things I found out in the process:
> - the events they were being accused of happened a week before they
> lost service. i.e. A reasonable virus scanner would have cleaned out
> the beastie along the way - so when they lost service, there was
> nothing to be found. <sigh>
> 
> - they are willing to automatically e-mail a message with their logs
> as to what was going on / what was found. At the time / automagically.
> If you haven't told them what address to use, you're searching for a
> needle in a haystack, that might not be there.
> 
> 	Which is all to say - give them your e-mail address. You'll get the
> logs, and therefore proof of what they're talking about, and moreover,
> you'll know what the heck you're looking for!

I got not such co-operation at the time.  All I got was "you had port 25
open" (i.e. they were port scanning) "so you must be a spammer".  No
argument of "yea, but that only allows mail IN" was accepted.

> > Many ISPs  these days block the SMTP port because of zombie PCs used to
> > deliver spam.
> 
> Which is 'easily' gotten around by using TLS or SSH. i.e. They're
> blocking any any 25. Problem is, when your e-mail provider doesn't let
> you use TLS or SSH. e.g. Execulink. (Mind you, they will give you
> terminal access. Hadn't thought to try tunnelling.)

But that doesn't work for incoming stuff.  Not that I host my own mail
anymore, but the concept still bothers me.

> And the other side of the coin ... anything encrypted they bandwidth
> limit. Sometimes. I suspect this is based on time of day. Early AM
> torrents scream. Mid-evening torrents ... well ... the data does keep
> coming. Slowly. I can torrent a DVD iso in the early evening, have
> maybe a GB by midnight, then get the other 3.7 GB before 1 AM. Sort of
> thing.

Yet another reason I'm not going with Rogers.  Just the idea of having the
ISP throttling my access - not to much the HTTP mischief they pulled last
year - leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

> See logs above. And don't put up with B.S. Get up the managerial /
> technical chain as soon as you can. <sigh>

I'd rather not have to even deal with that.

> I always get good support from Rogers, over the phone that is. Course,
> you have to be irritated enough to make the call. And you'll go around
> in circles trying to get to the right person - e-support, no billing,
> no accounting, no TV, no Internet, no e-support, no ...
> 
> But once you get the right person, they'll help you to death. And bump
> you up the managerial / technical chain upon request.
> 
> Also, from what I've read ... if you whine and chew at them ... you
> can usually wangle a lower rate. Assuming you find, say, $3 off a
> month worth the hassle. I suppose it depends how irritated one is at
> the time.
> 
> In my case, it's Rogers, or no reasonable internet. Bell lines are
> just useless for data at my place.

Yea, I'm starting to suspect the same of the place in Toronto, but I'm
moving out anyway.  What I don't understand is why there's no competition
for cable internet in this province.  From what I can tell, there's
competition elsewhere, why not here?

-kms