Getting Connected

So, the essential part of moving has been accomplished. I’ve got my cable modem and Vonage working. Screw food and hygiene, net access and phone capabilities are what really matters.

Despite hearing grumbling about Comcast service issues, so far my experience has been great. The installation was quick and easy. The installer simply needed my cable modem’s serial and model number to register it and I was off. I even applied a Comcast specific firmware update to my D-Link DCM-202. I actually flashed it using my Mac, which isn’t supported by D-Link. In fact, because you can’t simply upload the firmware via a form as is normal for most network devices, it’s hidden. Look forward to a how-to with my method. I’m even experiencing 800 KB/s downloads, faster than any other connection I’ve ever used.

As for Vonage, it took a bit of tweaking to get it working as I wanted it to. For most users, it would be easy as pie (let me be your referrer if you decide to sign up, I’ll get two free months), but I’m an uber geek and I’ve discovered some problems in the Linksys RTP300 which is the router that Vonage ships now. More on that in my Vonage review that I’ll try to get out after using the service for a longer period.