[ubuntu-uk] Dialup from Ubuntu

[Paul Sutton]

David King wrote:
> I recently had a problem with my broadband connection, it just stopped 
> working one night. Works okay again now though.
> 
> But it meant that I had to try dialup for the first time in years. I 
> still have an external serial modem (Zoom V.92) which I connected, but I 
> could not get connected to the Internet with it. I had great difficulty 
> in finding any kind of installed software in Ubuntu that would allow me 
> to dial up any ISP through the modem. It was very easy in Windows, but 
> why is it that a default Ubuntu installation contains no easy way of 
> using dialup? I have since downloaded GnomePPP which is what I was 
> looking for, something very much like the dialup program in the old 
> Windows that I was used to.
> 
> It is great for broadband users to install Ubuntu and then just get 
> online and get updates, etc., but when broadband is broken, there is no 
> easy way to get connected. And without the internet connection, no way 
> to search online for an answer.
> 
> Ubuntu needs to have GnomePPP installed by default.
> 
> 
> I did find a CLI program called wvdial that was installed, and I set a 
> phone number for an ISP and username and password, into the conf file 
> for it. But the number was old and no longer in use, so it would not 
> connect. Then I found some info that should work, put that into the conf 
> file, but after dialling that from wvdial, it just disconnected and then 
> tried to redial using the original number that I put in but had deleted. 
> So why did it remember the old number that was removed?
> 
> I also put the dial up details into the Network Connections dialog (by 
> clicking on the network icon near the clock) and entering dialup details 
> in there, but from that dialog there is no button to click to actually 
> dial. However, I noticed that a few minutes later Ubuntu was dialling 
> something without displaying any kind of status as to what it was doing. 
> It did this, then disconnected, and again later, seemingly at random. I 
> did check the phone when it had dialled out, and heard the usual modem 
> data sounds, so it was connecting to the ISP, but not staying connected.
> 
> Even though most people now use broadband, Canonical really need to 
> include proper dial up software in Ubuntu for those without broadband, 
> and for those whose broadband temporarily goes offline.
> 
> Up until this incident I thought that Ubuntu was pretty much the ideal 
> OS to install from the CD, but it seems that once installed, if you have 
> no broadband, getting online is nearly impossible. Canonical need to fix 
> this asap, if they have not done so already. I am using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, 
> and being an LTS edition, it should have the dialup software like 
> GnomePPP preinstalled. Maybe it has been fixed in 8.10, but the LTS 
> users must be catered for too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> David King
> 
> 
> 
A bit late yes, but this may be useful

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/setting-up-dial-up-connection-in-ubuntu.html

paul

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Paul Sutton
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