[ubuntu-uk] Dialup from Ubuntu

[Paul Sutton]

Paul Sutton wrote:
> 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
> 
this may be useful, but it still requires gnomeppp to be installed,
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=988472

Paul

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Paul Sutton
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