From:  "Polly Lee" <lee-polly@u...>
Date:  Wed May 23, 2001  6:59 am
Subject:  internet access

WE had an ISDN line put in about 11 months ago in Dalian, and I believe that
DSL is now available.

The bottom line is not in, but it cost 2,000 yuan up front, 1,000 for
equipment, the line itself, installation, and setup. The other 1,000 was a
deposit which we draw against and which we must replenish periodically as we
draw against it. My understanding is that the deposit is refundable when we
leave.

The last time I checked, I ways paying 2 yuan per hour connect time plus
local phone call time. If I use the 64 kb/s option, I pay normal rates for a
local call. If I use the faster line, 128 kb/s, it doubles.

Peter

From:  "Jennifer Wallace" <Jennifer0052@h...>
Date:  Thu May 24, 2001  3:20 pm
Subject:  Re: (life) internet access

I access the internet by taking the line out of my telephone in my flat and plugging it instead into my computer. To organise this took about 3 trips to the Telecom office when I arrived in Ma'anshan, first to collect a form, then filling in the form and then waiting about a week for them to do their bit. I did most of that with someone Chinese (who's never used a computer) 'helping' me. When it didn't actually work, I went back on my own and got it sorted with my then extremely limited Chinese - I got taken through locked gates into a rom full of servers where they checked things out, found the problem and sorted it there and then. I don't think it's particularly cheap, but my phone bill also includes long distance gossiping.

Barbara,
From:  DesertPete9@a...
Date:  Sun May 27, 2001  11:34 am
Subject:  Re: (life) internet access
You wrote:

> Do you have a windows machine? Or a Mac? Anybody out there with
> a Mac who has successfully hooked up with an ISDN line.

Mine is a PC.

> Our waiban checked into it for us. He told us that it would be
> 300 kuai for the intallation (supposedly including a box, the
> TA perhaps. I don' know because I know there are always some
> hidden charges somewhere) a 20 kuai monthly fee and then 3 kuai
> per hour plus the local phone charge. Supposedly with this service
> we can use the phone and the computer at the same time.

That's not a bad start-up cost. I had to fork over 2,000 kuai about a year
ago. The first 1,000 went for all equipment (a USB modem, the ISDN box, and a
telephone) plus installation and  setup. The second 1,000 was supposedly a
deposit, which is refundable when we cancel service. Actually I think it's
kind of a pre-payment for service, because I've had to add to it. I suspect
the "refund" is a return of the unused portion.

Off-hand I don't know the cost breakdown for usage. I believe my internet
connection is 2 kuai/hr, and the local phone costs are around .8 mao (?) a
minute. Very cheap. And, yes, you can make and receive phone calls while on
the internet. Essentially your ISDN line will consist of two lines, each wifh
a speed of 64k, which is probably fast enough for most uses. If you choose to
use both lines (for which you will be charged double phone call rates, but
not internet connect time), you can connect at 128k, but you can't use the
ISDN line for phone calls. It's a simple selection with your mouse.

Peter H. (to differentiate from among the plethora of Petes out there)

From:  DesertPete9@a...
Date:  Mon Feb 5, 2001  9:47 am
Subject:  Re: (life) internet conection in own apartment.

Dear Kitty, You wrote, > Do I bring a laptop out with me or buy in China? What spec should I go for? > How do I then connect up to the internet? My apartment in my college has > it's > own phone from which I can dial out, bypassing the switchboard. People > ringing me must go through the switchboard. How can I physically connect a > computer to my phone line and how do I then connect to a server, cheaply? > Things in Beijing and Dalian, where we've lived for nearly five years, aren't a lot different from home (US, in this case), except that they're about six to 18 months behind, depending on where you are and what you're looking for. To your questions: Don't know about the UK, but laptops in US are cheaper and somewhat more bang for the buck than China, although there are very good laptops here. One much cheaper alternative you might consider is buying a desktop here. Prices are competitive with US, although not the very latest technology. For a servicable, no-frills computer here expect to pay about US$500 equivalent. That should give you whatever you need unless you're big into games or very intensive use. I bought my wife one last June in Dalian for RMB 10,500 (about US$1260), but I got a PIII 500 mhz chip, 128 mb RAM, 16 gb hard drive, 17" monitor, network card, and uninterruptable power supply in the package. I'm guessing, but that same computer in February would probably go for RMB7-8,000. My students were getting very adequate machines in May for under RMB5000. By comparison, in the same month in the US I bought myself a Dell reconditioned laptop with the same RAM and chip, a 14.1" TFT screen, a 12 gb hard drive (more than adequate) and everything else pretty much the same as the desktop, and it cost nearly twice as much ($2000). Specs: Depends on your needs. From what I've read, if you need to trade off, get more RAM and a little slower chip. I'd recommend the fastest internal modem, but speed is pretty much standard now. If you're thinking a DVD drive, check with a knowledgable techie: I've heard that the DVD's in China won't play on western players and vice versa. VCDs are still big here, although they never made it to the US. Internet connection: The same here as just about anywhere else. You go to the local provider, in this case the government monopoly, and sign up. There are some alternatives that I'm not familiar with. Perhaps someone else in this group can help. Private line is good. In Beijing we had to go through a switchboard -- pretty grim. Physically connecting to the internet is through your internal modem. Price is pretty reasonable, and there are several options. I pay about RMB2 per hour of connection. Depending on how impatient you are and how much you're willing to spend, you might consider an ISDN or DSL line. Both are available here in Dalian. I had an ISDN line and equipment installed last July. It was spendy but for us it was worth it. Installation and setup was RMB 2000, with 1,000 of that refundable as a deposit when we close the account. The other 1,000 was for a special modem, a second telephone, and another box that I don't understand, and for a technician to come out and install everything. Once installed, costs are the same as a regular phone line (RMB10.80/hr here in Dalian for the line and the RMB2 for the internet). Home this rather windy reply helps. Pete

From:  "Leslie Sirag & Seth Watkins" <siragwatkins@c...>
Date:  Mon Feb 5, 2001  5:38 am
Subject:  Re: (life) internet conection in own apartment

Kitty--our computer's connected with a modem--if you have one, bring it, if not, you can get one for around 400 yuan ($50USD). If you have a computer you like and are familiar with, bring it, but make sure you bring a couple of electrical converters or you'll burn various stuff out (lost a printer that way). Plug your computer equipment into your converters and fasten them on with duct tape or something similar. Bring extras for other appliances. If you don't have one, may as well buy it here--may or may not be less expensive, but electric is right and you'll have a dealer in case of problems. Take a Chinese friend with you to negotiate and try to get modem and extra software, peripherals, etc. thrown in if you go this route--often easier to get them to add stuff you want than to lower price. And be sure to get a written, dated, stamped, signed receipt. The connection's really no problem--it just plugs in and you can probably figure out where from the diagrams, even if all the instructions are in Chinese--though that may be an argument for bringing the equipment with you--installing a driver in a language you can't read and/or your computer doesn't support can be a bit of a trial. Good luck! Leslie