June 12, 2008

The Wireless Gateway Works!

I took it out of the box, read the instructions, and had a moment of panic - we needed to install filters on every phone jack using the phone number in the bundled plan. Got that handled, and was successfully able to connect and set up the DSL and wireless connections. It is noticeably slower than the cable connection, but not unbearably so. We don't have a cute name for the network, but it does require a l-o-n-g number for authentication, and the wireless signal is very good everywhere we would use the laptop. I think we're in business again!

Now all I need is a new cell phone: the display on my phone suddenly died yesterday afternoon. I can place and receive calls, but can't see anything in the display! They say my line isn't eligible for an upgrade until October, so I'm using a very old cell phone we keep as a backup for just such occasions. It has a monochrome display, and doesn't have an alarm or a camera - so I'm also back to setting the alarm clock every night ... How much more retro will I have to get?

What I really want is a Blackberry Curve or Samsung Blackjack II - but the data plans that come with those phones cost an additional $40-$70 over and above the cost of cell service, so I'm going to get a nice phone that has a deceent camera, an alarm, and an easy way to set the ring to vibrate.

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