Dial up service assistance please

[ewraught]

As much as I love forking over 500 yen and hour to peruse this sight it occurs to me on my woefully antiquated laptop theres a modem port. Can someone advise me on a free or inexepnsive dial up service, in Shizouka prefecture preferably? Do I need software or just a number? Thanx...

[Caustic Saint]

Does your laptop have a PC Card slot? If it does, just pick up a WiFi card. Then head on over to WiFinder and find out where the freespots closest to you are. Compared to the cost of net cafes, I'm sure it could pay for itself rather quickly.

[Taro Toporific]

As much as I love forking over 500 yen and hour to peruse this sight it occurs to me on my woefully antiquated laptop theres a modem port. Can someone advise me on a free or inexepnsive dial up service, in Shizouka prefecture preferably? Do I need software or just a number? Thanx...

Do you LIKE getting reamed in your hinterlands by NTT?:P

As Caustic said, your PC card slot will allow you to try WiFi or most modern ASDL and LAN-type services. Or you could try ISDN which would interface with old-style serial connection. Or just use your ethernet port if you have one.

A modest 20-30 minutes a day connection time to NTT for checking email, news and the FG, dial-up will cost you much more than 2,000yen/month.

Flat-rate ASDL at 1,500yen/m like Yahoo BB will save you a lot of money. If you live WAY out in the boondocks where ADSL doesn't work, old ISDN modems from NTT are dirt cheap(free?) and flat-rate is 1,200yen/m or less. I use "bonded-pair" IDSN out on my rice ranch in Shikoku that provides 256k speed (two ISDN lines, 128k + 128k) because ASDL is impossible in my Jomon village.

As Caustic said, your PC card slot will allow you to try WiFi or most modern ASDL and LAN-type services.

For more about low-tech 56k and ISDN modems services (as well as ASDL) read this truely definative source:
ISPs in Japan FAQ, by Keith Wilkinson (2003 info)

[Big Booger]

I have an ISDN modem I'll give you. If you go that route.

[ewraught]

Wow that's quite a few options. I'd love to hook up a wifi and I imagine I have room for the slot in my machine. The question then becomes technical. Which store (more accurately which english speaking salesperson) will be the best to help me? The ISDN modem sounds good too. I have some knowledge of hardware, but after smoking a motherboard a few years back I have decided to leave adding hardware to the professionals. So now I know what I can do, where can I go?

[Taro Toporific]

Wow that's quite a few options. I'd love to hook up a wifi and I imagine I have room for the slot in my machine.....

Ok, how old is this beast machine of yours?
Give us the specs, name, etc.

How "urban" is your hood?
If the population is dense like 'burbs of Tokyo, cheap ASDL with most likely is the best bet DEPENDING on the specs of your machine.

Mo' info please.

[ewraught]

I have a 4 year old HP laptop with a line through the screen. P3, 256 about 600MHZ, so I does what I need it to for the most part. I'd like to replace it soon, but it seems I would have to rent the ADSL modem anyway. I think that will be the way I go since I live on Mt.Fuji I doubt the wifi potential would work out. I am intrigued by IDSN but won't I end up paying as much as ADSL which is faster?

[Taro Toporific]

I have a 4 year old HP laptop with a line through the screen. P3, 256 about 600MHZ... I am intrigued by IDSN but won't I end up paying as much as ADSL which is faster?

That 600MHZ HP laptop most likely has the ethernet port that almost all ASDL setups need to use. The HP laptop most likely also has the PC card slot on the side which you can alternatively use for an ASDL connection. Therefore ADSL is the best bet for you. Just get the provider, Yahoo BB, NTT Flets, etc, to CHECK that your house is within the range of closest NTT telephone switch/station (less than 2km).

You could ask a friend with a WiFi equipped notebook to check if you house is within free WiFi reception. A 5,000yen WiFi card yo could put in your PC card slot would then provide you with FREE internet. As I said before, there's two open WiFi connections here in my building.

IDSN will work for you IF you are really far away NTT telephone switch/station. The monthly charge is a little cheaper and the IDSN modem is free (from BB) or nearly free if you buy a used one.