Homechoice: Contracts, 512k, etc.

I'm leaving Homechoice, can I use the Alcatel Speedtouch modem with my new ISP?

Technically the Alcatel modem is the property of BT, but some user experiences are that they don't actually come and take it away when you cancel the contract. That said, if your new ISP service is ADSL via BT Ignite, the answer is yes, you can use the modem.

Read this article to find out how to disable the ATM port which Homechoice use for providing video service.

Max Christian, former maintainer of the Unofficial Homechoice FAQ, writes (29th December 2001):-

Having left HC this month, I'm now live on BT Openworld's self-install ADSL trial, except I didn't have to install it myself because HomeChoice already have! I went for the very cheapest option where you provide your own modem too, because I wanted to try using HC's Alcatel Speedtouch which became my property when I quit the service.

It turns out that HC's modem works fine with Openworld, but there is a special command that's needed to disable the ATM port. I'm paying 40 pounds/month at the moment, but BT are likely to reduce this by at least five pounds for users who provide their own modem when the service goes public in January.

I'm getting 60 kilobytes/sec and it's more reliable than HC so far(!) The connection is via the Speedtouch's ethernet port (which isn't used by the HC service). It's a full non-NAT connection so all apps work AOK, you could even run a website on it. For clarity, I should point out that you do have to terminate the HC service entirely before signing up with BT. I expect that HC's modem would work fine with other ISPs' ADSL as well, such as Freeserve's which is only 30 pounds/month for self-install.

If any fellow HC escapees want info about how to convert a HomeChoice-provided Alcatel Speedtouch to work with other ISPs, please drop me an email. The address is

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Ed, Fri Apr 5 23:15:31 2002