AT&T DSL Customer Service Adventure, Part Four
July 29, 2007 12:07 PM | 2

 

(On our last episode...)

Let's play Stump-the-AT&T-Customer-Service! Here's the question I just sent:

Hi, When purchasing an upgraded DSL plan, I am offered a $50 rebate on an $80 wireless gateway. Can you provide me with more technical details about the gateway? Which 802.11 protocol does it use? Who is the manufacturer, and what is the model name? Our household uses 802.11n Macs, a Wii, and a Nintendo DS, and I'd like to verify that they'll be compatible with the gateway that AT&T includes with a DSL plan upgrade. Thanks, Matt

Despite selling Internet equipment, I doubt anyone there will have any idea how to answer that. We'll see.

Update: Holy shit! Less than a day later, a response:

2WIRE model number = 2701HG-B
Broadband Interface = ADSL2+
HPNA Enabled = No
Ethernet Ports = 4
Wireless Enabled = HyperG 802.11g
USB PC = No
Firmware version shipped with = 5.29.47
Firmware version product can be Upgraded to = x.x

That last data point seems to be missing something, but otherwise, this is useful information. Why the fuck isn't it on their website?

So, now that I know that they're giving away a shitty router, the next step is to find out whether they'll support an Airport Extreme instead.

Estimated time spent dealing with the DSL so far: an hour and 45 minutes.