One of my more popular Ramblings (long-form) articles is DSL - The Darkside of Broadband, in which I describe the odyssey that was installing a Verizon DSL modem at my parents' house. So when my in-laws purchased a Verizon DSL modem (the Westell Model 327W, for those who are interested), I braced myself for another series of weekend trips, calls to Verizon tech support, and unforeseen expenses.

I'm happy to report that this time, the entire process took less than two hours. But that's only because I had anticipated all the problems my parents had, and made sure my in-laws did enough prep work up front to avoid delays.

So, as a public service, I present Tips & Tricks on The Right Way to Install a DSL Modem:

1) Check the O/S
Windows XP (and, I assume, Windows Vista?) supports USB 2.0 natively, but earlier versions of Windows do not. If the machine you're installing on has an O/S that pre-dates Windows XP, you're going to have to connect the DSL modem with an Ethernet cable, not a USB cable.

2) Check that the Machine has an Ethernet Connection
Today, every machine has an Ethernet connection, but not everyone who is switching to DSL (presumably from dial-up) has a new PC. In a lot of cases, it's someone with an older machine (bought when dial-up was the slickest way onto the Internet), who would have had to shell out $100 or more for a NIC card back when the machine was purchased. If the machine has no Ethernet, you can pick one up at any Radio Shack, Best Buy, CompUSA, etc. In this case, I bought a Linksys 10/100 EtherFast PCI Adapter (LNE-100TX) for about $35 and brought it with me to the install.

3) Make Sure You Have Enough Filters
Before I even showed up at my in-laws house, I made them count the number of phone jacks that used the DSL-enabled line and compare with the number of filters they were sent. As with my parents, there weren't enough. My in-laws had Verizon deliver the additional filters (including one for a wall-mounted phone, which doesn't come in the standard box) before I even set foot in the door.

4) Make Sure the Machine Has a CD Drive
The installation software comes on CD, and as discussed above, you're not necessarily dealing with a modern PC here. I honestly don't know what I'd do if the PC had no CD Drive (would buying an external one be worth it to install DSL? Your mileage may vary...)

5) Manage Expectations Around AOL and Other Software
AOL now offers their service for free if you have broadband service from someone else (e.g., Verizon DSL). This was a lifesaver, since unlike my parents situation, I was able to leave the software side of things pretty much alone when I was done (they still use AOL for mail & web browsing, but everything's a lot faster now). I did show them Internet Explorer, since it's a lot faster than AOL at web browsing, even with a DSL connection. I also told them to assume that AOL would bill them for the current month in full, and then switch them to the free service. Who knows - AOL may pro-rate the last month, but just in case, I managed expectations downward...

If all of the above check out, you should be in for a pretty quick install:

-- Go around the house and install all the filters
-- Grab a small Phillips head screwdriver and proceed into the computer room...
-- Open the PC in question and install the Ethernet card (if necessary)
-- Put the Installation CD in the drive and follow all instructions, including how to hook up the Ethernet cable and the phone line to the DSL modem
-- Log into AOL, change the service provider to ISP/LAN from dial-up (if necessary), go to keyword: Billing, select "Price Plan," and then click "Switch to Free"
-- Delete all the distracting new icons on the desktop and train the PC's users in how the PC now gets on the Internet (AOL, IE, Outlook Express, etc.). Season to taste...
-- Voila! You're good to go...