Of ADSL Modems -- and Ramazan Bey That inexplicable Dial-up Service phone bill we received in July 2005 (which burned us for more than $150) was painful. But if we were to ensure that we didn't get another one just like it the following month, we had to become operational with the (fixed-monthly-fee) ADSL Service ASAP. So the same morning we received PTT notification that our ADSL line was working, we headed for the Metro Cash and Carry Hyperstore in Izmir to pick up an ADSL Modem. Metro had ADSL devices from several telecom-companies in stock and on display: AirTies, Zoom, Alcatel, and our all-time favorite U.S. Robotics (independent of 3Com again, after 2000). So our buying decision was dead easy. And we opted for the top of the line USR model: the SureConnect ADSL Wireless Gateway -- which could also support the Internet needs of our IBM ThinkPad laptop via a USR PC Card. We became USR fans during the early days of Dial-up Service in Turkey (1993-94), when the telephone lines in Gümüldür were all Analog -- ancient, very 'dirty', plagued by constant line-noise. We bought and shelved 3 well-known brands of dial-up modem in those dismal days trying to find one that could hold a signal on our dirty telephone line for more than 15 minutes at a time. When we chanced upon the 16.8kbits/s US Robotics modem on our 4th try, it was life changing. For the first time in Turkey we could browse the Internet without interruption and complete a data download without a line break. We were in cybernet heaven. Later, when 56kbps Digital Dial-up Service came to Gümüldür (1996), we just upgraded to the faster US Robotics model of that time, seeing no reason whatsoever to change brands. Which is the same sentiment that influenced our purchase of the USR SureConnect ADSL Gateway in 2005... So, with our SureConnect Gateway in hand, we headed back to Gümüldür -- with visions of a quick installation and a high speed connection within minutes of arriving home...hopefully before lunchtime. As it turned out, we were lucky to get our (not so) high-speed ADSL service up and running before midnight -- and if it hadn't have been for our friend Ramazan Saygılı (who owns and operates the best local Internet Cafe in town) we'd probably still be trying to figure out how to make it work. Next: Turkish ADSL Chronicles, Part 3 -- easy peasy ADSL Installation ...NOT!