I have an AOL DSL modem: a Westell WireSpeed (external) Ethernet. It's been an excellent modem while I was with AOL DSL, but since I switched to Cable, I am thinking of selling the Westell DSL modem.
AOL Tech Support claims the modem can't be used by anyone else because it was hard-wired for my phone number.
Is this true?
TIA.
Nonsense.
A ISP phone rep tell a lie? NO! Say it ain't so!
They're full of shit. There's nothing about the firmware of a DSL modem that's going to tie it to a given phone number. There *MAY* be configuration settings that tie it to a given ISP but I don't recall that being the case with AOL units.
Put it this way, when my Zyxel unit died on my speakeasy link I put on a Westell that had previously been used with Earthlink. On a different phone line, in a different part of the state. I had to do NOTHING to make it work. Mainly because I've got a bridged connection. But if your ISP connection is set to PPPoE and you want to have the unit do any 'dialing' for it then you'll need to get into its configuration.
If AOL has been difficult about it (likely) its possible it might not be easy to get to that configuration. But it would have NOTHING to do with the phone line.
also depends where you live as some of the old westells were programmed with an external application to default to certain vpi/vci. aol used to have their special vc that did not always match the local area vc.
Thanks for all the replies. The AOL DSL modem is a Westell WireSpeed model C90-36R516-01A Rev: A manufactured 05/01.
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