Comments on Linux + GNU = Humans Enabled: Verizon DSL "Doesn't Support Linux!!" It works jus...

Also... I've a hunch why they don't suppor...

2011-03-12T08:44:29.801-08:00

Also... I've a hunch why they don't support Linux - there are no advertising deals to be had.

(BTW, I've been through Verizon's customer support, following your instructions, and I'm very glad for your help and suggestion, thanks!)

I've a question: Is disabling the redirect pag...

2011-03-12T08:40:11.791-08:00

I've a question: Is disabling the redirect page is not enough -- does the pppoe password need to be changed as well?

I just read a post by someone saying they should t...

2011-01-05T09:53:13.411-08:00

I just read a post by someone saying they should try Frontier instead of Verizon. Well i am here to tell you that i ordered my DSL from Frontier,and it became Verizon sending the package and doing the live install. The bastards should have the guts to tell you their service wont work on Linux

Thanks so much for the detailed blog post. I foll...

2010-11-04T19:24:04.033-07:00

Thanks so much for the detailed blog post. I followed your directions almost exactly. When I called customer support, I had to insist kindly but firmly before I finally got the support person to generate my temporary username password.

I first told the poor tech rep that I was running "Debian" as my OS. I figured she wouldn't know what that was and it would help deal with the "we don't support Linux problem."

After going and talking to other people she suggested that I borrow someone else's computer (and install all the bloat-ware on it)!

She said "Debian" wasn't on her list of OSs, so I fessed up that it was a Linux distro. Of course that wasn't supported. At one point she suggested that I contact my computer manufacturer (lol).

When I insisted that I didn't want them to support my computer, I just wanted my account username and password, that I was sorry to make her life hard, but really it shouldn't be that difficult to give me an account --- she finally gave in and set me up with a username and temporary password.

I think they can do this fairly easily, but it it is probably against corporate policy to do so. She begged me very hard to go back and try to activate using the software later.

I kept my promise, and went to activatedsl.verizon.com, but it still offers for me to download and install their windows software, so no go.

Anyway, I can hardly believe it. I can't imagine why Verizon gives themselves all this pain. They could make the whole process simpler for everyone (windows users included).

All that to say, thanks a million for your post! Without it, I am not sure I'd have had the courage to insist so hard.

--J Daniels (jdaniels _at_ sent (dot) _com)

One tip, be as nice as you can, offer to be transferred to whoever the tech rep says they just talked to, etc ...

I don't yet know if that will work; over the w...

2010-06-21T07:21:45.954-07:00

I don't yet know if that will work; over the weekend I just went around the walled garden issue by putting the modem into plain bridge mode, where it doesn't do that. Of course now I don't get any of the router features of the newer modem, but I didn't have them with the 2100 anyway.

I'll have to find a time to put it back in routed mode to see if these instructions really will turn off the walled garden on a non win/mac OS.

Thanks for taking my question to that forum!

When I navigate to the page in my last comment, th...

2010-06-18T15:57:47.899-07:00

When I navigate to the page in my last comment, there's a radio button there for "Reconnect to the Internet because I reset or replaced my modem"

Sounds like a winner

@Anon 6100 - This is what "dslr595148" p...

2010-06-18T15:52:07.634-07:00

@Anon 6100 - This is what "dslr595148" posted via the Verizon forum:
Try

#1 Going to https://activate.verizon.net/launch/welcome

#2 Select Reconnect to the Internet because I reset or replaced my modem.

#3 Enter in the user name and password.

#4 Presss reconnect now.

See for yourself at:
http://businessforums.verizon.net/t5/High-Speed-Internet-DSL-and-Dial/Internet-reconnection-after-a-reset/m-p/209450

@Anon 6100 - perfect. I've posted a question o...

2010-06-17T14:58:55.699-07:00

@Anon 6100 - perfect. I've posted a question on the Verizon Forums. Hopefully we can find out the new url.
http://forums.verizon.com/t5/High-Speed-Internet-DSL-and-Dial/Internet-reconnection-after-a-reset/m-p/209450

I would say that I hope my friend in New Jersey doesn't have to suffer this problem, but I think she is using a different ISP ever since she moved awhile back. She absolutely is still a GNU+Linux user though... I know that much.

Yes, I can get to all of the management gui pages,...

2010-06-17T13:42:25.062-07:00

Yes, I can get to all of the management gui pages, change the admin password, look at the wan connection stats, and all of that good stuff. One of those gui pages was where I got the model, config, and firmware version I included in my first post.

@Anon 6100... Can you even get to the mgmt page fo...

2010-06-17T12:14:28.702-07:00

@Anon 6100... Can you even get to the mgmt page for your 6100 at http://192.168.1.1? I'm seeing a recent post on verizon forums showing the same walled garden disablement procedure...
http://businessforums.verizon.net/t5/High-Speed-Internet-DSL-and-Dial/Can-I-switch-from-my-Westell-6100-to-a-327w-modem/m-p/207369

I'm getting ready to register and post a comment... but I want to be sure you can get to the router and have basic connectivity to it first..
http://forums.verizon.com/t5/High-Speed-Internet-DSL-and-Dial/Internet-reconnection-after-a-reset/td-p/155819

Thanks! I did follow your earlier links to the Abb...

2010-06-17T11:52:16.457-07:00

Thanks! I did follow your earlier links to the Abbie Schubert story the other day. I was really dismayed when I saw that the thousands of pissed-off GNU/Linux users with the vulgar language spent most of their time insulting HER for not being able to solve a problem that Verizon creates on purpose that I wouldn't even be able to solve myself without access to someone who can cough up the secret URL, or a borrowed mac or windows box and a packet sniffer. And at the report that Verizon had agreed to send a tech to help her, and MATC had agreed to accept homework in any reasonable file format, commenters then ripped her for not knowing she had those options, when surely Verizon and possibly MATC never offered them until pressured by the TV report. I wish people would sometimes slow down while reading....

The one quote of real value from the first WKOW story is "Verizon says its high-speed internet does indeed support Ubuntu, but some advanced features and installation disks clearly don't work with Linux." So they are on record saying so to a news reporter in January 2009, while they still won't admit it via telephone support in June 2010.

I do wonder whether Frontier will change these practices at all.

I guess I won't be able to tell the manager I'm using the best and most universal OS ever, because I'm only running NetBSD (hmm, BSD, sounds familiar, isn't that the OS that made TCP/IP networking mainstream? :) which only runs on 57 types of platform and the occasional odd toaster. But when it comes to Verizon's walled garden nonsense, we're in the same boat anyway.

If you think you get funny reactions from Verizon techs by saying "Linux", try saying "NetBSD" some time. :D

Of course the point is the name shouldn't matter for this purpose; the question should be, if I'm running *any OS at all that has a perfectly functional TCP/IP stack out of the box*, why is Verizon keeping me from putting bits in the broadband pipe I'm paying them for? And I'm more and more convinced your first sentence is right, it should be a question of law. If we want to make it a national goal to put broadband access everywhere, and some provider wants to decide whether to carry your bits based on your choice of OS, should they even be allowed on the list of providers counting toward that access goal, or be eligible for any incentives or subsidies associated with it?

@Anonymous with 6100... Thanks a lot for reporting...

2010-06-17T09:10:59.856-07:00

@Anonymous with 6100...
Thanks a lot for reporting this!

I would call Verizon and tell them I have a mac and that I want to know how to disable the walled garden. I would also explain the URL for disabling the walled garden on the old device.

But, if you're feeling really brave, call them and tell them you have the best and most universal operating system ever - GNU+Linux. Then get the manager on the line and tell him about the story with the girl who "dropped out of college because her verizon dsl wouldn't allow her Ubuntu GNU+Linux computer to connect to the Internet", see this very intriguing story at: http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Causes_Girl_To_Drop_Out_of_College
And the update(after the news station received thousands of emails, page hits, calls, and even vulgar language from very pissed off GNU+Linux users) here:
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Update_Girl_drops_out_of_college_because_of_Linux

Of special note about the above story is the attention it drew... It was a pretty big story. I would think that verizon would have changed their process after that theasco... but maybe some windows-nuts never learn... who knows.

If you need someone to start throwing stones (in a verbal sense (of course)), let me know and I'd be glad to let them have it.

Hmm, as of June 2010, no joy. I just received a 61...

2010-06-17T08:14:50.850-07:00

Hmm, as of June 2010, no joy. I just received a 6100 from Verizon to replace the old 2100 I'd had since 2004. With the 2100 I just plugged it in, did a DHCP request, and I was in business. The 6100 is connected just fine from all I can see in the gui, but it's in walled-garden and the URL for the "disable" screen seems to have changed.

I tried:
192.168.1.1/verizon/redirect.htm
192.168.1.1/verizon/redirect
192.168.1.1/htmlV/redirect (with or without .htm)
.../htmlV/verizon/redirect (...)
.../verizon/htmlV/redirect (...)

and pretty much every other variation I could think of, getting only page not found. So I'm in this nice walled garden and can't get out.

Anybody know a new procedure for this? (the redirect.htm URL did work for me just last year when I set up a friend's new service so any change must be since then. maybe I should have tried "frontier" instead of "verizon"? (Maybe Frontier will have actual ethics and just stop playing these dumb games?)

How did people first learn the old url? Do I need to borrow a win or mac box and run the *^%$ install software with a packet sniffer?

My modem's vitals are:
Software Version: VER:5.01.01.04
Model Name: G90-6100045-20
Configuration: 096-900221-00 A

Thanks to anybody who has info!

Hey I just wanted to thank you for this. I spent h...

2010-02-12T08:04:54.094-08:00

Hey I just wanted to thank you for this. I spent hours talking to verizon the other night and then hours bashing my own head against their wall.. This post still solves it in 2010. I'll be linking in a post of my own.

I signed up for verizon dls about three years ago....

2009-09-30T14:32:18.121-07:00

I signed up for verizon dls about three years ago. The os that I was running at the time was winxp.Shortly after I tried linux. I gained knowledge of it from a network for dummies book. I played around with different distros and read a few book about linux.My favorite is ubuntu.I started out with ubuntu 7.4. Now I have 9.4. I am tripple booting with winxp home and pro along with ubuntu 9.4 When I boot to ubuntu I have internet connection using
firefox,operaturbo 10,and Epiphany. I set up the modem in the I.E browser.I have a Westell 6100 modem and a linksys Router.In order for the modem to work with the router it had to be bridged.Also I have sun virtual box and Installed winxp inside.

@Ken - Nice job! Sounds like you are really able t...

2009-05-27T05:55:56.627-07:00

@Ken - Nice job! Sounds like you are really able to get things done, and at a great price! Having seen the adventures you've written about in your blog over the years, I wouldn't want to be someone who messes with Ken Starks either!

The people who get your help are very lucky. Ken you are a true model to GNU/Linux way... the world can use more people like you Sir.

The person I write about in the above story has only ever had a problem with this "walled garden" on the Verizon modem twice - the initial setup, and one time when one of her "technical helper" friends reset her modem to factory defaults, thinking it would help to get connectivity between her Linux machine and another machine.

The biggest reason I put this story online, is so that a.)I have a reference to come back to in case we ever experience the problem again, and b.) so that other people may hopefully not waste as much time on the problem.

My guess is that ever since the "girl drops out of college because of ubuntu" event that drew thousands of diggs and viewers to a news station, Verizon might have written "what to do to connect GNU/Linux" into their support scripts. You've probably read the story, but here's the link for those who haven't:
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9682258
and
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Update_Girl_drops_out_of_college_because_of_Linux

As for the Air Card modems, I totally agree on that one. I sometimes get my hands on this or that USB or PCMCIA "WWAN" modem, and the first thing I usually do is plug the thing into my Ubuntu GNU/Linux machine to see how it works. Unfortunately it's not always working out of the box. These companies really need to get with the program and make their stuff work well with GNU/Linux, web cams included.

As for my GNU/Linux conversions, mine are on a much smaller scale thus far - nothing like the noble feat you have accomplished. But someday I'd like to expand out to something more. I spend a lot of time evangelising online to try to get the word out. I am working on a flyer to put up locally that offers a "donation based" "public service" for helping people get GNU/Linux up and running... I'll let you know if it works out.

Right now, I'm reading the book "After the Software Wars" by Keith Curtis (ex Mi-cro-softee of 11 years) - this is a very interesting book indeed.. Check it out at http://stores.lulu.com/keithcu

Thanks for writing Ken, it's very good to hear from you.

Good luck in all your ventures, and congratulations on all the Freedom you bring!

Sincerely,

Shannon VanWagner

shannon, Let me tell you what I've begun doing...

2009-05-27T01:53:37.321-07:00

shannon, Let me tell you what I've begun doing here in Austin. We install on average 9-13 new Linux computers a week with our HeliOS Project. Just over 70 percent of these people don't have any pre-existing internet access or they may have Time Warner but no Internet service. In the cases where there is no service whatsoever, I have a deal with Cox Cable to get them installed and set up for 10 bucks a month. It's their intermediate speed service and not at all bad. We pay the first six months for them so they don't have to sign a contract (bypasses the credit check that way).

Every time I set someone up with Cox or Roadrunner, I personally call Verizon and tell them that I created a new pre-paid customer via one of the other services and that if they would stop being such stone-agers, they might get some subscribers.
As of this Tuesday, we logged our 381st call to Verison.

What chaps my backside is that if you get their Internet Air card, it works out of the box where as AT&T takes vigilant prayer and some pretty good scripting ability.

Go Figure

Ken

@anonymous - yes, that's the same deal with my fri...

2009-05-26T21:40:20.504-07:00

@anonymous - yes, that's the same deal with my friend... once we finally were able to get her modem connected with the ISP, it's worked fine for years.

Been using linux for two years on Verizon--works j...

2009-05-26T19:09:25.225-07:00

Been using linux for two years on Verizon--works just fine.

For GNU/Linux users who have felt the pain of Veri...

2009-05-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

For GNU/Linux users who have felt the pain of Verizon and their non-support for Linux, you might be interested in these stories:
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Causes_Girl_To_Drop_Out_of_College
and
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Update_Girl_drops_out_of_college_because_of_Linux

GNU/Linux is Freedom..
Get yours:
http://getgnulinux.org

Great article. I've been using Ubuntu hardy 8.04 ...

2009-04-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

Great article. I've been using Ubuntu hardy 8.04 for almost a year running centurytel dsl. They provide the westell modem with only mac and windows support....not linux. Anyway, got the dsl up and running almost the way you wrote in this article. Although, wish i found it a year ago....Still managed to do it alone...Go Linux!

Using dual boot vista/linux w. westell 2200. Got D...

2009-04-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

Using dual boot vista/linux w. westell 2200. Got DHCP working with the windows stuff, then installed a spare drive with Linux -desktop 2.6.27-11-generic #1. Evolution craps out, there are a thousand reports of "error while fetching mail" but I can still access my webmail using firefox. Verizon techs probably stick to their scripts, so NEVER mention that you're using linux of any kind. They don't have to care. I'm stuck with them, too.They slow me down even though the bill gets paid. liars.

Thanks for commenting william, I appreciate it. Gl...

2009-01-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks for commenting william, I appreciate it. Glad to hear that Verizon Fios doesn't have the hassles.

In our situation, the biggest problem was that the Verizon customer service people we talked to, were following a script that began with asking me which OS we were on... We answered wrongly(the first time) with "Linux" and basically were told they couldn't help us.

It was very frustrating because it didn't make any difference at all that we were using Linux - we already had connectivity to the router/modem via DHCP and could get to the mgmt interface via the web browser.

Customer service, and the willingness to help the customer turns out to be more important than the technical situation in this case. Luckily, after lying to them and telling them we had a MAC, they were able to help us.

Go GNU/Linux!!!
Shannon VanWagner

The strange thing is that Verizon doesn't have any...

2009-01-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

The strange thing is that Verizon doesn't have any of this hassle on its Fios service -- there, you can just plug in and go. Originally, Fios still used PPPoE; but even then, you could put in any user/password. Now (for new customers) Fios does straight DHCP.

We need to make an effort to BITCH more! What upse...

2008-10-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

We need to make an effort to BITCH more! What upsets me is too many people don't bitch enough. Until we bitch them to death they won't support us. The loudest group gets support! We aren't it. We fix our problems without their assistance instead of bitching most of the time and that puts us at a disadvantage.