I just happened to be checking out our firewall logs and noticed traffic coming from 88.160.222.185. Curious, I did a whois and figured out it was coming from http://www.proxad.net/ which redirects to http://www.free.fr/adsl/.
The first thing I noticed other than the fact that website is in French,-- which I can't read -- is that they offer Internet + Telephone + Television for 29.99 €/month. I was able to figure that out since apparently Internet, Telephone, and Television don't translate at all in French. They're the same words except for some accent letters, as seen here from a website screen grab I did:
What I can gather is that they offer 250 channels, ADSL (ADSL2+?), Freebox HD receiver, unlimited phone calls to 70 destinations, and even a WiFi-MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) router. MIMO (pronounced mee-moh or my-moh), is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. Their Internet speed says 28 Mega- whatever that means. 28Mbit/s? Although, ADSL2+, which is faster than ADSL, maxes out at 24Mbits/s. Hmmm. Are the French inventing some proprietary ADSL spec that is faster?
Also, if I read their website correctly, they give you 10GB of storage space - mostly likely talking about the Freebox receiver. Seems a bit low to me if doing any sort of Tivo-like functionality (pause Live TV, recordings, etc.) The 29.99 €/month translates into $46.99 U.S. dollars which seems like a pretty sweet deal for a triple-play package!
Any French readers want to translate exactly what this products' feature-set is? Post a comment...
Update: 5 min after post Found some more info on Wikipedia
Freebox is indeed an ADSL2+ modem that the French ISP called Free provides to its ADSL subscribers at a cost of around 190 Euros.
It can not only be uses as a high-end wireless modem (802.11g MIMO), but it also enbles Free to offer value-add services such as HD television (1080p), video recording with timeshifting capabilities, digital radio and analog telephony via one or more RJ11 ports.
The first thing I noticed other than the fact that website is in French,-- which I can't read -- is that they offer Internet + Telephone + Television for 29.99 €/month. I was able to figure that out since apparently Internet, Telephone, and Television don't translate at all in French. They're the same words except for some accent letters, as seen here from a website screen grab I did:
What I can gather is that they offer 250 channels, ADSL (ADSL2+?), Freebox HD receiver, unlimited phone calls to 70 destinations, and even a WiFi-MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) router. MIMO (pronounced mee-moh or my-moh), is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. Their Internet speed says 28 Mega- whatever that means. 28Mbit/s? Although, ADSL2+, which is faster than ADSL, maxes out at 24Mbits/s. Hmmm. Are the French inventing some proprietary ADSL spec that is faster?
Also, if I read their website correctly, they give you 10GB of storage space - mostly likely talking about the Freebox receiver. Seems a bit low to me if doing any sort of Tivo-like functionality (pause Live TV, recordings, etc.) The 29.99 €/month translates into $46.99 U.S. dollars which seems like a pretty sweet deal for a triple-play package!
Any French readers want to translate exactly what this products' feature-set is? Post a comment...
Update: 5 min after post Found some more info on Wikipedia
The box, designed by Free, uses a 32 bits RC32355 processor and is managed by an operating system using a derivative of the Linux kernel. It has many interfaces:
- An Ethernet port 10/100 Mbit/s full/half duplex;
- A USB2 port;
- An HDMI port;
- An RJ11 jack for the ADSL connection;
- An RJ11 jack for phone equipment (two jacks on versions 1 & 2 but only one active);
- A SCART (Péritel) socket
- An digital audio output RCA, or optical SPDIF starting from version 3;
- An extension port of the Serial ATA standard on versions 3 and 4 and Parallel ATA standard on versions 1 and 2;
- A host USB port on version 4;
Freebox is indeed an ADSL2+ modem that the French ISP called Free provides to its ADSL subscribers at a cost of around 190 Euros.
It can not only be uses as a high-end wireless modem (802.11g MIMO), but it also enbles Free to offer value-add services such as HD television (1080p), video recording with timeshifting capabilities, digital radio and analog telephony via one or more RJ11 ports.
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Neuf Telecom also does that.
Check www.neuf.fr
Furthermore both provide free SIP services.
I was a freebox user
and have had nothing but problems
particularly as they never respond to letters or email
and you cannot call them from skype at all
and from abroad only with a very expensive charge rate
in my case I have had no service for nine months
during which time they have taken money each month by standing order
which I have no stopped
now I get threating letters
even though I have cancelled the account using a registered letter
and returned the whole box also by registered delivery
and they still want money
I have had one letter in all that time (early October)
saying
they only understand French
so I wrote back
and still no reply
but I still get letters of demand for money threatening legal action
if you do not choose Neuf
as Marc suggests
then dont complain later
my neighbours have no problems with Neuf
there are also other advantages
for example
with neuf you dont have to have a france telecom account, line and number and france telecomm bills to pay as well
use neuf
or if not use anyone else
dont use freebox
Pff, what the heck are those comments?
Free is an excellent service. They always are the ones innovating and playing on the competition.
I've been with them since 6 years now and never had any problem. I do admit the Hotline is not the best in that service, but so it is with Neuf and other Internet Providers. They all delocate their Hotline service in foreign countries with complete incompetent workers. Same everywhere, really.
That being said, Free is the best one and always will be. Usually the persons complaining about that provider are either noobs unable to understand what to do when a little problem is happening, either propagandists.
i repeat
do not use freebox
lily, you must work for freebox
calling (ex)customers "noobs" would be in line with the way they treat them
they dont pay the group fee to france telecom like they say they will
3 days to find the problem
no answer to numerous communications including letterS (that is plural)
almost a year (as in months and months and months) with NO service, none zero nada zilch
and they were still charging me monthly
even after sending back the useless bloody box itself
thats the truth
i am neither a noob nor a propagandist
why do you want to hide the truth ?
you are the propagandist it seems
most use neuf or orange
especially those I know after I tell them how I have been treated
specifically they do not choose freebox
I repeat
DO NOT USE FREEBOX
try neuf
LOL!
I'm a 27 years old Frenchie working as a caretaker.
I love it, me working for Free, hee.
What I don't understand, hun, is if you had a bad experience with Free, well fine. It happens. But why promoting Neuf like that? If Free is that bad, there are plenty of other solutions, other than Neuf. Personally I won't say anything about Neuf because I never tried it, neither had my friends. I know I will never suggest Orange for example, but Neuf *shrugs* hey in fact, you know what? I have an SFR mobile which belongs to Neuf, so I don't see why I would say bad things about it. Ner!
But the way that you ask people to "NOT USE FREEBOX"... Please... Just please... At least, try to be more subtle.
What I suggest to anyone who is pondering about which Internet Provider they should choose, is:
1/ Before any choice, check your adsl availability.
2/ Be sure you have a geek around you who could help you if you have tiny problems.
3/ Check all the offers and READ the little lines. All of them.
4/ Do not trust someone who is unable to write a paragraph when that one talks about computers. :p
5/ Finally, if you have a problem, no matter who is your Provider, don't call, go to a Cyber or a friend, find the official forum and chat directly with the tech. And if you don't have news, continue to harrass them, try to find other people who could help you, inform yourself, don't get mad, stay polite, save the messages you will recieve and always copy yours (letters, emails, forums, etc).
Just so you know, if I decided to comment here (I never comment on websites, usually) and on a subject like this one (usually my Internet activity is more about Doctor Who, or naughtiness), it's because I met a lot of people like you. Not people complaining about Free, but people who because they had one bad experience, people who loses their temper easily, who os unable to assume their responsability, who wants the new totoy siouper groovy but doesn't even know how to turn it on... I met way too many of them.
As I said, I've been subscribed at Free for a very long time. They were my first adsl thingy (before I had the AOL modem one, ya know the one that was always giving free hours away to keep you with them LOL), I did like that when no matter how advanced they go, they never rise the price, I like the fact that there is an entire forum made from fans (yep) who are here to help each other, I like that they always try to do more, to push the limits of the technology and of that society. I like all that.
Now, if you're happy with Neuf, good for you. But... am I really writing a comment that long about that?! Oh dear.
People, do what you want.
But don't blame a whole company when something goes wrong and don't promote another one without even giving arguments about it.
P.S: I apologyze if my English is a bit crappy but I had a long day and I'm still learning this language, anyway.
It goes bij telefone lign? and not by satelite? Or by fibre optic?
I totally agree that the people complaining about FREEBOX are probably not the most reliable sources of info. I have used Freebox for 2 years without any probs. There's the odd time I need to softboot...but its really not an issue. Very fast...happens with any provider I have had in Canada, USA or France. I will greatly miss my Freebox VOIP when I leave..its super reliable.
I believe there are lots of people who try to set up Freebox on an un-active line which means they have to wait for ORANGE aka France Telecom to setup the line. Usually it never happens until those people sign up for ORANGE.
Thus if you do not have an active I would suggest you sign up with Orange first and switch later!
I moved into an apt with a live line and I signed up online for Freebox. I had the equipment a few days later. And within 2 weeks my account was fully functional as was promised.
K
ps - yes...you'd probably get a bad response if you wrote a letter to any French company in a language other than French. LOL