Convergence - only if you know more than the service provider

UNLEASH THE RANT……

So like many people that read IntoMobile and like the idea of making their various home/mobile tech convergent (i.e. all playing nice together), occasionally I have some time to try and make that idea come true. Convergence means many things to many people, but to me it means getting things like:

remote access to “PC”
multimedia sync/playback over wireless home/mobile devices
info (calendar, contacts) sync and sharing across devices
decentralized data storage (so if something goes over, there is another node with that data on)

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, but one of the key elements here is the broadband connection between your home, your ISP, and the InterWeb. Sometimes, even those of us that know a bit more than the average joe need help, and so you call your ISP to clarify something.

You call their 24-7, free, TECHNICAL HELPline (note the words in CAPS there…..), with the thought you might be able to get a simple technical query answered – in this case:

“Does your ADSL router have MAC address filtering, which you can use to help improve the security on a WEP wireless network (that the router is providing)?”

Do you get a right answer? No.

Do you get a answer that makes sense? No.

Do you get the same wrong answer repeated ad-infinitum? Yes!

Do you get casual rudeness and a general lack of interest in trying to sort out a genuine query? Yes!

Fortunately for me, after this extremely frustrating call with the ADSL provider in question (mentioning no names), I was able to sit down and figure out an alternative solution – but then again I’ve some knowledge in this area so I could do that. I still don’t have a definitive answer on my original question by the way….

But my point is this – if the TECH HELPline can’t answer a simple question which does relate to convergence (security in this case), what is the point of having them? And how are they going to be able to help someone who maybe knows a bit less, and needs genuine help? Are they just going to pretend to check with “second line support” whilst putting me on hold, then read me a scripted answer which is of no use? Probably…

Operators and service providers really REALLY need to stop selling the mobile/broadband/convergence/tech dream if they don’t have any realistic way of helping people to configure their badly-explained, and dysfunctional technology. We have a right to expect products that work, that have reasonable instructions, and that “added-value” customer services teams can actually explain – or is that just too much to ask….?

Ben

About The Author

Ben Robinson

Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.

Shiko

That’s actually a very, very valid point. Having worked in tech support and also been on the receiving end of tech support, I can attest to how consumer unfriendly (and useless) the advice can be. The vast majority of the time support is advised to just carry out a simple set of pre-defined questions and answers to help and try to solve the problem; bad luck if you fall out of this category, and actually need advice with someone who is familiar with the product. And god forbid if you are dealing with a situation in which there’s even a hairs chance of blaming it on another product/service; you can guarantee that at some point, they’ll simply blame it on that.

Good luck with your setup, and hopefully you will be able to avoid the ‘help’ lines
Will Park

That’s why I try to refrain from calling any “technical support” helpline. I usually find that web resources are far more helpful than tech support – although it might take some research and time to find what you’re looking for.
JonnyBruha

You could have just Googled how to set up your router’s security? Why are you trying to use WEP in the first place?
radiometric

Seriously, to improve your security, use WPA (2) . WEP offers false security. Very false, like a 12 year old can crack it during commercial breaks while watching Hannah Montana. MAC Address filtering offers no more security, but makes it a pain every time you want to add a legitimate device to your network. WEP is like a paper guardrail on the highway. WPA and WPA2 are much more robust and offer real security. You still need to change your password once in a while though, as a hacker with enough patience can eventually crack even WPA’s implementation. Once every couple of months should be fine. At least change it when you change your smoke detectors’ batteries.
Will Park

“At least change it when you change your smoke detectors’ batteries.”

Damn good advice there! I agree on the WPA comment, but I never really gave much thought to changing the password every now and then.
Ben Robinson

The reason for using WEP is unfortunately there’s a device (not mine!) that can only support WEP – and before you ask, it can’t be upgraded.

My other network uses WPA2