pilkster.com » Tech

Port Forwarding Help

pilkster — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:19:24 +0000

Port Forwarding is really useful for home users. I wanted ports forwarded through my router to improve my utorrent/p2p connection and allow remote desktop sessions from locations outside my LAN (ie anywhere on the internet).

I had been struggling to set up my router; I had found useful information on portforward.com and was considering using the PFconfig application which they sell for $29.95, however I had read several reviews and although the software seems OK the backup support (for if the software cannot solve your problem) was reviewed as poor.

From a comment I read on a review I found a link to PCWinTech who offer a free tool which does basically the same as PFconfig. I downloaded the tool and followed the steps and still no forwarded ports

I noticed that the forums were active, and that Shane (the forum admin) was offering one-on-one help for free. I dropped a note in the forum, and the very same day Shane contacted me to help fix the problem. We spoke first on the forum, and then by MSN. Shane directed me to download teamviewer and took control of my computer whilst I watched. Shane logged in to the router and located the problem; the router firewall was blocking traffic from the internet to my LAN.

Shane asked for nothing in return for his help; I would like to say a big thanks to him, and to his wife who wanted him to go to bed as it was 11pm!

More Fun And Games With Skype

pilkster — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:09:02 +0000

Just added some credit to my Skype account so that I could make some calls home to the UK. Even though the account is registered in the UK with a UK payment address, the site insisted that I pay in AU$ (guess they must be taking my location by IP address, a very stupid thing for them to do considering that many people using their services will be expats) which was compounded by the fact that Paypal doesn’t use AU$ as one of its currencies, so Skype converted the amount to Euro for me before charging. As I keep my Paypal balance in US$ Paypal converted the Euro amount to US$ before charging my UK bank in UKÂ£.

I wonder how much ‘value’ I was left with after being scalped on each of those conversions?

When making the call I noticed the price was $0.36 per min ~ with my Vodafone mobile I get 10 mins to the UK for $3. Somehow I think I might not be using Skype too much again.

Skype + Nokia = Wi-Fi Frustration

pilkster — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 03:28:57 +0000

Being on the other side of the world from most of our family and friends is difficult at times, not to mention expensive when it comes to phone calls. I had some kind of vague plan before we left the UK to use Skype, I figured that it would be an economical way to call home and alleviate some of the homesickness. With this in mind I purchased a Nokia N80 mobile which has Wi-Fi among its extensive feature list. I figured that Wi-Fi handset plus wireless router and a quick download from Skype would see me making easy and cheap calls all around the world ~ even when away from home so long as I could find a wireless access point in Starbucks or some other god-awful globalised American chain.

The one problem with this theory is that neither Skype or Nokia seem keen to help us poor symbian users, although there are solutions for PDA’s. A quick search on the net shows that many, many people are sharing my predicament, crying out for help on their blogs and on forums.

One notable service I came across whilst searching is FON, a Wi-Fi sharing community. Joining the community entails buying a special wireless router from them (subsidised price too) ~ you are then a ‘Fonero’. You then choose to become either a ‘Linus’ or a ‘Bill’. All Foneros share their wireless connection publicly, Linus’s do it altruistically and are rewarded by being able to use other Foneros wireless connections for free when they are roaming, whereas Bills get paid for sharing theirs. Revenue is generated by members of the public (‘Aliens’) using the network, for which they are charged a few dollars per day. As well as paying the ‘Bills’ this fee helps subsidise the price of the routers for new Foneros. One thing I didn’t notice on the site was a notice recommending that people check the terms and conditions of their internet providers contract before signing up. Think there may be trouble there.

Anyway, Skype and FON have hooked up to offer a package which includes the FON router and a Wi-Fi phone. As the price is subsidised by FON it looks to be quite a good deal for anyone that wants to use Skype without having to have their PC on 24 hours a day.