How to connect to peoplepc in linux (Yay!)

[a10]

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I just installed Kubuntu on my laptop a few weeks a go so you can see I am a complete newbie. Like many people Broadband isn't available in my area in any form(don't you dare call satellite broadband...) so I needed to use my dial up account. Figuring this information out was stressful and took a long time. I hope someone else finds this useful.

Peoplepc Sends your password in the form of some very nasty string with the effect of not letting you connect through anything but their dialer. It slightly changes your username as well. Here's how to overcome that so you no longer are forced to connect only on windows.

Part 1: On your Windows Machine...

A. Google and download a program called DialGuard 1.8.7 (I've attached it To this Post to save you time)

B. Extract and run dialguard.

C. Disconnect From Peoplepc and then reconnect to peoplepc while DialGuard is running.

D. DialGuard Will pop up asking if you want to allow peoplepc to connect. It will also show your username and password in the form of what the dialer was sending to the server(Yay! Your password should be some nasty 30 character long string). Copy and paste the username and password to a text file and save that file to a flash drive (or cd or floppy or any other storage medium your linux machine will recognize)

Part 2: On your Linux machine...

A. Set up whatever dialer you plan to use (in my case kppp) and configure your connection to peoplepc. You just need to know a local access number for peoplepc. Select PAP/CHAP. Leave settings for gateways and DNS's as automatic or default, and check dynamic IP adress. (If you need more help there are plenty of guides out there that explain how to configure the dialer your using)

B. Once you've configured that open up that text file and open up your dialer. Next to "connect to: " select the connection you just set up from the drop down menu. Copy the username that the dialer was using from the text file and pastes it in the box labeled "Login Id: " on your dialer. Repeat with your password.

C. Connect and enjoy browsing at blazingly slow speeds(I"m actually getting slightly faster speeds on linux. I get 2.5KBs average on windows and 2.9KBs on linux). It's all worth it though because now you no longer have to use that c**p software from peoplepc on windows.


I hope fellow newbies like me will appreciate this information. I wish I found it out weeks ago. This technique could probably be applied to other Isp's. It's 1 am where I live so Good night all and happy surfing!

[Heri]

Thanks for the tip. I'm a first time Linux user (Ubuntu) and am stuck on dial up as well since there's no broadband available here. Like you, I'm on PeoplePC. Their software is annoying in the first place, so this information may come in handy for getting rid of it on my Windows puters as well. I was wondering about getting a connection setup for my laptop with a new Ubuntu installation on it, and just figured if I needed a connection I'd have to do it while I was in town at a WiFi hotspot. For large downloads and stuff that is still my only option, but for everyday stuff this is really good news. Thanks again for the information, it'll certainly come in handy.

[antivirus_b]

thanks mates it will help me lot

[steve86]

I have had to get a dialup connection while in-between two broadband providers.

For me there is nothing special about the connection string, just so you know it is in the form "username@peoplepc.com". My first many tries were without the @peoplepc.com and authentication failed. Using chap but pap/chap should work as well. The password is case sensitive.

It may be that a peoplepc account set up with the "turbo" feature needs some more work or may not be possible at all with Linux.

The main problem I've had is that it's next to impossible to get the driver files for my laptop's integrated modem to match the new kernel versions. Even rebuilding them doesn't work. I'm using an external "Hayes" which is connecting at 115k and working fine. I'm actually surprised the performance is as good as it is.

[Trio3b]

Coppernet is linux friendly and works fine with wvdial or kppp. No special authentication scripts and the price is right.

Also, AFAIK it is a family run business with support here in the good old USA. I have NEVER had a person who does not speak fluent English come up on a tech call, usually within minutes of first contact.

[a10]

It may be that this only applies to the turbo version. The dialer does in fact append some information to the beginning of the username. It might not be login critical(mine appends: 'isp6#'). Sending the software version. If your able to log in to people pc through kppp or simular without using the software encrypted password then that amazes me. I wasn't able to connect at all until I figured out the steps in my post above. The server always replied with invalid username\password combination.