I'd like to point out that the D-Link modem also comes in a more sensible physical design than the 2Wire or, for that matter, many other devices: Instead of being shaped like something out of the Jetsons with futuristic curves that make it difficult to stack (the 2Wire's little bracket for standing it vertically was created by someone who thought a utility device could stand out in the market by looking "different" … pah! But I digress), the D-Link gateway is a simple, boring, stackable, rectilinear box. Hooray!

The D-Link modem is pretty easy to set up and, compared to the 2Wire, it's user interface is an utter speed freak. I went through the configuration process, got the DSL up and running and, just when I thought I was done, AT&T had to get into the act. I got the grave warning: "AT&T has found a problem with your Internet connection".

I now had no Internet access other than to AT&T's server, which is why this column is late. The following saga ate up the rest of my day.

As I couldn't do anything online I had no choice, I had to go with the program. The warning went on: "We need to update your connection [which seems an odd way to put it but, whatever … ] … We found a mismatch between your current Primary Member network password and the password used to connect to the Internet." What?! Given that the previous modem had worked just fine this seemed ridiculous. "Don't worry," continued the page in a friendly tone that I didn't believe for a second, "we'll guide you through each step. Click Continue to begin."

Thus began a tedious and annoyingly slow process that wound up doing nothing more than giving me a new password. AT&T tried to work some kind of magic to identify my DSL modem and downloaded what appeared to be Flash apps that took forever to do nothing useful. When we finally got to determine what kind of DSL modem I was using (I had to choose from a list), AT&T then supplied incorrect and incomplete instructions on how to reconfigure my modem.