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1 Dial-Up Basics

What's the Fastest Speed for Dial-Up?

Modern dial-up modems typically have a maximum theoretical speed of 56 kbit/s (using the V.92 protocol), although in most cases only up to 53 kbit/s is possible due to overhead and FCC regulation. These speeds are currently considered the maximum possible; in many cases transfer speeds will be lower, averaging anywhere between 33-43 kbit/s. Factors such as phone line noise and conditions, as well as the quality of the modem itself, if the modem is external or internal, all play a large part in determining connection speeds.

Dial-up connections usually have high latency that can be as high as 200 ms or even more, which can make online gaming or videoconferencing difficult, if not impossible. Some games, such as Star Wars: Galaxies and The Sims Online are capable of running on 56 K dial-up. Gamers with dial-up connections are often disconnected from game servers due to the "lag", or high latency, of the connection. (Wikipedia)

Sources & Additional Information:
Wikipedia

What hardware do I need to use dialup?

A modem. You purchase a modem for $15-100 depending on features and types. Most, if not all computers bought today come with 56K modems standard.

If your low on power outlets, go with an internal PCI based modem(56K). Otherwise buy an external modem, for they are much easier to troubleshoot when problems arise! Also, you won't need to power cycle (reboot) your PC when you do need to reset the modem which must be done with all internal modems usually.
awolfpup

What speeds were there before 56K?

300 bit per second - 1960s through 1983 or so
1200 bit per second - gained popularity in 1983 - 1985
2400 bit per second - arrived early 1985
9600 bit per second - US Robotics 9600 intro Comdex, 1986
14.4K bit per second -
19.2K bit per second -
28.8K bit per second - 1994
33.6K bit per second -
56K bit per second - became the standard in 1998

howstuffworks.com

What is an ISP?

An internet service provider (abbr. ISP, also called Internet access provider or IAP) is a business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. In the past, most ISP's were run by the phone company. Now ISP's can be started by just about anyone. They provide services such as Internet transit, domain name registration and hosting, dial-up or DSL access, leased line access and colocation. (Wikipedia)

Sources & Additional Information:
Wikipedia

How do I create a dialer?

Windows 95/98/ME:
1. From My Computer open up Dail-Up Networking. In Windows ME this is located in Control Panel.
2. Open up Make New Connection
3. Give the connection a name.
4. Type in the access number. Leave the area code blank if it is not necessary to dial the area code.
5. Click Finish.
6. Here you will see your new connectoid. Right-click on it and select Create a shortcut and then select Yes on the error to make a shortcut on the desktop.
7. Open up the connection and type in the username and password.

Win NT:
1. Double Click on Dial-up Networking.
2. From the drop-down menu you can select to connect with a dialer that's already been created. If you click dial you will get the second screen. Type in the username and password. Or you can click on new button to create a new phonebook entry
3. Type a name for your connection.
4. Click on the first two-checklist boxes. Click Next.
5. Type in the access number. Leave the area code blank if it is not necessary to dial the area code.
6. Click finish to complete.
7. Type in the username and password.

Win 2k:
1. Click the Start menu, Settings, then Network and Dial-Up Connections. Network and Dial-Up Connections can also be found in the Control Panel.
2. Open up Make New Connection.
3. Choose Next.
4. Choose the second option, "Dial-up to the Internet".
5. Choose the third option, "I want to set up my Internet connection manually, or I want to connect through a local area network (LAN)."
6. Choose the first option, "I connect through a phone line and a modem".
7. Type in the access number. Leave the area code blank if it is not necessary to dial the area code.
8. Type in the username and password.
9. Give the connection a name.
10. Select the second option, "No".
11. Click finish.
12. Here you will see your new connectoid. Right-click on it and select Create a shortcut and then selct Yes on the error to make a shortcut on the desktop.
13. Open up the connection and click Dial.

Win XP:
1. Open up Control Panel. If it says, "Pick a category" or on the left says, "Switch to Classic View" then click on "Switch to Classic View".
2. From the Control Panel in Classic View open up Network Connections.
3. On the left select "Create a new connection." There may be some situations where that option is not available. If the arrows to the right of Network Tasks are pointing down then click on them and they will point up and the option will become available. Under other circumstances there will be no options on the left. In that case click on the File drop-down-menu and then select New Connection.
4. Choose Next.
5. Choose the first option, "Connect to the Internet".
6. Choose the second option, "Set up my connection manually".
7. Choose the first option, "Connect using a dial-up modem".
8. Give the connection a name.
9. Type in the access number. Do no type in the area code if it is not necessary to dial the area code.
10. Type in the username and password. Some people prefer to take the check mark out of the third box, "Turn on Internet Connection Firewall for this connection." Take the check mark out of the second box, "Make this default Internet connection" if you user usually uses another connection or usually uses this computer for DSL.
11. Put a check mark in, "Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop" .
12. If you are ready to dial now click on Dial. Otherwise choose Cancel
13. This new connection can either be accessed under the Dial-up section in Network Connections or via the shortcut on the desktop.

Mac OS8:
1. From the Apple menu choose Control Panel then FreePPP Dialer.
2. Choose the arrow in the bottom left to get the expanded options.
4. Go to the accounts tab and click new.
5. Give the connection a name. Type in the username and password.
6. In the Dialup tab type in the access number. Leave the Dial area code box blank if it is not necessary to dial the area code. Enter in alternate numbers if available. Click on OK.
8. In Connect to: select the account that you just created. Select the proper location properties and modem. Click Connect.

Mac OS9:
1. Open the Remote Access control panel.
2. Click the radio button for Registered User.
3. Type the user name, password, and phone number into the corresponding fields. If you want your password to be saved so that you do not have to enter it at each connection, select the checkbox for "Save password".
4. Instead of opening up the Remote Access Control panel every time you can just open the Control Strip, and locate the Remote Access portion, which is labeled with the icon of a Macintosh computer over a telephone pole. If the Control Strip is not visible, open the Control Strip control panel and select Show Control Strip.

Mac OSX:
1. From the Apple menu choose System Preferences.
2. Select Network and then under location choose New Location.
3. Type in a name for this connection.
4. In show select Modem Port. In the TCP/IP tab make sure Configure has Using PPP selected. You can force DNS here if you want also by typing in the DNS servers in the Domain Name Servers box.
5. In the PPP tab make type in the username and password. Type in the access number. Do not type in the area code if it is not necessary to dial the area code.
6. Click on PPP options. Put a check only in send PPP echo packets and Use TCP header compression. Configure Session Options according to personal tastes.
7. In the Modem tab you can select the modem and configure the dialing options.
8. Open the MacintoshHD then open Applications.
9. Open up Internet Connect.
10. Under configuration select either the name of the connection or Modem Port and then Connect.

What is high-speed dialup or web acceleration?

"What is often advertised as "high-speed dial-up Internet" or "accelerated dial-up" by service providers such as Earthlink and NetZero in the United States is a form of dial-up access that utilizes the newer modem standard v.92 to shorten the log-on (or handshake) process, and then once a connection has been established the provider will selectively compress, filter, and cache data being sent to the users home with the overall effect of increasing the speed of browsing most standard web pages (see also proxy server).

The term high speed is misleading as these processes do not increase the overall throughput of the line, only making more efficient use of the bandwidth that is already there. Certain applications cannot be accelerated, such as SHTTP, streaming media, or file transfers. The compression of certain files such as pictures can have a negative effect on the browsing experience of the user, due to the lower quality that it imposes." (Wikipedia)

Sources & Additional Information:
Wikipedia

2 Dial-Up Advanced

Comparison of Standards

V.32
Speed: 9.6 kbps
Year Introduced: 1984

V.32bis
Speed: 14.4 kbps
Year Introduced: 1991

V.34
Speed: 28.8 kbps
Year Introduced: 1995

V.90
Speed: 56 kbps (33.6 kbps upstream)
Year Introduced: 1997-1998

V.92
Speed: 56 kbps (48 kbps upload)
Year Introduced: 2000-2001

about.com

The V.92 Protocol

"V.92 is an ITU-T recommendation, titled Enhancements to Recommendation V.90, that establishes a modem standard allowing near 56 kbit/s download and 48 kbit/s upload rates. V.92 was first presented in August 1999. It is intended to succeed the V.90 standards. With V.92 PCM is used for both the upstream and downstream connections; previously 56K modems only used PCM for downstream data." (Wikipedia)

Sources & Additional Information:
Wikipedia

Multiple PPP

Also known as "shotgun". This means you connect two modems, to two phone lines, and dial-in to your ISP for double the bandwidth of 56k. Most recently some phone companies have capped phone line data transfer at 26400, meaning that if you get two phone lines the second might be slower. It costs quite a bit of money too. The key thing with "shot-gun" is that your ISP MUST support the use of two dial-up modems at once. You must contact your ISP before doing this to avoid extra charges that might result in logging in twice.

One alternative is satellite. Satellite has decent prices and will provide you with good download speeds. The only problem is that the pings are higher than normal 56k which causes problems for gamers. ISDN is another alternative, although it's usually expensive.

discussion in dial-up forum

Why does my IP Address change every time I dial in?

Your IP address is a dynamic IP address that is given to you each time you dial up. When you disconnect, that IP address is freed. The odds of getting the same IP address two times in a row are very slim for national providers, but slightly more for local providers. Dynamic IP addressing saves IP address space so that the ISP can serve the same amount of customers with less IP addresses.

Some Telco Terminology

Bps - Bits Per Second.

Central Office - The Telco facility where your local telephone circuit leads to. Contains Switches and Trunks as well as the local telephone circuits.

DTE - Data Terminal Equipment--When using serial communications such RS-232, V.35, or X.21, the DTE is the device sending/receiving from a modem or CSU/DSU. In contrast to DCE.

Kbps - KiloBits Per Second. Measure of digital channel capacity.

Pairgain - The term "pairgain" is used for any piece of equipment that will allows multiple voice channels to leave the CO as T1. It then terminates on a piece of equipment out in the field that will take that T1 signal and use the 24, 64 kbps DS0 channels for voice applications.

POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service. Regular old-fashioned analog loop start phone service.

Repeaters, Boosters or Amplifiers - Used to "boost" (amplify) the signal when your distance from the central office exceeds 20 miles (33 kilometers).

RJ-11 - Short for Registered Jack-11, a four- or six-wire connector used primarily to connect telephone equipment in the United States.

Splitter - "Splits" the jack plug two or more ways to allow more than one device to be connected in any one jack.

Telco - Telephone Company. Your local telephone service provider.

Trouble ticket - A telco "work order" used to track Customer Repairs within the Telco. If you call someone "inside" the telco's repair department they will need this number to proceed. It will also be needed whenever you call to check on the status of a repair.

Can multiple computers use the same dial-up connection?

"There are five steps that you'll need to take in order to share your dial-up connection:

1. Connect your computers into a Local Area Network (LAN).

2. Configure the computers on your LAN to use the TCP/IP protocol that they'll need to connect to the Internet.

3. Select and install the software or hardware that allows the single Internet connection to be shared.

4. Configure the other computers in your LAN so that they access the Internet via the shared connection.

5. Secure all the computers in your LAN against intruders." (Practically Networked)

Sources & Additional Information:
Practically Networked

3 Hardware

What is the difference between a hardware modem and a software modem?

A software modem (aka Winmodem) is a modem that can connects to your PCI slot and uses Windows to do all it's main functions. It uses your computer to process the data that the modem receives, which can slow down your downloading times and raise latency.

A hardware modem can either connect to a PCI slot or connected to your computer via serial/USB. Hardware modems have their own on-board controllers, so your computer doesn't do as much work. Hardware modems normally provide better compression of downloads and lower ping times.

What is a modem?

A modem changes outgoing digital signals from a computer to analog signals that travel over telephone lines. Then changes the incoming analog signal to a digital signal your computer can understand.

What is a LAN modem?

A LAN modem is a modem that runs on a local area network and is basically a 56k modem with a router and switch built in. These can provide multiple computers with the same connection, but for each computer surfing, the speeds will slow vastly. These modems are generally more secure because they provide each computer with a private IP address.

4 Dial-Up Security

Will I still need internet security software?

Yes. You probably won't be a target most the time, but it is highly recommended that you get a firewall and antivirus software. If you would like more information or need suggestions, head over to the BBR Security Forum

5 Dial-Up Tweaks

Kilobits vs. kilobytes explained

In data communications, a kilobit is a thousand bits (1,000) bits. It's commonly used for measuring the amount of data that is transferred in a second between two points. Kilobits per second is usually shortened to Kbps (or kbps). For example, 53.333kbps is 53,333 bits per second.

1 kb/s = 1000 b/s
1 KB/s = 1024 B/s
1 KB/s = 8.192 kb/s
1 kb/s = .1221 KB/s

The lowercase b usually stands for bits while the uppercase B stands for bytes.

To find your theoretical download speed for your line, divide your advertised speed by 8.192:
53.333kbps / 8.192 = 6.51 KB/s

or by 10 to include overhead:
53.333kbps / 10 = 5.33 KB/s

What is MTU? What should mine be?

Packet size, often referred to as MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) is the greatest amount of data that can be transferred in one physical frame on the network. For Ethernet, the MTU is 1500 bytes, for PPPoE 1492, dial-up connections often use 576.

Although many say an MTU of 1500 helps, I suggest using 576. If you're still wanting to make your MTU 1500, read the following steps.

1) Download Dr.TCP and change your MTU to 1500.
2) Click save then reboot your computer.
3) Dial-up like normal, then press Start>Run and type command.
4) In the command box, type
ping -f -l 1472 www.yourispswebsite.com
-l is a lowercase L, not a bar |

Simply change it back to 576 if it gives an error of "Packet needs to be fragmented but DF set." That error is telling you that your ISP doesn't support that MTU.

Where can I test the speed of my internet?

DSLR Speed Tests

PC Pitstop Download Bandwidth Test - 50KB/100KB/200KB/500KB/1,000KB/5,000KB Test Files

Speakeasy Network - Pick a city closest to you to get better accuracy.

What is RWIN? How high/low should mine be?

RWIN (TCP Receive Window) is the amount of data that your computer can accept without acknowledging the sender. If sender has not received acknowledgement for the first packet it sent, it will stop and wait and if this wait exceeds a certain limit, it may even retransmit. This is how TCP achieves reliable data transfer.

How to find your RWIN:

1) Open up a DOS Prompt box:
Start>Run>command

2) Type: ping -l #### dslreports.com
#### is your MSS. (MSS = MTU - 40)

Example Screenshot

Take your average large packet ping, multiply by 1.5, multiply that by your proposed advertised speed, and divide that value by 8. You now have your raw RWIN.

Example: 450ms average latency (x 1.5) with 53Kbps available downstream bandwidth:

450 x 1.5 = 675. 675 x 53kbps = 35775. 35775/8 = 4472 (RWIN).

3) To change the RWIN:
    Download DrTCP to your Desktop.•Change the TCP Receive Window field to whatever value you got.•Save, Exit, then reboot your PC.

Does the RWIN affect pings or packet loss?

No, the RWIN does not affect your pings. Ping is latency on the Net, and not your computer, therefore it can not be lowered. Latency changes every second on the Net, with the pulse of it's many users.

If your line is already lossy, a higher RWIN from Windows default (ME/2K/XP: 17520, 9x: 8760), then it may cause packet loss.

6 Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Your Line

Many individuals, when presented with a problem on their dialup, pick up the phone and immediately call their ISP. Usually, very few communications problems reported to an ISP have anything to do with their modems or software. Yes, periodically a modem will not answer due to a problem, but most modem problems are on the calling end.

A common misconception among computer users is that the telephone company and long-distance switching network is a "perfect system." The advent of error-correcting, high-speed modems which mask line-noise and push the data transfer tolerance window to the limit, has given us a false sense of belief that everything should work at top speed every time.

Not so! There is that age old problem known as LINE NOISE. Line noise may or may not be apparent to your "naked ear", however your modem can and will react to this annoying phenomenon. Some caller complaints which can be attributed to line noise are:

"The system was very slow in responding tonight."
"What I typed didn't show up on the screen until two words later."
"I'm was only getting #### CPS, what's the matter with your system?
"When I downloaded 156K of the 175K file you dropped carrier on me."

These problems in data signal transmission and recognition can take many forms. The callers quoted above complained of slow system response, buffered typing response and slow transfers. They were certain it was a problem on the ISPs system. What was the reason? Best guess is a lousy connection most likely with excessive line noise.

If you have line noise or any other problem with a modem connecting to your ISP, you should have your equipment or telephone line checked.

What can you do when you experience modem-related difficulty?

1. Remove all other connections to your telephone line (answering machine, fax, extension phones).
2. Use a short, shielded serial cable.
3. Increase your modem's "time-to-drop-carrier" by adding S10=20 to your setup or initialization string.
4. Have your line checked by the phone company.

Additional information:

To have your line checked by the telephone company, call the local business office. Provide your name and telephone number. Tell the telephone company representative you have noise on your telephone line. Some telephone company representatives may not be helpful, claiming that they have no obligation to provide line quality sufficient for modem communications. Here is some information which might prove to be very helpful.

MINIMUM LINE TESTING REQUIREMENTS

AS SET BY THE FCC, your local telephone company is required by the FCC to provide a minimum level of quality on the lines it maintains for your use. Many lines do not meet these standards, and so are a source of considerable noise in the transfer of data between computers.

The telephone company may tell you there is usually only one option offered: line conditioning (at $170/line!!). This is an extra cost item that they would like to sell you. However, if their line to your computer meets the minimum standards, there is no reason you cannot have error free transfers if an error correcting protocol is used. If the telephone company seems reluctant to test your line and assures you that it meets the minimum requirements, request that they perform POTS Data Testing and provide you with the results. Let them understand that if they do not comply, you will refer the matter to the FCC. They will NOT be happy!

The POTS Data Testing involves the following tests:

1) Frequency sweep 300 to 3000 Hz

2) Roll off 500 to 2500 Hz with -2 to +8 range
Request 300 to 3000 Hz with -3 to +12 range
1000 Hz tone loss -16, 1% in either direction

3) Signal to noise ratio 24 Db level

4) White noise C message Dbrnco

5) Envelope delay measurement

6) Phase jitter not to exceed 10%

7) Impulse noise test minimum 15 minute count

Don't worry if you do not understand what all these tests mean, the telephone company knows. These standards are all available from the FCC upon request. When the lines provided to you meet these minimums, you will experience reliable, accurate, and noise free data transfers.

The Hardware Setup:

Your modem is a modulator-demodulator device. It converts digital signals (bits) sent by your computer's serial port to analog signals which can be transmitted over telephone networks. Purchase the highest quality modem you can afford. If you have an internal modem, you don't have to worry about why motherboard and serial card manufacturers are still designing equipment that won't support high-speed modems. If you have an external modem, then your computer serial port if like most, came to you with a slow UART chip which would work fine with 300, 1200, 2400 and 9600 baud modems. Almost every computer shipped (even today when everyone knows better) has this old slow chip. If you have a fast (V.32/V.32bis/HST/V.34/V.42/V.90) modem, and are experiencing dropped characters, CRC errors and aborted downloads, upgrade your serial port to a buffered UART (16550AFN). Look for 82x50B, 16x450 part numbers on the large 40-pin chips on the serial card to find out if your UART is the out-of-date device.

The Software Setup:

Most of you use the Dial-Up Networking provided as part of Windows or the MAC operating system. These normally install correctly and thus work fine. Some of you use older versions of the operating systems and thus require additional software to make connections to us. Generally, all communications with the ISP have these common factors for connection:

Dialing parameters: 8 DataBits, N (no) Parity, 1 - Stop Bits

Maximum Speed: set for highest recommended by manufacturer (generally 57600 for 14,400 modems, 115200 all faster modems). Special note here: Make sure your com port is set up to match this otherwise this is a bottleneck.

Scripting:

Generally scripting is not required for PPP connections.

Flow Control: Software (XON/XOFF) for older modems (14.4 Kbps and lower), Hardware (CTS/RTS) for high-speed modems (above 14.4 Kbps),

CALL WAITING

If you have the call-waiting service on your telephone line, you MUST disable it before each modem call or you risk having your connection interrupted. Call waiting is disabled with Ameritech if you dial "*70" before the telephone number. For GTE it is disabled if you dial '70# before the telephone number. The place for this is in the "dialing prefix" in your telecommunications software. If that is not available in your software, you can add this information in your dialing directory.

WEATHER

Believe it or not, rainy days and ice storms can affect telecommunications.

wheelert

Why is my connection so slow?

The speed of your connection involves many different factors. Not only does it depend on the server into which you have dialed, but also on the speed of any computer from which you are receiving data. If the computer storing the web site you are visiting is slow or heavily loaded, then data transfer to your home PC will be slowed down accordingly. If you find that a site is extremely slow, try again at a less busy time or find an alternate site. If you are having trouble with all web sites being slow, there could also be a configuration problem on your computer.

The telephone lines have a large effect on your dial-up connection -- length, load coils, resistive crosses and taps and other things that do not affect voice quality enough to require repair will adversely affect data speeds. When an analog modem connects that horrid screech/squawk noise is the two modems talking to each other testing the quality of the connection and what maximum speed they can handle over that connection.

Why am I connecting at 115.2K?

If your dial-up networking (DUNS) CONNECT shows a speed of 57,600 (57.6k), 115,200 (115.2k), or 38,400 (38.4k), you are getting the port speed between your computer and modem, not the modem CONNECT rate.

With Windows 95/98/NT, a file with the .inf extension is used when you install your modem to define how Windows and Windows Programs interact with the modem.

For DUNS to report the correct speed in all cases, every possible CONNECT message must be defined in the .inf file.

modemsite.com

Checking for Phone Line Noise

To check for line noise, pick up the phone and dial 1. You should hear nothing. If you hear a noise, go to the phone box outside of your house. Connect a phone to that box and do the same test to check for noise. If there is noise, it is a problem with the phone company. If there is no noise, turn all appliances off inside. Then do the test to check for line noise. If there is no noise, turn one appliance on, check for noise, then turn on another if there is no noise. When there is noise after turning on a certain appliance, try to put that appliance away from phone lines.

Help! I only connect at...

Telephone line requirements vs modem speed.

300bps (Bell 103 & ITU-T V.21 protocol)
2400 to 12,000bps (ITU-T V.32, V.32bis and V.34 protocols)

Connections limited to this range indicates severe channel impairment. Usually noise and bandwidth restrictions cause connect speeds this low. Long cable runs of over 5 or 6 miles can cause it, as can very old analog carrier systems.

14.4Kbps (ITU-T V.32bis and V.34 protocols)
This is the minimum speed that a V.34 modem should be able to connect at *if* the telephone line is just able to meet specs. If this speed cannot be obtained either the modem is defective or the line is out of spec in some way.

16.8Kbps (ITU-T V.34 protocol)
This is the minimum speed that most V.34 modems will actually be able to connect at on a minimally specified line. That means if the modem _can_ get this speed, the line *must* be within specs.

This is also the upper limit for connections through various types of digital carrier systems that use ADPCM or 32K bits per channel instead of standard 64Kbps PCM encoding. Due to lower sampling rate and fewer bits per sample more quantization noise is generated by the analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog conversions in these systems, thus reducing the Signal to Noise Ration (SNR) limiting speed.

19.2Kbps to 26.4Kbps (ITU-T V.34 protocol)
Speed in this range generally indicates a bandwidth limited channel. Some older carrier systems and some digital system that packetize and compress data are limited to 19.2 or 21.6Kbps connections. Long cable runs are also reasons for connect rates at 26.4K or below.

26.4Kbps, perhaps with occasional 24K and 28.8K (ITU v.34 protocol)
Usually indicates a SLC that has what is called a "universal" interface to the Telco switch. Such an interface adds an extra DA/AD conversion, which prohibits a V.90/92 connection, and also adds at least 3 dB of quantization noise and a small amount of bandwidth restriction, all of which combine to usually disallow 28.8K connections. Note that for modems which can measure Signal-to-Noise Ratios, 37 dB is the *best* that can be obtained on a connection through any form of 64Kbps/channel PCM digital carrier. The specification for a voice grade telephone line is only 24 dB.

28.8Kbps to 33.6Kbps (ITU-T V.34 protocol)
Indicates the line is so close to perfect that it would be difficult for the Telco to actually measure any change that would improve speed. This means SNR is better than about 32 dB, the bandwidth of the channels being used is at maximum, and the cable must not be very long. 33.6Kbps simply means the line is about as good as it can get.

28.0Kbps to 53.3Kbps (ITU-T V.92 & V.90 protocols)
Means there are no sharp bends in your cable, no goblins camped in any splice boxes, and you've been blessed by a supernatural entity. These connections amount to pure FM (Freaking Magic, if you will). If you breathe funny tomorrow your speed may drop significantly! Brand new, perfect line cards may or may not work. Cables that look good might work, or might not etcetera. It all depends on parameters that have nothing to do with a voice grade telephone line. If you cannot get a V.90/92 connection the Telco is not obligated to change anything to fix it.

The minimum requirements to get a V.90/92 connection are a virtually noise free local loop (modems which measure SNR for v.90 connections will show values from 45 dB for lower speeds all the way up to 55-60 dB with higher speed connections), plus a digital connection to the ISP which has exactly one Analog-to-Digital conversion (the codec in the line card for your line at the Telco switch) between you and the ISP.

V.90/92 modems preferentially connect in V.90 mode if they cannot they automatically fallback to V.34.

High-end connection speed of V.34 and low end of V.90/92 overlap. To determine if the modem is in V.90/92 mode external modems typically include a mode indicator. For modems without this feature connect speed can be used to determine mode. If the modem reports 28,000, 29,333, 30,667, 32,000, 33,333, 34,667, 36,000 or higher it is in V.90/92 mode. If the report is 33,600, 31,200, 28,800 or lower it is in V.34 mode.

tschmidt.com

DUN Error Codes

Common DUN error codes can be found at ModemSite

Why do I get disconnected when I get a phone call?

Call waiting is enabled on the phone line that you are using for your modem. The call waiting beep cuts off the signal long enough that the modem thinks that the connection has been dropped. Before following through the steps to disable it, you have to determine the call waiting code for your area, the most common code is *70 . Three other codes that are used at times are 1170 or 70# There are a few ways to check, one way is to pick up your phone, and try each code, if after dialing the code you get a dial tone again, then that code works. You can also call the operator or check the phone book for the appropriate code.

How to Disable Call Waiting

Windows 95/98/98SE/ME Users:

  1. Double Click on My Computer

  2. If you use WinMe, double-click on Control Panel

  3. Double Click on Dial Up Networking

  4. Double Click on the connection you use to connect to the internet

  5. You should see a button that says Dial Properties, click on it

  6. In the window that pops up, you should see a section that says To disable
    call waiting, dial with a check box in front of it, check that box, and the
    click on the drop down, and choose the option for your area, if it isn't there,
    you can type it in there manually, followed by a comma (the comma causes a
    two-second pause before dialing, which is necessary in most areas).

  7. Click on OK, and then the computer will be setup to dial the call waiting
    disable code for that location (as set in the computer), and you can either
    click on Connect to connect to the internet or cancel if you don't.


For Windows 2000 Users:

  1. Click on the Start button, go to Settings, and click on Network and Dial-Up
    Connections

  2. Double Click on the connection you use to connect to the internet

  3. You should see a button that says Dialing Rules, click on it

  4. Click on the Edit button

  5. In the window that pops up, you should see a section that says To disable
    call waiting, dial: with a check box in front of it, check that box, and the
    click on the drop down, and choose the option for your area, if it isn't there,
    you can type it in there manually, followed by a comma (the comma causes a
    two-second pause before dialing, which is necessary in most areas).

  6. Click on OK, OK again, and then the computer will be setup to dial the call
    waiting disable code for that location (as set in the computer), and you can
    either click on Dial to connect to the internet or cancel if you don't.


Windows 95/98/98SE/ME problems? Try these steps:

  1. Double click on My Computer.

  2. Double click on Dial Up Networking.

  3. Locate the connection that you use to access the Internet. Place your mouse
    cursor over the connection icon and right click on your mouse. Select Properties.

  4. Locate the area where the number you dial is located. Insert *70, in front
    of the number, or the code that will work for you to disable your call waiting.
    If you do not know the code, look in your telephone book. Now the number on
    mine would read *70,757-2051. If you call a 1-800 number, you will need to
    enter the entire number in that box and remove the area code from the left-hand
    side box. For example you would call *70,1800-555-1212.
  5. Click "OK" and
    the next time you dial in, your call waiting will be disabled!

If you use any other operating system, then the steps necessary will vary, but you need to setup the computer to dial the appropriate code and a comma before it dials the number.

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How do I reinstall DUN?

Using Windows 95/98/98SE
Uninstallation:
1. Double-click My Computer on your desktop. You should see an icon that says Control Panel.
2. Double-click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Click the Windows Setup tab.
5. Double-click the Communications component.
6. Uncheck the Dial-Up Networking component.
7. Click OK until you are back at your desktop.
8. Reboot your computer.

Installation:
1. Insert your Windows 95/98 CD. If it AutoPlays, close the window it opens.
2. Follow steps 1 - 5 above. On step 6, check the Dial-Up Networking component.

To reinstall RAS in NT:
You must either have the Windows CD or CAB files in order to perform this.

1. From the Control Panel open up Network and then go to the Services tab. Select Remote Access Service and click Remove. Select Close and reboot. When the computer is back up go back to this screen and click Add.
2. Select Remote Access Service and then OK.
3. Select the modem and then OK.
4. Click on Continue
5. Click Close and then reboot.
6. Make a new connection.