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Modems
and Dial-Up Networking: Note: Some sections of this page get quasi-geeky. If you just want to find out whether your phone line will support a 56K connection, with the minimum of technical stuff, you can go directly to "Testing Your Line Quality." 56K and Reality If you have a fairly new computer, chances are it has a 56K modem. The "56K" refers to the fact that the modem is theoretically capable of communicating at a speed of 56 kilobaud, or 56 kilobits (thousands of individual on/off signals) per second. We say "theoretically" because the 56K designation is misleading. First of all, although the modem technology is capable of 56K when downloading, it is actually restricted by FCC relations on power output to a maximum download speed of 53K. And the maximum upload speed is 31.2K. Second, 56K modems are quite sensitive to phone line quality. Even though the legal maximum download speed is 53K , in my experience I've only seen one computer regularly achieve that speed, and it is in a building on the same block as the Bangor Bell Atlantic telephone exchange. In the real world, a connection speed in the mid-40's is very good. Many people find they are unable to establish a 56K connection at all, and instead get a connection speed of only 28.8K. Third, not all "56K" modems are created equal. In particular, there are 3 different 56K standards. Originally, 2 competing 56K technologies were developed, "x2" and "K56." X2 modems can connect at 56K speeds with other x2 modems, and K56 modems with other K56 modems, but x2 and K56 modems can only connect to each other at speeds of 28K and below. Eventually, a new, unified standard was developed, called "v.90." V.90 modems are supposed to be able to connect with other v.90 modems as well as with x2 and K56 modems, at 56K speeds. However, if you have an older, non-v.90 56K modem, (for instance a K56), you may find you have better results connecting to a modem at your ISP that is listed as "K56/v.90," and likewise for an older, non-v.90 x2 modem. How can you tell the speed of your connection? Once you are successfully logged on to your ISP, the Dial-Up Networking icon (two little computers connected by cables) will appear in the system tray at the lower right of your screen. (This does not happen if you're using AOL). If you hold your mouse cursor over this icon, a little box will appear saying something like "connected at 33,600," which is the speed of your connection. AOL will also give you a brief message about connection speed, if you watch carefully when it first connects. Connection Speed is Just One Part of the Equation Having your modem establish a connection at a high speed is just one of the things that needs to happen for you to be able to rapidly retrieve E-mail, Web pages and other information from the Internet. You can think of getting information from the Internet as being like getting a glass of water at your kitchen sink. Achieving a fast modem connection is like turning the faucet wide open. If there is a lot of water pressure, you're going to get a lot of water. If you have poor water pressure, you're only going to get a trickle, no matter how wide you open the faucet. Once you connect, there are many things that can lead to low Internet "water pressure" (in other words, slow data transfer.) These include configuration problems in your own computer, an overloaded Internet Service Provider, a busy Web site, or congestion in the Internet at any point between the Web site you're visiting and your own computer. You can't control all of these factors, but you may be able to do something about your connection, and without a good connection nothing else will be fast. Testing Your Phone Line U.S. Robotics, a leading manufacturer of modems, and the developer of the "x2" modem technology, has a free Line Test utility which you can use to check your phone line. Line Test will give you a quick reading on whether or not your phone line will support 56K communication. The test is not 100% accurate, so it's a good idea to try it several times, and try connecting from more than one phone jack. You'll need to use a communications program that gives you a terminal window to run Line Test. If you know how to do this, then follow the link below to USR's Line Test instructions, print them out, close your Internet connection, and proceed with the test. If you're not familiar with terminal window communications, and you are using Windows 95 or 98, then return to this Web page after printing out the instructions and keep reading. Go
to the USR Line Test instructions
To use HyperTerminal to run Line Test: (HyperTerminal is a communications program that is part of Windows 95 and 98. You'll find it on the Start menu under Start --> Programs --> Accessories, or under Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> Communications. If you can't find it, then it probably has not been installed on your system. If you have your Windows CD, you can install it using the Add/Remove Programs applet in Control Panel.)
If the USR Line Test says that your line does not support 56K, the next question is: Where is the problem? – in your building, in which case it's your responsibility, or outside your building, which is your phone company's problem. If your home or office has a phone line "interface box" where the phone line(s) enter the building, you can plug a computer into a jack in the box (sorry- couldn't find a way to avoid the pun) and run Line Test from here, bypassing your building's wiring. If you get bad results running the test from here, then you know it is Bell Atlantic's problem. In this case, call the phone company and let them know. Don't expect immediate gratification, but if there are enough complaints, to them and to the Public Utilities Commission, improvements may follow. If you think the problem is in your own wiring, first try disconnecting all other equipment from the line, including fax machines, answering machines, and telephones, and try again. If you now start getting better connection speeds, you can try reconnecting things one piece at a time, to see if you can isolate the problem. Don't be surprised if you have to do some detective work – we had a problem with a noisy line in our house that was caused by an unused phone jack which was full of dust and dog hair. Go
to "Modems and Dial-Up Networking
Troubleshooting Resources"
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