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Here are some tips if you are
experiencing problems with your
modem and or phone line(s).
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If your phone line has call waiting
and you're using a modem to connect to the Internet, then you must turn off call waiting.
If you need more information about how to turn off call waiting, contact your ISP or phone
company. Or go to Dial-up Networking and put *70,, before the ISP's dial-in phone number.
(Yes, those are 2 commas after *70 )
If you're dialing your Internet
Service Provider (ISP) from a business that requires a "9" for an outside phone
line, you must add a "9" prefix to your dial-in string (the phone number you
dial to connect to your ISP). To change the dial-in string, use the set-up dialog box
provided by your ISP. If you need more information about modifying your dial-in string,
contact your ISP.
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Tips on modem problems
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Verify that your modem is plugged in and
turned on.
Check that your modem's phone cord is
securely inserted at both ends of the connection.
If you have an external modem, check
that the phone line is securely plugged into the proper modem socket.
If you have an internal modem, check
that the phone line is securely plugged into your computer's modem socket.
Check that you are using the correct
dial-in string to contact the server.
If you're dialing your ISP from a
business that requires a "9" for an outside phone line, you must add a
"9" prefix to your dial-in string. To change the dial-in string, use the set-up
dialog box provided by your ISP. If you need more information about modifying your dial-in
string, contact your ISP.
Your computer's ability to use its
modem port may be hampered if you are running telephony or communications software (for
example, fax software). If you're using such software, try the following.
Close the telephony or communications
software.
Move the telephony or communications
software from the Startup program group to another Windows group.
Restart your computer and then
reconnect to the Internet.
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Tips on busy signals
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Busy signals can be caused:
by the phone company. For example, if
a customer encounters a "fast" busy this indicates a problem with the phone
company's equipment. If a customer has call waiting and dials *70,, before the phone
number, they can also get a busy signal if the phone company's equipment is not behaving
properly.
by your ISP's inability to handle
customer demand. For example, if your ISP does not have enough modems in their dial-in
modem bank, your modem will randomly encounter busy signals.
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Before switching to another
ISP,
contact your current ISP and ask them
the following questions:
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# Do you offer a premium service with call availability guarantee?
For an additional fee?
# What is the ratio of users to dial-in numbers?
When evaluating the ratio of users to dial-in phone
numbers, use the following guidelines. ISPs should have no more than 15 to 20 users per
dial-in phone number in an area. If an ISP has more than 20 users per dial-in phone
number, it usually means you'll routinely get a busy signal. Before switching to another
ISP, ask the prospective ISP these same questions.
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Tips on unanswered calls
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If you have dialed your ISP and your
call rings endlessly, here is some information that could help:
Unanswered calls are usually caused by
your phone company, which provides the dial-in lines, and not your ISP.
Most ISPs use trunk hunting and groups
of dial-in lines called hunt groups. Trunk hunting is a method used to switch incoming
calls to the next consecutive or available number in a hunt group. If the first number
called is busy or unavailable, the call should be automatically switched to the next
number in the hunt group.
Problems related to hunt groups are
difficult to detect and troubleshoot.
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Tips on dropped connections
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When you're connected to the Internet is
unexpectedly disconnected, this is called a "dropped connection." The following
information may help you deal with this situation:
The cause for dropped connections are
difficult to pinpoint and fix.
If you're experiencing dropped
connections, you may want to contact your phone company. It is recommended that you only
contact your phone company about chronic problems. It is recommended that you wait until
this count exceeds ten before contacting your phone company. This practice will minimize
flooding your phone company, Webmasters, system administrators, and ISPs with E-mails and
calls about intermittent problems. This, in turn, will enable them to focus on solving
chronic problems that plague your online connections.)
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Tips on modem connection
rates
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Most modems sold today sense and adapt
to the quality of the phone line. For example, a 28.8 kbps modem adapts to the quality of
the phone line. Because of this adaptive behavior, the modem's speed can fluctuate between
19.2 kbps and 28.8 kbps.
Because the average phone line was not
originally designed to transfer data, such techniques as data compression are used to
increase the amount of data that can be transferred over phone lines. If your modem is
connected at a speed greater than 9.6 kbps the modem connection speed may be faster than
9.6 kbps at certain times.
The various brands
and models of modems vary significantly in their ability to adapt to
poor-quality phone lines and to the wide range of modems used by ISPs. For
more information about a specific modem, check for newsgroups that discuss
modems.
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If you would like to
have even more information
on modem help go to
www.modemhelp.com OR search
below.
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