awolfpup
Premium
join:2001-01-18
Macon, GA
clubs: 
 ·Cox HSI
|  Here is some good info about dial up spd issues...
By Awolfpup:
I have been a mindspring dial-up user for about 3yrs.(past year however I'm a ADSL MS/EL user now!)... Of those 3 years as a dial-up user, the 3rd year I bought a US Robotics 56K V.90 external fax/modem due to a power fluxuation fried my old Hayes 56K external(V.90).
With the hayes right out of the box the fastest connect to MS/EL dial-up was a shaky 42K bps so I had to settle for a solid 33.6K bps connection by sending an AT command in order to force the modem to not communicate higher than 33.6K due to high signal drop ratio. Also I had moved out of an apt(eastside of town) and into my home(westside of town)...the hayes in the home I moved into would try to connect at the 42K, but just kept dropping the connection.
Now with the newer US Robotics modem for dial-up(in my home) I got a solid 49.3K bps; this was right out of the box, using default dip switch settings and installing the default software drivers for the USR.
After removing my security alarm system(which is no longer being monitored) from the phone line, I then got a stable connection of up to 52K bps(Keep in mind the fastest possible connection is at 53K bps for dial-up---FCC limitation placed on computer data speed transmissions over phone lines across the nation/US of A).
If you are using a 56K modem and were only connecting at 33.6K or less(but do check your modem(s) manual to see what the default settings are!) else it would then be a phone line/telco issue. Keep in mind if there is more than 1 DAC[Digital to Analog Converter] between you and your phone company and your ISP; you will be limited to 33.6K bps or less. Unfortunately, there isn't much a telco customer can do except wait for there telco to upgrade there serving CO/SLC telco equipment. And/Or wait for there ISP to upgrade there equipment between them(your ISP) and your telco provider.
If you have more than (1) phone line in the house, have you tried temporarily using the other line for Dial-up? Try dialing to your ISP, and see if the speed(s) are any better.
Also, do you have any other phone devices sharing the same line as your dial-up modem? Some fax machines will not let go of the line(or induce noise on the line) as well as some security alarm systems can degrade your dial-up connection as I found out myself above.
Are you in a home or apt? What condition is your NID in? Metal rusting case or hard plastic? ---My NID on the back of my home is hard plastic, both the outside casing as well as all of the internal connector board terminals with the exception of metal screws to secure the incoming lines from the telco.
Meaning the wires coming from the telco are only touching the terminal screws. If your NID box is aluminum, there could very well be a short circuit or a grounding issue occuring even more so if the box is rusting, and that box would need to be replaced by the telco.
How old is the home/apt your living in? Even after the telco tech replaces the NID. If your house is very old, more than 20 years give or take 5 yrs, the inside wiring may not support today's faster dial-up speeds. May have to have a new line run from the NID to the room in which the computer resides.
If you been having any voice problems with a standard telephone on your lines? static, cross talk? etc? Noise on the line will also reduce your speeds as well.
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Just so you know, if I sound like a tech, I am/was...have done 4 yrs of hardware/software top level support. Good Luck on your further trouble shooting.
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Contributed by: acdvr
Here are a few other issues that can effect your Dial-up speeds:
1. A noise filter installed on back of access jack within the NID(Network Interface Device) and split wiring of main house wires to NID.
2. Burglar Alarm wiring interference..IE..the RJ45X jack is a known noise source.and noise is what kills speeds with fast access. If you have a Alarm system installed, then you'll have to have a Signal splitter installed IN FRONT of the Alarm system wiring.
3. Yes, old telco 'bubblegum' house wiring that is not the [2] pair 'twisted' type will also induce noise into the line, affecting speed.
4. If your Cable Pairs are not 'isolated' beyond your terminal..that is, you're not 'cut dead ahead'. This means that your line is continuing past your house, adding 'length' to your circuit. And length adds resistance to the line speeds. Ever wonder why your line goes noisy during a storm or you hear faint conversations in the background while using your phone?...Just make sure that your line is cut 'dead ahead' the next time you get a dispatched telco tech at your house ask him/her to check for this.
Maybe this educational post has helped you become aware of the many possible issues that could affect line speeds/non-sync and will help you explain your service problems more effectively to the telco tech the next time he/she shows up at your door step. Good luck and I surely hope this has helped..
acdvr
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As far as this feature referred to as "shot-gun", this will only work if the following is true:
1) You have (2) phone lines;
2) You have (2) dial-up modems(preferably same model type);
3) Your ISP supports dual-modem/same machine connections(most ISP's do not support this, there is some hardware/sofware settings they(your ISP) must setup in order to make this type of dial-up work correctly, its generally a pain for them to do so, which is why most ISP's do not offer it).
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I hope this has helped at least one or more person's to getting a higher dial-up speed(s)!
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"The choices we make, dictate the lives we lead." |
