How can I make Dial Up faster?

cksboy15 · November 19th, 2008, 10:54 PM

I get a 24 kbps connection and I hear that dial up can get up to 40kbps, so I want to know how I can get my computer to do that.

tcob · November 19th, 2008, 10:55 PM

What kind of modem do you have?

cksboy15 · November 19th, 2008, 10:56 PM

I have an external Zoom 56k V.92/V.90 modem

rusty_sim · November 20th, 2008, 06:28 AM

i have dial up too. are you posting this because lately your connection has been crap or is it always?
my connection can get real bad at times; download speeds in bytes/second.. and a couple days later im downloading at 4 or 5 kb/s.
are you unable to get adsl?

cksboy15 · November 20th, 2008, 10:15 PM

I don't need any form of high speed cause I'm usually not home to use it, so why pay $20 a month for a high peed connection when I can use a dial up connection for $10 a month?

and I'm making this post cause I hear dial up can hit 40 kbps and I get 24 kbps on average and I feel like I'm being cheated somehow.

tcob · November 20th, 2008, 10:44 PM

This may not be exactly helpful but it's an idea.

In my early use of dial up (before high speed) my phone company gave a long drawn out explanation basically saying that sometimes slow speeds can be from old/bad phone lines. If that is the case there might not be much you could do to get better speed.

**RicheemxX** · November 20th, 2008, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cksboy15

I don't need any form of high speed cause I'm usually not home to use it, so why pay $20 a month for a high peed connection when I can use a dial up connection for $10 a month?

and I'm making this post cause I hear dial up can hit 40 kbps and I get 24 kbps on average and I feel like I'm being cheated somehow.

Well technically it can hit 56k, dial-up is very picky, static in the lines, old wiring old bad terminals ect can cause slow downs. Have you tried another phone jack (if that's an option), dial up another number, ect ect.

zepper · November 21st, 2008, 12:13 AM

Static on the lines will slow things down dramatically. Once had it so bad here my modem couldn't even "hear" the dial tone over the noise when it picked up the line (happened when the temps went below 0 deg.C (32 deg.F) - got the "No Dial Tone" error message and then it hung up... Pick up any phone in your house and dial ONE DIGIT to shut off the dial tone and listen for the loudness of the dial tone and for static. Then pick up a phone that's connected to the same jack you use for your modem (listen for a difference in the static and/or loudness of the dial tone) - plug your modem into the jack with the least static and loudest dial tone - use the same phone set for listening at each jack for a consistent comparison). I'm thinking of redoing the inside wiring here using Cat-3 cable from Dalco.com. That is nice, low resistance cabling.
. Have the person with the best hearing in your house do the listening (or get a friend, as high frequency sensitivity is the first to go and is what is needed) dial another digit as needed to keep listening for a while. Our atrocious noise was caused by the connections at our drop from the pole but it can set in at any connection. They put in a new drop and sealed the new connections with that silicone goop they use now and it's been quiet ever since.
. Also if there is more than one D to A conversion (between your ISP and you - generally only one at your local switch), then the speed will never exceed 33.6 kbps. Glad our podunk (did you know there actually is a Podunk? - it's a little, bump-in-the-road hamlet over on the west side of Cayuga Lake) town got a digital switch earlier than it would have because the school required it - no businesses here any more to have significant clout, though it was a small industrial center until the 3rd quarter of the last century (Smith Corona built typewriters here).
. All that's guaranteed by the phone company is 14.4kbps on POTS (analog) local lines (yuck, I must say). Distance from your house to your switch is (I'm a bit over a mile here walking) also a factor. You can turn up the sensitivity on your modem (download the complete AT command parameters guide (if not at Zoom, try modemsite.com (may have to pay for a trial subscription to download)) and you'll find the settings there). Unfortunately the sensitivity to noise goes up right along with. I'll be diagnosing a slow dial-up connection shortly myself - it's a kind of voodoo art...
. It is very difficult to get above 50kbps (your ISP almost has to support v.92 at your POP - I never have here and just a few times in Tallahassee - 48-49 or so was about it. I can't even do modeming or faxing here anymore because the DSL filters don't offer enough bandwidth - I'd have to get a second line.
. I've got two modems on hand for testing, but that's usually not the problem unless somehow the one you have got a taste of lightning juice somehow. In my experience, I've never gotten good results with a Lucent/Agere based modem (either internal or external - most Zoom are Lucent/Agere) here (in the sticks of central NY) or when I was in Tallahassee. The internal, PCI, Win modem I use for testing has the SmartLink chip (Sterling Model S20-03DF) they used to stock these in Staples. Check the sterlingcommunications.com site (a div. of Zoom) for the other models that also use the SmartLink chip (use the same drivers). The other one is an external, serial (RS-232 not USB) data/fax/voice/modem, made by a division of DataLink using the Rockwell/Conexant chips - that external is the best working modem I've ever owned and it'll work with any OS. The only thing is that serial ports are getting scarce on new mobos, so an add on card may be necessary to use it.
. I'm glad I'm on basic DSL now! I suggested to the one I'm going to work for to trade houses with a villager for the faster, cheaper Internet and the cheaper electricity, but she says, "No way!"... ;-) There are a couple of ways for her to get high speed out there, but both are $50. or more a month + installation and it's not important enough to her to go that. First I'll test a local ISP with their POP only 10 miles away She's using AOL now whose nearest POP is a bit farther away. It really shouldn't matter as they are both digital up to the local switch. She's only abut 1/4 mi. past the reach of basic DSL. Damn!

.bh.

cksboy15 · November 21st, 2008, 06:21 PM

My zoom got hit by lightning last night so now I have a PCTEL Platinum V.90 modem, which is what I used before I got the zoom. I do have a brand new phone line and I still get the same connection, I live about 3 miles from my ISP.

The ISP guy said I could only dial one number.

zepper · November 21st, 2008, 06:57 PM

How far is it to your switch and is your switch digital? Is it all digital from your ISP's POP to your switch? Those are the keys assuming your line is clean. Have you done your listening tests? If your ISP is really a local outfit, they should be able to tell you almost exactly what is possible where you live.

.bh.