Getting Connected

The main question we get about connectivity regards the whole 56k modem hype. Modem manufactures have gone to great lengths to create an expectation of lightning fast connections when in fact the truth is only about 10% of modem users ever experience a speed faster than 26,400. In fact NO MODEM can do 56k even though they have this number emblazened in huge letters right on the modem.... the maximum speed is 53K which is in itself a rare occurance.

The other common problem is that the modems have been set to go too fast by the modem manufacturers. This is another form of hype as the goal would be you will tell your friends that you got a faster than possible connection speed. Unfortunately something has to give and usually what happens is the modem starts pausing for 30-45 seconds while it "retrains" and tries to compensate for the phone line quality. After several such attempts the end result is usually the connection drops. It's better to go a little slower and stay connected than to go faster than the phone line can really handle.

For those who do have excellent pristine connections to the phone company AND the phone company's central office that they are dialing into support the higher speeds, (some areas just plain don't support 53k no matter what, it's a sad fact of life that modem manufactures don't talk about very often) connection rates of 53k are possible.

Some other places for Modem information:

Hardware Handshake. Anywhere and everywhere that you are asked about handshaing you should say no to software handshaking and yes to hardware handshaking.
Likewise the cable used to connect to the modem should have enough wires in it to support hardware handshaking. This is generally not a problem with cables supplied by modem manufacturers
And so forth... more to follow soon.